The inclusion of Carolyn Hester as a more-or-less equal with the other three members of this pantheon would seem to date this set of four queens back to the early-early sixties.

For those of you too young to remember, Ms. Hester is most notable for having been Richard Farina's first wife (preceding Mimi Baez), and for featuring Bob Dylan as a backing musician (harmonica) on one of her albums -- it was Bob's first appearance on record.

It is undoubtedly unfair that she be remembered for these associations and not for her own great beauty and lovely voice. She was undoubtedly the most purely "folk" of this group, if only because she had disappeared from sight before getting an opportunity to "sell out," diversify, whatever.

By the *late* sixties, I'd say you'd have to include Joni Mitchell as first among equals, in a class with Joan and Judy.

Judy Collins introduced the idea of "art song" to the folk audience -- well, to this member of the audience, anyway. I think the concept meant contemporary songwriting that didn't have to pretend to be "folk." Judy came from a classical-music background, knew all about the Brecht-Weill operettas, etc.. This approach certainly influenced the later careers of those other women, especially Joni, who went on to create songs that increasingly defied classification by genre.