From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Sat Sep 28, 2002 2:17 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Tommy Collins TOMMY COLLINS (By Shaun Mather) Born Leonard Raymond Sipes, 28 September 1930, Bethany, Oklahoma Died 14 March 2000, Ashland City, Tennessee Leonard Raymond Sipes, better known as Tommy Collins, along with his contemporary Wynn Stewart, was one of the first exponenets of the electric country style, now celebrated as the Bakersfield sound. The sound was taken a step further by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, leaving Collins behind, although Haggard did take Collins' "Carolyn" and "The Roots of My Raising" to the top of the charts in the early '70s. Collins spent his entire childhood in Oklahoma, where he began to sing and write songs, eventually appearing on local radio shows. Following his high school graduation in 1948, he attended Edmond State Teachers College while he continued to perform music. During this time, he made a handful of singles for the California-based record label, Morgan. In the early '50s, he was in the army for a brief time, before he moved to Bakersfield, California with his friend Wanda Jackson and her family. Whilst the Jacksons returned to Oklahoma soon after, Tommy Collins stayed in town, eventually becoming friends with Ferlin Husky. After recording a handful of Collins' songs, Husky convinced his record company, Capitol, to offer Tommy a record contract and the fledging singer/songwriter signed to the label in June 1953. The first single bombed, but the follow-up, "You Better Not Do That," spent seven weeks at number two on the country charts in early 1954. Between the fall of 1954 and the spring of 1955, he had three Top 10 hits - "Whatcha Gonna Do Now," "Untied," "It Tickles" - and in the fall of 1955, the double A-sided single "I Guess I'm Crazy" and "You Oughta See Pickles Now," which both reached the Top 15. He also enjoyed songwriting success when Faron Young had a huge hit with Tommy's "If You Ain't Lovin'". Then in early '56 with fame and fortune banging at his front door, Tommy had a religious conversion and began recording mainly sacred music, including some duets with his wife Wanda Lucille Shahan. In 1957, Collins enrolled in the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary with the intention of becoming a minister. Two years later, he became a pastor. He continued to record for Capitol, but both himself and the label lost interest and the hits dried up. When his contract with the label expired in 1960, he stopped recording and enrolled as a student at Sacramento State College. In early 1963, he left the church and headed back to Bakersfield with the intention of re-entering the music business. Capitol agreed to re-sign him and in 1964, he returned to the lower reaches of the charts with "I Can Do That," another duet with Wanda. With the help of Johnny Cash, Collins switched labels and signed with Columbia in 1965; the following year, he had a Top 10 hit with "If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl." For the next few years, he had a string of minor hit singles, none of which cracked the country Top 40. During this time, he also toured with his protegees, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, acting as their opening act. By the early '70s, he'd developed a drug and alcohol problem and Wanda filed for a divorce, sending Tommy into a deep depression. In 1976, Tommy moved to Nashville and signed with Starday Records. In 1981, Merle Haggard had a hit single with "Leonard," his heartfelt tribute to Collins, which again put TC back in the spotlight. Tommy signed a songwriting contract with Sawgrass Music, where his most notable success was Mel Tillis' Top 10 1984 hit, "New Patches." Throughout the '80s, his songs continued to be recorded. George Strait took his version of "If You Ain't Lovin'" to number one on the country charts. European record companies like Bear Family began reissuing his recordings, which led to an appearance at the 1988 Wembley Country Music Festival. In 1993, Collins signed a new publishing contract with Ricky Skaggs Music and continued to write songs professionally throughout the mid-'90s, dying at his home in Ashland City, TN on March 14, 2000. One of the UK's top country/rock 'n' roll photographers, Barry Dixon, was a big friend of Tommy Collins and always talks fondly of him, remembering him as a warm and friendly guy. His early contributions/influence on the Bakersfield Sound should not be overlooked. Recommended listening: Leonard - Bear Family BCD 15577 (5-CD set). More info: http://www.rockabillyhall.com/TommyCollins.html