Biography
The Collins lineage in Seattle, WA, produced skilled musicians across successive generations without exception. Trumpeter Dick Collins, occasionally listed under the fuller name Richard Collins, participated in numerous jazz and pop sessions across his career yet launched his professional path by serving as a figurehead in the ensemble led by his pianist father, Fred Collins. His training also included instruction from the parent of trumpeter Red Nichols, after which he spent several years in Paris collaborating with composer Darius Milhaud.
By the late 1940s Collins had begun appearing alongside prominent jazz figures. He performed with pianist Dave Brubeck and saxophonist Charlie Barnet, and joined the ranks associated with Woody Herman. In November 1956 he formally joined the Los Angeles musicians' union, after which he established himself as a freelancer in the city's studio environment and soon became a regular member of Les Brown's orchestra. Worldwide touring with Brown occupied the closing years of the decade, though Collins achieved a notable artistic milestone domestically when he composed music for both drama and dance segments of playwright Tennessee Williams' At Liberty, staged at the 1958 Idyllwild Arts Festival.
Two Victor albums preserve his work as a bandleader, while additional recording credits encompass Herman's The Herdsmen Play Paris, The Dave Brubeck Octet, and vibraphonist Cal Tjader's Tjader Plays Mambo.
By the late 1940s Collins had begun appearing alongside prominent jazz figures. He performed with pianist Dave Brubeck and saxophonist Charlie Barnet, and joined the ranks associated with Woody Herman. In November 1956 he formally joined the Los Angeles musicians' union, after which he established himself as a freelancer in the city's studio environment and soon became a regular member of Les Brown's orchestra. Worldwide touring with Brown occupied the closing years of the decade, though Collins achieved a notable artistic milestone domestically when he composed music for both drama and dance segments of playwright Tennessee Williams' At Liberty, staged at the 1958 Idyllwild Arts Festival.
Two Victor albums preserve his work as a bandleader, while additional recording credits encompass Herman's The Herdsmen Play Paris, The Dave Brubeck Octet, and vibraphonist Cal Tjader's Tjader Plays Mambo.
Albums
