ALLEN COLLINS BAND ONLY PROMOTIONAL PHOTO FROM MCA RECORDS * LYNYRD SKYNYRD

Description

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UP FOR AUCTION IS this * ALLEN COLLINS BAND MCA RECORDS PROMOTIONAL PHOTO * 8 X 10 B/W GLOSSY * This photo was taken next to the the recording studio behind Allen House . This is the only promotional picture taken of the Allen Collins band from MCA Records . The Blue Porsche on the right belonged to Leon Wilkeson and the 1983 Black Mercedes 380 SEC was Allen's . Notice the front wheel on Allen's Mercedes has a ding in the front wheel where Allen lost control the night before the picture was taken with a good friend Scott Campbell as a passenger.
* From Craig Reed's 40 Year Roadie LYNYRD SKYNYRD Survivor Collection *
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Allen Collins
Allen Collins
Background information
Birth name
Larkin Allen Collins, Jr.
Born
(
1952-07-19
)
July 19, 1952
Jacksonville, Florida
, U.S.
Died
January 23, 1990
(
1990-01-23
)
(aged 37)
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Genres
Southern rock
Occupation(s)
Musician, songwriter
Instruments
Guitar
Years active
1964?1986
Associated acts
Lynyrd Skynyrd
,
The Rossington-Collins Band
,
The Allen Collins Band
Larkin Allen Collins Jr.
[1]
[2]
[3]
(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
.
Contents
1
Personal life
2
Musical career
3
Accident, band reunions and death
4
Instruments
5
References
6
Further reading
7
External links
Personal life
Collins started playing guitar at 12 years old, with a few lessons from his stepmother, Leila Collins, a country and western guitarist, teaching him a few notes, and receiving his first guitar and amplifier from his father after a falling-out between the two. Collins also attended
Nathan B. Forrest High School
.
[4]
In 1970, Collins married Kathy Johns. All of his bandmates were in his wedding party, but Kathy worried that the band's long haired appearance would disturb her parents. To solve this problem, she required all the band members to keep their hair under wigs at the wedding ceremony. The wedding reception was one of the first public performances of "
Free Bird
" complete with the trademark extended guitar jam at the end. Collins's family grew with the birth of his daughter Amie, followed quickly by Allison.
Musical career
Allen Collins joined Skynyrd in Jacksonville, Florida just two weeks after
Ronnie Van Zant
and
Gary Rossington
, along with
Bob Burns
and
Larry Junstrom
. 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 he eventually recovered.
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"). Tragedy struck again just as the Rossington Collins Band was getting off the ground. In 1980, during the first days of the debut concert tour, Collins's wife, Kathy, suddenly died of a hemorrhage during the miscarriage of their third child. This forced the tour's cancellation. With the lingering effects of losing his friends in the plane crash, Kathy's death devastated Collins. The Rossington-Collins Band disbanded in 1982. Collins continued to pursue music, starting the
Allen Collins Band
, which released one album,
Here, There & Back
in 1983. The six 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, Collins tried to resurrect the band, hiring Jacksonville guitarist Mike Owings and bassist Andy Ward King. Later members included guitarist-vocalist Michael Ray FitzGerald and bassist "Filthy Phil" Price. However, Collins crashed his vehicle into a ditch, killing his girlfriend and paralyzing himself.
In 1987 Collins and his manager-father decided to reform Lynyrd Skynyrd and began recruiting former Lynyrd Skynyrd members.
Accident, band reunions and death
On January 29, 1986,
[5]
Collins was involved in a car accident, claiming the life of his girlfriend, Debra Jean Watts, and leaving the guitarist
paralyzed
from the waist down, with limited use of his arms and hands. Collins pleaded
no contest
to
vehicular manslaughter
as well as driving under the influence of alcohol. He would never play guitar on-stage again.
Collins' last performance with Lynyrd Skynyrd was at the band's very first reunion (after the plane crash) at the 1979 Volunteer Jam V in Nashville, Tennessee. All remaining members of Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited officially in 1987, but due to his injury, Collins only served as musical director.
[
citation needed
]
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.
[
citation needed
]
Also 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.
[
citation needed
]
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.
Allen Collins died on January 23, 1990 from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis; he is buried beside his wife in Jacksonville, Florida.
Instruments
For most of his tenure in Skynyrd, Collins used a
Gibson Firebird
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 1958
Gibson Explorer
that he bought for roughly ,000 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
fingerboard
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
(Korina) and features an aged finished,
Maestro vibrola
, and classic
humbucking
pickups.
SELLERS PAST LIFE

I started working with the legendary LYNYRD SKYNYRD BAND late in 1973 , I was the third roadie I ever to be hired by LYNYRD SKYNYRD . I started as a drum roadie but I was the guitar tech most of the time and at the time of the crash . I was also the stage manager and production manager at different times in my career with them . LYNYRD SKYNYRD was one of the wildest groups of musicians who ever toured the rock and roll circuit . Some of the wild insodents included drinking , drugs , and fighting were made into songs written by band leader Ronnie Van Zant . Many People who worked for the LYNYRD SKYNYRD BAND never saw thirty years old . I survived the lifestyle that comes with working with a wild young band like LYNYRD SKYNYRD and being personal friend with each member and partying with each member was unbelievable , not to mention I also survived the LYNYRD SKYNYRD airplane crash October 20 , 1977 , Although I was seriously injured .

I also survived working with the Rossington Collins Band from 1979 through 1983 . Those years were crazy . Then I survived working with the Allen Collins Band in 1983. That year was insanity to say the least . I could have died many times in numerous situations during that period of my life . Before that I survived working as a guitar tech on world tours with Foreigner in 1978 & Journey in 1979 . Plus the Marshall Tucker Band from 1983 through 1987 . Then I survived working again with the new LYNYRD SKYNYRD tribute band from 1987 through 2006 .

When I say I survived all of the above you really would have had to have been there to totally understand I should have died many times like alot of my friends . During these years I did things that led me to get Hep C . Many band members died with this illness such as Leon , Billy and Allen , others in the band are dealing with this problem at this time , like me . I was released working with LYNYRD SKYNYRD in 2006 beause of complications with the treatment that included injections of a medicine that did not agree with me . Since I was released from the band I have been selling my precious collection of LYNYRD SKYNYRD memorabilia from my life with LYNYRD SKYNYRD from the past 40 years . I recently sold Allen Collins 1932 Plymouth 3 window coupe which was one of my most prized posessions , I was in the studio as a guitar tech for every album ever done by the original LYNYRD SKYNYRD BAND plus the ROSSINGTON COLLINS & ALLEN COLLINS BAND. I became close friends with each member of all the bands.