L ui Collins has been a mainstay on the folk music scene for over thirty years. Known for her sense of style and incredibly savvy sense of humor, Lui has delighted audiences far and wide with her insightful lyrics and masterful musicianship. When Lui first started playing at folk clubs in the 70s, she introduced people to emerging artists like Greg Brown, Julie Snow, and Stan Rogers. In fact, Stan Rogers, the late great Canadian folk singer, once said of Lui: “She sings my songs better than I do.”

Lui’s 1981 album, “Baptism of Fire” was a breakthrough album for her. The title song became somewhat of a signature tune, as well as her delightful rendition of Greg Brown’s “Rooty Toot Toot for the Moon.” Her next album, “There’s a Light,” produced by another late great performer, Johnny Cunningham, included an exceptional version of Bob Franke’s “For Real” along with Lui’s own song, “The Enfolding.” The instrumentation and production of this album expanded well beyond traditional folk parameters, using synthesizers, cello, French horn and trumpet.

Leaving the music business for eight years, Lui spent well-deserved time raising her children and attending to her family life. With renewed vigor, she released “Moondancer” (subtitled “The Journey of the Child Within”) in 1993. This CD is considered one of Lui’s most intense works even though it contains a mixture of reflective songs and light-hearted ones. 1997 marked the release of “Stone by Stone,” which is highlighted by the gathering of an excellent group of backup musicians and some outstanding songs about love, friendship, spirituality, and earthly concerns, such as her deepening ties with Native Americans and her work with prisoners.

One unique collaboration of Lui’s is her association with children’s author Jane Yolen. She often performs children’s concerts for pre-K to fourth grade children and brings along her realistic bear puppet, Ursa. Collins has set several Yolen poems to music, much to her young audiences’ delight. Her songs for children are valuable lessons in respect for the earth and cultural diversity. She received a National Parents Choice Award for her album, “North of Mars,” which was also reviewed on NPR’s “All Things Considered.”

Her latest release, “Leaving Fort Knox,” presents Lui as a compelling writer, singer, and instrumentalist. She has embraced old-time music with the addition of the banjo to her musical repertoire. Dirty Linen magazine says of her: “Her gorgeously poetic lyrics are wrapped around a solid bed of traditional and old-timey influenced music, which is at once simple and perfect for conveying the mood and subtleties of her words.” This well-established music magazine gives the CD its highest rating and says “It’s simply the best Lui Collins recording ever!” But perhaps even higher praise was awarded to this simple yet challenging album by a critic from Music Matters Reviews: “There are many sophisticated singer-songwriters plying their trade and there is a strong community of people who are keeping old songs alive. Yet, there are relatively few artists who are bringing a traditional sensibility to modern songwriting, and in the process creating new traditional music. Lui Collins is among the barefoot royalty of this group.”