The life and career of folk singer Judy Collins is almost too storied to get into without resorting to bullet points: her rise through the ranks of the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early '60s; her discovering of Leonard Cohen (which led to her making the first recordings of the man's songs, back when he was too timid to perform them himself); her political activism, which included testifying in the infamous Chicago Seven trial, during which she participated in the open heckling of Judge Hoffman by singing "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" from the stand; her transition from exclusively performing cover songs to becoming a respected songwriter in her own right - and this just amounts to roughly the first decade of her career as a musician.

Now, more than 50 years and an enormous catalogue later, Collins has proved herself to be an artist who has stood the test of time more ably than many of her contemporaries. The thing that always defined Collins - her rich, effortlessly beautiful voice - remains her greatest tool, sounding as fresh and vibrant as it ever did, even as it gains the grooves and character that come with the passing of time.

Speaking with her on the phone, Collins radiated the sort of grace and warmth that you'd expect from her.

"I've done a lot of things that were very exciting for me, to have other people sing my songs, and to be able to sing the songs of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, and many others," says Collins. "There are many highlights. ... (Leonard Cohen) discovered me, actually. He wanted someone - not just someone, but me - to listen to his songs, in 1966. He happened to have a mutual friend of mine, who took him to my apartment, and he came and played his songs. I said, ‘They're perfect. I'm recording most of them.' (Laughs)

"One day," says Collins, "after I had recorded dozens of Leonard's songs, he said, ‘I love that you're doing this, but I'd really like to know why you aren't writing your own material.' I had no answer, so I started writing, and my first song was ‘Since You Asked.' ... He did me a huge, huge mitzvah, as they say, and I will never be able to repay him. Truly."

Collins was raised in a time when folk songs were passed from singer to singer. Coming out of a household (in Seattle, let it be said) where her radio host father had musicians constantly coming through.

"I fell in love with traditional folk music," says Collins. "I didn't really understand how much was going on in the world of the singer-songwriter. Although, of course, Woody (Guthrie) and Pete (Seeger) both wrote tons of songs. I mean, Woody Guthrie wrote 3,000 songs, and I think Pete Seeger must have written hundreds. So, it wasn't unusual, but it was something that everybody kind of kept secret."

On the day that I'm writing this piece, coincidentally, reports are coming out that Pete Seeger has passed away at the age of 94. Collins, now at the age of 74, remains a vital and beloved figure in the scene that Seeger helped create. And, like Seeger, Collins has long been a passionate political activist, becoming a representative for UNICEF, and most recently throwing herself into the work of suicide prevention and raising awareness for depression, following the 1992 suicide of her son.

"Overcoming negativity, self-destruction on many levels - that's a daily job," says Collins. "I don't let negative people into my life. I keep them far away."

Now, 50 years after those Greenwich Village days, what can people expect to see when they come to the Pantages on Friday?

"Me!" laughs Judy Collins. "They should expect to see me!"

JUDY COLLINS, w/ the Passenger String Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31, Pantages Theater, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, $28-$64, 253.591.5890