Tommy Collins was an influential country singer, songwriter and guitarist who was instrumental in creating the celebrated Bakersfield sound of the 1950s and ‘60s. Born in Bethany, Oklahoma, Collins scored a string of hits between1951 and 1960. This excellent-value 58-track set comprises just about all his A&B sides on the Morgan and Capitol labels.
Most of the titles from his Capitol albums Words And Music Country Style, This Is Tommy Collins and Songs I Love To Sing appear here as do all his US country chart entries . It includes the No.2 You Better Not Do That, and the Top 20 hits Whatcha Gonna Do, It Tickles, Untied, I Guess I’m Crazy and You Oughta See Pickles Now. The collection offers a fairly comprehensive overview of his work up to the time when he took a sabbatical from music to enter the ministry, from which he returned to resume recording after a break of a few years.
As an artist he had a string of hits during that era, as well as writing songs which were hits for other artists, notably If You Ain’t Lovin’ You Ain’t Livin’, a Top 10 for Faron Young in 1954 and No.1 for George Strait in 1988. 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.
Sharing similar musical influences and outlooks to other Bakersfield pioneers like Buck Owens, his music covered plenty of musical bases across the years, from pure country to pop to rock‘n’roll and this set is an entertaining showcase for his talents as both performer and writer.
TRACKS
Disc 1 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
Campus Boogie |
Leonard Sipes & His Rhythm Oakies |
2
|
Too Beautiful To Cry |
Leonard Sipes & His Rhythm Oakies |
3 |
Smooth Sailing |
The Rhythm Oakies |
4 |
Fools Gold |
The Rhythm Oakies |
5 |
You Gotta Have A License |
Tommy Collins |
6 |
There'll Be No Other |
Tommy Collins |
7 |
You Better Not Do That |
Tommy Collins |
8 |
High On A Hilltop |
Tommy Collins |
9 |
I Always Get A Souvenir |
Tommy Collins |
10 |
Let Me Love You |
Tommy Collins |
11 |
Whatcha Gonna Do Now? |
Tommy Collins |
12 |
You're For Me |
Tommy Collins |
13 |
Untied |
Tommy Collins |
14 |
Boob-I-Lak |
Tommy Collins |
15 |
It Tickles |
Tommy Collins |
16 |
Let Down |
Tommy Collins |
17 |
Guess I'm Crazy |
Tommy Collins |
18 |
You Oughta See Pickles Now |
Tommy Collins |
19 |
I Love You More And More Each Day |
Tommy Collins |
20 |
I'll Be Gone |
Tommy Collins |
21 |
What Kind Of Sweetheart Are You |
Tommy Collins |
22 |
Wait A Little Longer |
Tommy Collins |
23 |
No Love Have I |
Tommy Collins |
24 |
That's The Way Love Is |
Tommy Collins |
25 |
I Wish I Had Died In My Cradle |
Tommy Collins |
26 |
I'll Never Let You Go |
Tommy Collins |
27 |
Don't You Love Me Anymore |
Tommy Collins |
28 |
All Of The Monkeys Ain't In The Zoo |
Tommy Collins |
29 |
A Love Is Born |
Tommy Collins |
Disc 2 |
|
|
Track |
Title |
Artist |
1 |
I'm Nobody's Fool But Yours |
Tommy Collins |
2 |
A Hundred Years From Now |
Tommy Collins |
3 |
Little June |
Tommy Collins |
4 |
You Belong In My Arms |
Tommy Collins |
5 |
The Wreck Of The Old 97 |
Tommy Collins |
6 |
Keep Dreaming |
Tommy Collins |
7 |
Summer's Almost Gone |
Tommy Collins |
8 |
My Last Chance With You |
Tommy Collins |
9 |
Black Cat |
Tommy Collins |
10 |
How Do I Say Goodbye |
Tommy Collins |
11 |
Love-A-Me, S'il Vous Plait |
Tommy Collins |
12 |
Those Old Love Letters From You |
Tommy Collins |
13 |
A Man We All Ought To Know |
Tommy Collins |
14 |
The Feet Of The Traveller |
Tommy Collins |
15 |
Smooth Sailin' |
Tommy Collins |
16 |
I'll Always Speak Well Of You |
Tommy Collins |
17 |
Think It Over, Boys |
Tommy Collins |
18 |
I Think Of You Yet |
Tommy Collins |
19 |
Upon This Rock |
Tommy Collins |
20 |
I'll Keep On Loving You |
Tommy Collins |
21 |
Have I Told You Lately That I Love You |
Tommy Collins |
22 |
I Overlooked An Orchid |
Tommy Collins |
23 |
I Wonder If You Feel The Way I Do |
Tommy Collins |
24 |
The Last Letter |
Tommy Collins |
25 |
It Makes No Difference Now |
Tommy Collins |
26 |
Oklahoma Hills |
Tommy Collins |
27 |
Let's Live A Little |
Tommy Collins |
28 |
Sidewalks Of New York |
Tommy Collins |
29 |
The Great Speckled Bird |
Tommy Collins |