Music icons Stephen Stills and Judy Collins will perform together Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Visalia Fox Theatre. Collins has been drawing audiences for over 50 years. But it almost never happened.

"I contracted polio as a child and later tuberculosis when I was in my early 20s," recalled Collins in an interview with USA TODAY NETWORK. "My school teachers told me I was suffering from growing pains but when I was around 11 and the pain became severe, I went to the doctor who said I had polio. Of course, there was an epidemic throughout the country when this happened in 1950, and I spent 2 months in hospital. Fortunately, there were no lasting effects.

Stills is known for his work with Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and his solo work. In addition to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," he is best known for the hits "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield and "Love The One You're With" from his solo debut, "Stephen Stills." He is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and ranked No. 28 in Rolling Stone Magazine's "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Stills also has the added distinction of being the first artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice in one night (for his work with CSN and Buffalo Springfield).

A portion of proceeds to benefit Full Sail Ministries.