I mean, it went on to be one of the biggest hits of Crosby, Stills & Nash. MARTIN: Well, talk to me a little bit about the song, Stephen, if we can still talk a little bit about it. But I said, well, but then you wouldn't have written 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.' And so from that moment on, until this really, because when we started singing together to practice this album, Stephen said, well, we should have done this right from the beginning. MARTIN: So who was liking who first? I mean, tell, you know, tell the truth.ĬOLLINS: I didn't know him until he started playing the guitar on the session and then I just went crazy. And Stephen says that we met at the Whisky A Go Go. And like, who saw who first?ĬOLLINS: Actually, we have two versions of that.ĬOLLINS: I think we met as I was singing a song in John Haney's (ph) little house up near Griffith Park. We have a connection that's pretty otherworldly, so you don't let those things go. STILLS: We never really lost touch with each other. STILLS: You missed a couple of steps, but (laughter). Stephen Stills, Judy Collins, thank you so much for speaking with us. They're with us from our studios at NPR West in Culver City, Calif.

It's called 'Everybody Knows.' They toured together this summer, and we are catching them just as the tour is winding down. And they decided to record an album together for the first time. And then a few years ago, they shared the bill at - a wait for it - AARP convention. She was one of the most popular live acts of the 1960s and one of the female folk artists who defined the era with hits like this.ĬOLLINS: (Singing) I've looked at love from both sides now, from win and lose.

MARTIN: And Judy Collins's career also blossomed. JUDY COLLINS: (Singing) You make it hard (laughter). With emotions fresh from the breakup, he wrote what would become one of the group's biggest hits and what many call the best rock breakup song ever, 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.'ĬROSBY, STILLS AND NASH: (Singing) I am yours. After the couple split, Stephen joined the now legendary group Crosby, Stills & Nash. The romantic relationship only lasted two years, but the imprint of one on the other endured. MARTIN: Half a century ago, singer-songwriter Stephen Stills and Judy Collins fell in love.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, 'SUITE: JUDY BLUE EYES')ĬROSBY, STILLS AND NASH: (Singing) It's getting to the point where I'm no fun anymore. And now we turn to a story of love, friendship and music.

Judy collins blue eyes