Glenda Collins
Encyclopedia
Glenda Collins was a British
pop music
singer active in the 1960s. Collins was discovered by Carroll Levis
, whose promotion landed her a contract with Decca Records
. She released three singles through Decca which failed to chart and was dropped by the label.
Her manager father then recorded some demos with her and introduced her to independent record producer Joe Meek
, who took her on. Meek featured house band The Tornadoes
and also the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
on some of her tracks.
She released a total of eight singles with Meek, released through the HMV Pop and Pye labels, none of which appeared in the UK Singles Chart
. After Meek's suicide in 1967 she recorded sporadically, but his death had effectively put paid to her career; and she retired at the end of the 1960s after a few years on the cabaret circuit. Many of her singles became collectors items, particularly with Joe Meek fans.
Collins came out of retirement briefly in 1999 to record a cover version
of Avenues and Alleyways (The Protectors theme) with record producer
Russell C. Brennan (aka Russell C. Writer), which featured on the compilation album
, Cult Themes from the 70's, Vol. 2, on Future Legend Records
. Her agents were keen to organise a tour, but problems with getting a backing band shelved the idea.
A 2006 compilation titled This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'
contained her complete surviving recorded output.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer active in the 1960s. Collins was discovered by Carroll Levis
Carroll Levis
Carroll Richard Levis was a talent scout, impresario and television and radio personality. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, he moved to England in 1935 and joined the BBC. In the 1950s he hosted a talent competition for young people called The Carroll Levis Discovery Show.-References:...
, whose promotion landed her a contract with Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. She released three singles through Decca which failed to chart and was dropped by the label.
Her manager father then recorded some demos with her and introduced her to independent record producer Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, who took her on. Meek featured house band The Tornadoes
The Tornadoes
The Tornadoes were a surf band from Redlands, California, the first to receive national airplay with a surf instrumental. The song was "Bustin' Surfboards", released on Aertaun Records in 1962, and it has since become a classic and mainstay of the surf genre...
and also the guitarist Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
on some of her tracks.
She released a total of eight singles with Meek, released through the HMV Pop and Pye labels, none of which appeared in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. After Meek's suicide in 1967 she recorded sporadically, but his death had effectively put paid to her career; and she retired at the end of the 1960s after a few years on the cabaret circuit. Many of her singles became collectors items, particularly with Joe Meek fans.
Collins came out of retirement briefly in 1999 to record a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Avenues and Alleyways (The Protectors theme) with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Russell C. Brennan (aka Russell C. Writer), which featured on the compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, Cult Themes from the 70's, Vol. 2, on Future Legend Records
Future Legend Records (independent label)
-Future Legend Records:Future Legend Records is a UK indie record label founded in 1992 by former D.J., record producer and songwriter Russell C. Brennan...
. Her agents were keen to organise a tour, but problems with getting a backing band shelved the idea.
A 2006 compilation titled This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'
This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'
"This Little Girl's Gone Rockin" is a 1958 rhythm and blues single performed by Ruth Brown and released on Atlantic Records as Atlantic 1197 the week of August 25. The song was written by Bobby Darin and Mann Curtis. It reached number 24 in Billboard's pop charts.It was later covered by Glenda...
contained her complete surviving recorded output.
Singles
- "Crazy Guy" / "Take A Chance" (DeccaDecca RecordsDecca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
F11280, 1960) - "Oh How I Miss You Tonight" / "Age for Love" (Decca F11321, 1961)
- "Head Over Heels In Love" / "Find Another Fool" (Decca F11417, 1961)
- "I Lost My Heart at The Fairground" / "I Feel So Good" (HMVHMVHis Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
POP1163, 1963) - "If You've Got to Pick A Baby" / "In The First Place" (HMV POP1233, 1963)
- "Baby It Hurts" / "Nice Wasn't It" (HMV POP1283, 1964)
- "Lollipop" / "Everybody's Got to Fall in Love" (HMV POP1323, 1964)
- "Johnny Loves Me" / "Paradise For Two" (HMV POP1439, 1965)
- "Thou Shalt Not Steal" / "Been Invited to A Party" (HMV POP1475, 1965)
- "Something I've Got To Tell You" / "My Heart Didn't Lie" (PyePye RecordsPye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
7N17044, 1966) - "It's Hard to Believe It" / "Don't Let It Rain on Sunday" (Pye 7N17150, 1966)
Compilation albums
- Cult Themes from the 70's, Vol. 2 (Future Legend Records. FLEG.12CD 1999)
- This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'"This Little Girl's Gone Rockin" is a 1958 rhythm and blues single performed by Ruth Brown and released on Atlantic Records as Atlantic 1197 the week of August 25. The song was written by Bobby Darin and Mann Curtis. It reached number 24 in Billboard's pop charts.It was later covered by Glenda...
(RPM Records UK ASIN B000024URR, 2006)