I’m always receptive to stories about those artists who were overlooked in their lifetimes. Not that I deliberately seek out disappointment per se (a contradiction, I’ll admit), but if I happen to chance upon it, I’ll likely remember it. One such time occurred on a Friday afternoon while listening to a radio station called Simply Beautiful 91.3 KNCT-FM, which will play anything from Sam Cooke to Jim Croce, Glenn Miller to Glenn Gould, instrumental to swing, jazz, and random folk. (It can be assumed that most of Simply Beautiful’s audience is older, so it’s no surprise to hear this station playing while browsing in a local antique store.)

So, it was upon this Friday afternoon when I first chanced upon an unfamiliar folk song called ‘The Kiss’, followed by the DJ mentioning the name Judee Sill and the documentary Lost Angel. (Scribbling down the name and title, I misspelled her name as Judy.) It’s been said that Sill had a rough start in life, having been a heroin addict, a prostitute, and spending time in jail. However, despite these setbacks, Sill managed to create two albums (titled Judee Sill and Heart Food) both containing elements of country, blues, gospel, and Bach Fugues. An odd combination, I admit, and so afterward I immediately searched her Spotify channel and began playing what sounded like an ethereal mix of reflection, meditation, and religion. Then, upon watching the documentary Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, her work and life became all the more illuminating. […]