Biography
Busy Bill Collins began drumming in childhood and progressed through nearly every rhythm-section instrument before concluding that fronting as a vocalist suited him best. His recorded output as a singer encompasses solo releases on the Chestnut and Zah Zah labels plus the sibling duo Collins & Collins, formed with his sister, vocalist Tonee. Corporate answering-machine programs from 2002 frequently feature his uncredited voice reciting menu options. Father Mickey Collins ignited the siblings’ musical interests, even if the eventual range of their careers surpassed his foresight. Young Bill Collins often supplied percussion in his father’s Mickey Collins Orchestra. Taking up electric guitar, possibly as adolescent defiance, won him spots with several Philly R&B groups. An emerging preference for bass then led him to assemble his own unit so he could occupy that chair without a bandleader ordering him back to guitar or drums. As multi-instrumentalist and bandleader he signed with Playboy in the 1970s, when the company maintained a nationwide circuit of clubs, and the Collins band performed at every one of those venues. Tonee subsequently drew her brother into the Collins & Collins project, which attracted A&M and yielded one self-titled album later reissued by the Japanese label P-Vine. Around 1982 Collins joined New York City’s Lester Lannin Orchestra, touring internationally as featured vocalist. The ensuing decade brought engagements for Monte Carlo royalty and private performances for the jet set in palaces or, on quieter occasions, villas. These surroundings, together with his earlier service to Hugh Hefner, prompted him to begin writing songs whose exact mixture of contrition and delight only a clairvoyant could gauge. Meticulously produced albums of his original material started appearing in the late 1990s. Session work for other artists has included both background vocals and drums. In 2002 he joined Philadelphia’s 16-piece Joe Sudler Swing Machine jazz big band. Collins continues to front his own ensemble, drawing its repertoire from his own compositions. The same baritone once heard in swing-era settings now appears in television and radio advertisements, voicemail systems, and corporate telephone directories.
Albums
