Allen Collins
Encyclopedia
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. (July 19, 1952 – January 23, 1990) was one of the founding members and guitarists of Southern rock
band Lynyrd Skynyrd
, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant
. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida
.
and Gary Rossington
, along with Bob Burns
and Larry Junstrom
. So came the birth of Lynyrd Skynyrd
in the summer of 1964. Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant co-wrote many of the biggest Skynyrd hits, including "Free Bird
", "Gimme Three Steps
", and "That Smell
". The band received national success beginning in 1973 while opening for The Who
on their Quadrophenia
tour. On October 20, 1977, the Skynyrd plane crashed
into a forest in Mississippi
killing three band members, including Van Zant. Collins was seriously injured in the crash, suffering two broken vertebrae in his neck and severe damage to his right arm. While amputation was recommended, Collins' father refused and Allen eventually recovered.
After the crash, Collins' life took a turn for the worse. Gary Rossington stated, "Al took it the worst when Ronnie and Steve died. He started to question religion..." (a major part of the band's dynamic) ..." and he started drinking more and doin' more drugs."
During the early 1980s, Collins continued to perform on stage in The Rossington-Collins Band
which enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums (Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, and This Is the Way), and charting a few singles (notably "Don't Misunderstand Me"). In 1980, Collins' wife Kathy suddenly died of a hemorrhage. Allen began a downward spiral, using drugs and alcohol to assuage his grief. Missed concerts and conflicts within the band resulted in the disbanding of Rossington-Collins in 1982, and the start of the Allen Collins Band
, which released one album, Here, There & Back in 1983. The six band members were Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell and bassist Leon Wilkeson, along with lead singer Jimmy Dougherty, drummer Derek Hess, and guitarists Barry Lee Harwood and Randall Hall. In 1984, Jacksonville guitarist Mike Owings joined the Allen Collins Band until the reformation of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1985. Owings was injured in a near fatal automobile accident on his way to audition for Lynyrd Skynyrd on October 9, 1985, and later recovered to join Jacksonville southern rock band Molly Hatchet
in 1999. Collins was scheduled to produce Owings' first record at Kingsnake Records on August 16, 1989, but went into the hospital for pneumonia and never recovered.
to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. He would never play guitar on-stage again.
All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited to perform in 1987, but due to his injury Collins only served as musical director. As part of his plea bargain for the 1986 accident, Collins addressed fans at every Skynyrd concert with an explanation of why he could not perform, citing the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as drugs and alcohol. Because of Collins' accident, the band donated a sizable amount of concert proceeds from the 1987-88 tour to the Miami Project
, which is involved in treatment of paralysis.
Collins founded Roll For Rock Wheelchair Events and Benefit Concerts in 1988 to raise awareness and to provide opportunities for those living with spinal cord injury and other physical challenges.
His life worsened even more so when, in 1986, he was in a tragic car accident which claimed the life of his new girlfriend. He was under the influence of alcohol. Allen was paralyzed from the waist down after the accident. Allen Collins died January 23, 1990 from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis. He is buried beside his wife in Jacksonville, Florida.
guitar fitted with a chrome, dog-eared P-90
pickup in the bridge position and a Gibson "teaspoon" nickel vibrato arm. In 1976 he switched to a natural-finished korina Gibson Explorer
and would use that all the way through his tenure with the Allen Collins Band. Starting in late 1977, he would also use a Gibson Les Paul Jr. occasionally. And on "Gimme Back My Bullets
", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Every Mothers Son" and many other songs, he used a Sunburst Fender Stratocaster
after Ed King
left. Collins has been filmed playing an all-black, rosewood
neck Stratocaster with white single-coil pickups and white control knobs. In 2003, Gibson Guitars honored Allen with a limited edition Explorer. The guitar is made of African limba wood and features an aged finished, Maestro vibrola, and classic humbucking pickups.
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
band Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
, and co-wrote many of the band's songs with late frontman Ronnie Van Zant
Ronnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
. He was born in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Musical career
Allen Collins joined Skynyrd in Jacksonville, Florida just two weeks after Ronnie Van ZantRonnie Van Zant
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Van Zant was an American lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and a founding member of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
and Gary Rossington
Gary Rossington
Gary Robert Rossington is a founding member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. He plays lead and rhythm guitar. He is also a founding member of The Rossington-Collins Band along with former Lynyrd Skynyrd bandmate, the late Allen Collins...
, along with Bob Burns
Bob Burns (drummer)
Bob Burns is an American drummer who was in the original line-up of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Burns helped to form the band in 1964 with Gary Rossington and Larry Junstrom and remained until 1974, although by some accounts he left the band for a while during the early 1970s...
and Larry Junstrom
Larry Junstrom
Larry Junstrom is the bassist of American rock band .38 Special. He was also one of the founding members of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....
. So came the birth of Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
in the summer of 1964. Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant co-wrote many of the biggest Skynyrd hits, including "Free Bird
Free Bird
"Free Bird" is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...
", "Gimme Three Steps
Gimme Three Steps
"Gimme Three Steps" is a song by southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd released on its 1973 debut album, . The song can often be heard on many classic rock radio stations today...
", and "That Smell
That Smell
"That Smell" is a song by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. Written by Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins, it was released in 1977 on the album Street Survivors. At the time the song was written, the band had been drinking and doing many different drugs...
". The band received national success beginning in 1973 while opening for The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
on their Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by English rock band The Who. Released on 19 October 1973 by Track and Polydor in the UK, and Track and MCA in the US, it is a double album, and the group's second rock opera...
tour. On October 20, 1977, the Skynyrd plane crashed
1977 Convair 240 crash
On Thursday, October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-300 chartered by the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from L&J Company of Addision, TX ran out of fuel and crashed near the end of its flight from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
into a forest in Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
killing three band members, including Van Zant. Collins was seriously injured in the crash, suffering two broken vertebrae in his neck and severe damage to his right arm. While amputation was recommended, Collins' father refused and Allen eventually recovered.
After the crash, Collins' life took a turn for the worse. Gary Rossington stated, "Al took it the worst when Ronnie and Steve died. He started to question religion..." (a major part of the band's dynamic) ..." and he started drinking more and doin' more drugs."
During the early 1980s, Collins continued to perform on stage in The Rossington-Collins Band
The Rossington-Collins Band
The Rossington Collins Band was a southern rock band founded in 1979 by guitarists Allen Collins and Gary Rossington following the 1977 plane crash which killed three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd, of which both had been members. The Jacksonville band released two albums, but disbanded in 1982...
which enjoyed modest success, releasing two albums (Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, and This Is the Way), and charting a few singles (notably "Don't Misunderstand Me"). In 1980, Collins' wife Kathy suddenly died of a hemorrhage. Allen began a downward spiral, using drugs and alcohol to assuage his grief. Missed concerts and conflicts within the band resulted in the disbanding of Rossington-Collins in 1982, and the start of the Allen Collins Band
Allen Collins Band
The Allen Collins Band was a spinoff of Southern Rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Rossington-Collins Band. It existed from 1983 to 1984 and was formed shortly after the dissolution of the Rossington-Collins Band....
, which released one album, Here, There & Back in 1983. The six band members were Skynyrd keyboardist Billy Powell and bassist Leon Wilkeson, along with lead singer Jimmy Dougherty, drummer Derek Hess, and guitarists Barry Lee Harwood and Randall Hall. In 1984, Jacksonville guitarist Mike Owings joined the Allen Collins Band until the reformation of Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1985. Owings was injured in a near fatal automobile accident on his way to audition for Lynyrd Skynyrd on October 9, 1985, and later recovered to join Jacksonville southern rock band Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet
Molly Hatchet is an American southern rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1975. They are widely known for their hit song "Flirtin' with Disaster" from the album of the same title. The band, founded by Dave Hlubek and Steve Holland, took its name from a prostitute who allegedly mutilated...
in 1999. Collins was scheduled to produce Owings' first record at Kingsnake Records on August 16, 1989, but went into the hospital for pneumonia and never recovered.
Accident and band reunion
In 1986, Collins was involved in a car accident, claiming the life of his girlfriend and leaving the guitarist paralyzed from the waist down, with limited use of his arms and hands. Collins plead no contestNolo contendere
is a legal term that comes from the Latin for "I do not wish to contend." It is also referred to as a plea of no contest.In criminal trials, and in some common law jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neither admits nor disputes a charge, serving as an alternative to a pleading of...
to vehicular manslaughter as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. He would never play guitar on-stage again.
All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited to perform in 1987, but due to his injury Collins only served as musical director. As part of his plea bargain for the 1986 accident, Collins addressed fans at every Skynyrd concert with an explanation of why he could not perform, citing the dangers of drinking and driving, as well as drugs and alcohol. Because of Collins' accident, the band donated a sizable amount of concert proceeds from the 1987-88 tour to the Miami Project
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Infobox non-profit| name = Miami Project to Cure Paralysis| image =| type = medical| founded_date = 1985| tax_id =| registration_id =| founder = Nick Buoniconti & Barth A. Green, M.D....
, which is involved in treatment of paralysis.
Collins founded Roll For Rock Wheelchair Events and Benefit Concerts in 1988 to raise awareness and to provide opportunities for those living with spinal cord injury and other physical challenges.
Personal
Collins married his wife Kathy in 1970. They had two children together. Tragedy struck Collins' life when, in 1980, his wife, pregnant with their third child, died from complications of a miscarriage. He became estranged from his two girls, sending them to live with his brother Leroy.His life worsened even more so when, in 1986, he was in a tragic car accident which claimed the life of his new girlfriend. He was under the influence of alcohol. Allen was paralyzed from the waist down after the accident. Allen Collins died January 23, 1990 from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis. He is buried beside his wife in Jacksonville, Florida.
Instruments
For most of Skynyrd's tenure, Collins used a Gibson FirebirdGibson Firebird
The Gibson Firebird is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by Gibson from 1963 to the present.-History:The Gibson Guitar Corporation released several new styles during the 1950s to compete with Fender's instruments, such as the Telecaster and Stratocaster. After success with the Les Paul in...
guitar fitted with a chrome, dog-eared P-90
P-90
The P-90 is a single coil electric guitar pickup produced by Gibson since 1946. Having a more complex architecture and larger dimensions than Fender's single coils, it is occasionally mistaken for a humbucker.- History :...
pickup in the bridge position and a Gibson "teaspoon" nickel vibrato arm. In 1976 he switched to a natural-finished korina Gibson Explorer
Gibson Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a type of electric guitar that made its debut in 1958. The Explorer offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its sibling, the Flying V. The Explorer was the final development of a prototype design which years later Gibson marketed under the name Futura.The...
and would use that all the way through his tenure with the Allen Collins Band. Starting in late 1977, he would also use a Gibson Les Paul Jr. occasionally. And on "Gimme Back My Bullets
Gimme Back My Bullets
Gimme Back My Bullets is Lynyrd Skynyrd's fourth studio album. It was released on February 2, 1976. It reached # 20 on the U.S. albums chart. The album was certified Gold on 1/20/1981 by the R.I.A.A....
", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Every Mothers Son" and many other songs, he used a Sunburst Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
after Ed King
Ed King
Edward C. King is an American musician. He is best known as the guitarist for psychedelic rock band Strawberry Alarm Clock and Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd....
left. Collins has been filmed playing an all-black, rosewood
Rosewood
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...
neck Stratocaster with white single-coil pickups and white control knobs. In 2003, Gibson Guitars honored Allen with a limited edition Explorer. The guitar is made of African limba wood and features an aged finished, Maestro vibrola, and classic humbucking pickups.