Tommy Collins | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Tommy_Collins.png) Tommy Collins in 1966 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Leonard Raymond Sipes |
| Also known as | Tommy Collins |
| Born | September 28, 1930 Bethany, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | March 14, 2000 (aged 69) Ashland City, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genres | Country, Bakersfield sound |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1950s – 2000 |
| Labels | Capitol, Columbia |
Leonard Raymond Sipes[1] (September 28, 1930[1] – March 14, 2000),[2] better known as Tommy Collins, was an American country music singer and songwriter.[1]
Active primarily during the 1950s through the 1970s, Collins was instrumental in helping create the Bakersfield sound of the country music genre. He enjoyed a string of hits during the mid-1950s including "It Tickles" and "Watcha Gonna Do Now".[1]
Many of the songs he wrote were recorded by other artists. His song "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" was a top 10 hit for Faron Young in 1954 and, decades later, hit No. 1 on the chart for George Strait in 1988. In late 1963, Buck Owens released an LP consisting entirely of songs written or co-written by Collins, Buck Owens Sings Tommy Collins, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in January 1964, holding the top spot for two weeks.[3]
After several years in the ministry, Collins returned to recording.[1] In 1965, he had a comeback hit with "If You Can't Bite, Don't Growl".[1] In the 1970s, he wrote several hits for Merle Haggard and The Strangers, including the No. 1 hits "Carolyn" and "The Roots of My Raising". In June 1980, Haggard recorded a biographical tribute to Collins called "Leonard".
Collins was the inspiration and character talked about in Craig Morgan's song, "I Wish I Could See Bakersfield".
Collins remained active in the songwriting business. In 1999, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, in a class of inductees that also included Wayne Kemp, A.L. "Doodle" Owens, and Glenn Sutton.[4] He died March 14, 2000, at his home in Ashland City, Tennessee.[2]
- ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Country Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 88/9. ISBN 0-85112-726-6.
- ^ a b "Country music writer Tommy Collins dies at 69". Oklahoman.com. March 16, 2000. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ "Chart History: Buck Owens". www.billboard.com. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Tommy Collins". nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com. Retrieved January 23, 2024.