A Maid of Constant Sorrow

A Maid of Constant Sorrow is a 1961 music album, the debut of Judy Collins, released by Elektra Records and featuring traditional folk songs. Collins' voice and guitar are sparsely accompanied by Fred Hellerman and Walter Raim on second guitar, Erik Darling on banjo, and Bill Lee on bass. The selections range from the Scottish anthem Wild Mountain Thyme to the Irish standards Bold Fenian Men and The Prickilie Bush. The album also includes more obscure numbers such as Tim Evans, Wars of Germany and John Riley.

These songs are in the style of social protest, similar to early recordings by Bob Dylan. They reveal a different side of Judy Collins than what many listeners are familiar with. In Tim Evans, written by Ewan MacColl (Grammy award winning writer in 1972 of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face), she sings of a wife-and-child killer: "Go down to hell, you murderer, go down," who is eventually exonerated after he is hung. The album shows an ability to select material which would serve her well on later albums after the traditional folk song mine tapped out. Her alto vocals on lively songs like O Daddy Be Gay contrast effectively with the social message material, and the blend makes this a notable debut album. In 2001 the album was re-released on CD with Collins' second album, The Golden Apples of the Sun (1962).