Don McLean, Judy Collins to Perform Friday Night at Wolf Trap

The songs of singer-songwriters Don McLean and Judy Collins are ingrained in the collective psyche of those who experienced the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their songs were part of the musical backdrop during the height of the protest movement against the Vietnam War, flower power and the civil rights movement.

McLean and Collins will perform Friday night at Wolf Trap at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42 or $22 for lawn tickets.

McLean's repertoire includes classics that most people know the words to. "American Pie" is his whopping, chart-topping eight-and-a-half minute ode to the music and times of Buddy Holly and the changing American cultural landscape of that time, the late '50s to the early '70s.

The lyrics have been analyzed to death by fans: "While the King was looking down, the jester stole his thorny crown," is said to be about Elvis Presley (the King) and Bob Dylan (the jester). But you won't get any straight answers from McLean. He's said in many interviews that he prefers his audience interpret the song for themselves.

Another McLean classic is "Vincent," aka "Starry, Starry Night," a salute to artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Judy Collins' musical renditions have been a part of the American musical landscape since the 1960s with her cover of Bob Dylan's "Tambourine Man," the Beatles' "In My Life," and much more. Her recording of "Both Sides Now," written by Joni Mitchell, won a Grammy for Collins in 1968 in the Best Folk Song category.

One of the most-often told stories about Collins is that she is the inspiration for the popular Crosby, Stills & Nash song "Suite Judy Blue Eyes," written by Stephen Stills, about their break-up.

Collins herself played on the title of the song, when she published her book "Sweet Judy Blue Eyes" in 2000.