Last night, shortly before shutting things down, I came across this video, of Larry Collins testing a new guitar, the twin neck Fireball 500, made by custom car deity George Barris, and modeled after Barris' customized '66 Barracuda of the same name. (Check out part two of the video in which Collins is playing for Barris, while Barris is leaning against another of his creations, the Batmobile.) Right then it hit me. I had yet to post anything about the Collins Kids!
I remember clearly the first time I heard the Collins Kids. As I made one of my ritual stops at a friend's record store, he was nearly frothing. A rockabilly compilation had just come in, with a mindblowingly good band, who were just kids. I was used to these "you gotta hear this" things from him. The proprietor of said record store, Dan McLain (who later would be better known as Country Dick Montana, of the Beat Farmers) had already turned me on to several bands and singers (not the least of which was Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps). So I knew the drill. But still, I was amazed.
The Collins Kids Story (in 10 minutes)
The first time I actually saw footage of the Collins Kids was at a small barbecue at the home of a couple I knew. After a few beers and burgers, it was time for the main event. The video tape came out. (This was well before DVDs.) It would be another slack jawed moment. Even being familiar with some of the Collins Kids' music, nothing could have prepared me for the sight of a kid in his early teens playing technically incredible stuff, with a big ass smile on his face. As if that weren't enough, the little fugger was moving like he had ants in his pants. It kinda gave me the creeps, because it was so unthinkable. It still does a little. "So good, it's scary." Check out some videos below and give yourself the creeps.
The Collins Kids with Deke Dickerson (photo: Night-Thing/Creative Commons)
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:The Collins Kids - Hoy Hoy mp3 at Rock-52.net
The Collins Kids - Beetle Bug Bop mp3 at Rocky-52.net
The Collins Kids - Hush Money mp3 at Rocky-52.net
Video:
The Collins Kids - Hoy Hoy at YouTube
The Collins Kids - High School Confidential at YouTube
The Collins Kids - Rock Boppin' Baby at YouTube
The Collins Kids - Rockin' In the Congo at YouTube
The Collins Kids - Night Train to Memphis ('64) at YouTube Skip to :41 to avoid the malarkey.
The Collins Kids - Like A Rolling Stone (Shindig '65) at YouTube Rare clip, where they clearly forgot who brung 'em.
Lorrie Collins and Ricky Nelson - Just Because at YouTube
Larry Collins and Joe Maphis - Hurricane at YouTube
Larry Collins and Deke Dickerson - Hurricane (semi-recent) at YouTube
Visit:
The Collins Kids - Interview at L.A. Record (2008)
The Collins Kids at the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
The Collins Kids at Wikipedia
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