collins.jpgLorrie Collins was born on May 7th 1942 in Talloquah, Oklahoma and her young brother Larry, was born on October 4th 1944 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They start studying guitar very young, in the early fifties. In 1953 they regulary play in the famous Town Hall Party in Compton, a Country and Western show broadcast both on tv and radio. The Collins Kids become very popular on the west coast. They play several times at the Grnd Ole Opry in Nashville in 1954.
In July of 1955, they contract with Columbia and record several singles that all the cats love. On October 4th 1955 the Kids record a superb Hillbilly-rock the exciting and happy "Beetle Bug Bop" (Columbia 4-21470) with on side B "Hush Money" a fast country.
Actually if most of the Collins' recording are Hillbilly Boogie or Rockabilly, the country sound is always there thanks to their vocals and the fiddle.
Among the band's success I can quote "Make Him Behave" / "The Rockaway Rock" (CO 21514 in 1956), "In My Teens" / "They're Still In Love" (CO 21453 in 1956), as well as the legendary "Hop, Skip And Jump" (CO 40921 in 1957) which is a great Rockabilly written by Larry. In spite of their accomplishements of composer-musicians-singers-performers, they never assert themself in the charts. Two other exemples of their contribution to Rockabilly: "Hoy Hoy" (1957) and "Rock Boppin' Baby" (1958). As regards Country and Western, I'll mention the beautiful version of Ernest Tubb's "Walkin' The Floor Over You" in 1958, and "You're My Sunshine recorded in 1956 in Hollywood with Carl Smith, Gene Autry, Don Cherry, Rosemary Clooney and The Tunesmiths!
There is "Wait For The Ligth To Shine" too in 1957 recorded with the Town Hall Party's stars (Freddie HArt, Joe & Rose Lee Maphis). Larry Collins is a virtuoso of rockabilly guitar. His master is Joe Maphis, the man with the fingers faster than their shadows. The young boy and the veteran record marvels together on September 25th 1957: "Hurricane" and "Bye Bye" written by Larry and "Early American" and "The Rockin' Gypsy" from Joe (Columbia EP B2141). They play on special guitars: a Mosrite Special with a double handle.

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