Back in February 1988, folk music legend Julie Felix (who is singing in a special concert in St Mary’s Church, Rickmansworth, on July 18) gave an interview to Watford Observer reporter Angela Sunter in which she spoke about the heady days of the early 60s and how she felt as the 80s raced to a close.

This is what the article said.

“Julie Felix was a self-confessed beatnik when she shot to fame in the 1960s but her present image reflects the maturity and peace she has found since those early heady days.

“One of folk’s best-known singers is back on the road with her first club tour since the days of Bob Dylan and the Beatles.

“And she appears at the Pump House Folk Club, Local Board Road, Watford, on Tuesday, March 8, 1988, at 8pm.

“‘I think it’s important that these kind of places are supported and usually they cannot afford a lot so top names won’t go there and people don’t come. I think clubs are a great setting,’ said Julie.

“She took a three-year break at the beginning of the 80s and went back to her native America with her 16-year-old daughter Tanit.

“She returned to Britain and now lives in Heronsgate. Europe is where she feels most at home.

“‘When you grow up in America it’s as if there is a cultural capsule – a society where the rest of the world is like a fairytale. I think Europe is not only more colourful and varied, it’s like a kaleidoscope of smells, colours and languages and artistic expression,’ she said.

“Many people will recall Julie’s hit records – Going to the Zoo, Masters of War and El Condor Pasa.

“And although her career began in 1964, much of her new material will be firmly rooted in the 80s with songs about political and personal issues.

“‘I’ve started to write again. A lot of us in the 60s got disillusioned. Coming back to England was a signal to my mind that I want to work again but I don’t want to get involved with the star syndrome,’ she said.

“Julie is critical of the music industry which produces the current chart hits and says it is aimed at the 12 to 17 age group.

“‘They just have to manufacture an archetype and they are assured of a market. It’s all down to profit margins,’ she said.

“Julie finds Britain much more conscious of a folk tradition than the States.

“‘Folk was just beginning when I came to Europe. Mostly there were a few little clubs that were tied up with the working classes and the Communist party. The folk movement in the 60s was quite interwoven with the politics of socialism.

“‘I had never been that involved in a society where Communism was a legitimate party. Anyone in America was tarred and feathered if they mentioned it. I think that was a lot of my political education. I was just a kid out of college and I wasn’t that politically aware,’ she said.

“Musically, Julie was influenced by many artistes.

“‘Bob Dylan influenced me because he brings artistry to the realm of popular music in the form of poetry. I admire Judy Collins for her integrity in selecting her material. And Woody Guthrie, who writes and sings about people’s lives and not just their love affairs,’ she said.

“The comparison with fellow singer Joan Baez is something Julie has had to live with but now feels they were both part of a wave of music.

“Recently, Julie took part in an international peace march in Central America, marking her solidarity with the struggles against political repression and injustice which has always characterised her life and work.

“‘I was working in Norway. I hadn’t been politically active for several years. I learned by going on that march that I did care and wasn’t just a voice of the 60s,’ she said.

“She also met women from Greenham Common and their shared songs and experiences are reflected in Julie’s most recent single The Witch Song and You Can’t Kill the Spirit.

“Julie has also been developing the spiritual side of her nature and has become involved in yoga, astrology and healing.

“She believes astrology to be a tool that has been interpreted literally and misunderstood for centuries.

“But her decision to go back on the road is tied up with her belief that it is vital to have places where people can sing, play their fiddles and get in touch with their creativity – particularly for young people.

“The girl who came to fame in the 60s is re-emerging as a strong reflective woman of the 80s.”

[From the Watford Observer of February 19, 1988]

For more about Julie Felix, see her official website www.juliefelix.co.uk. Julie presents An Evening With Julie Felix at St Mary’s Church, Rickmansworth, on Saturday, July 18, as part of Rickmansworth Folk Festival. Tickets, if still available, are £12.50 on the door.