Judy Insley
Waterford, Michigan, United States | SELF
Music
Press
“A fantastic songwriter and guitarist, Judy Insley writes songs which paint wonderful imagery while portraying her unique view of the world. It's a world you'll want to share by picking up her new CD "Leaving Home" or catching a show featuring this Michigan Artist. Her song "Mother Earth" could be the anthem for a generation as we try to repair the damage we've done to our world.
Be sure to listen to:
The Beginning
Mother Earth
Heart, Soul, Flesh and Bone
Last Watch”
- Steven Johnson, MichiganFolkLive.com
She writes songs in the key of life
July 22, 2007
BY DAVID CRUMM
FREE PRESS RELIGION WRITER
Music is far more than entertainment to Waterford folk singer and songwriter Judy Insley, whose compositions carry people with her across Michigan's woodlands, shorelines and rolling waves.
She has performed her trademark tune, "Mother Earth," in festivals, cafés, churches and folk music clubs throughout the state. From the song's opening lines, she pulls listeners together in a warm embrace by invoking the timeless power of nature to remind people of the broad links that bind humanity together.
The song opens with the lines: "You love us like a mother/We can feel your embrace/One day into another/Such a beautiful place." It ends with: "Help us to recall that there is God within us all."
As Insley relaxed with her guitar in a park overlooking Cass Lake, she said, "When I finish that song, if I've sung it right, I hear this soft 'ohhh' sound. When I hear that, I know that people are connecting through the music."
For decades, Insley performed periodically on Michigan's folk music circuit, but in January she jumped in completely, taking an early retirement from her job in information management with General Motors Corp.
Now she alerts fans to her performances through a monthly e-mail newsletter and her Web site. Her new CD, "Leaving Home," pulls together 11 of her most popular songs.
While folk music is literally as old as the hills, Insley feels she's launching this phase of her career at a time when millions of people are forming global networks concerned about the natural world. On July 7, she was mesmerized by TV coverage of the "Live Earth" concert.
"Right now, it's as if I can hear the voices rising around the world, connecting with each other through their love of the natural world. ...
"I know that I'm just one person out here with a guitar, but that's what's important, I think: Encouraging everyone to lift their small voices, add to the energy and build these new connections between people."
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
- Detroit Free Press
Discography
"Candles In The Dark" [Out of Print] - 6-song EP with Rhonda Morgan (1993); "Satyagraha" - Limited Edition CD Single (2003); "Leaving Home" - Full-length CD (2007).
Photos
Bio
Judy Insley is a writer and performer of songs about personal growth, social justice, environmentalism, and our universal connection to everything around us. The release of her CD, “Leaving Home” resulted in two 2008 Detroit Music Awards nominations for: ”Outstanding Acoustic/Folk Recording” and “Outstanding Acoustic/Folk Songwriter.” She was also among the top 30 Finalists (out of over 600 entries) in the 2008 Great Lakes Songwriting Competition and received "Honorable Mention" in 2009. Her voice is comfortable, instinctive, and uniquely emotive while her skillful guitar playing provides a strong foundation for heartfelt lyrics and flowing melodies. transcending words.”
Currently, Judy can be found performing at various local acoustic music venues both as a soloist and as part of a folk/acoustic duo with accomplished musician Floyd Raeon (guitar, 5- string banjo, vocals). She is a member of Southeast Michigan’s Songwriters Anonymous collective. In addition to songwriting and performing, Judy also teaches acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo and ukulele while occasionally coaching beginning songwriters.
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