“Reaction is Fatal”
Larry Collins, a guitar prodigy mentored by renowned flat picker Joe Maphis, and half of the ’50s brother/sister act The Collins Kids, died January 5 in Santa Clarita, California.
Larry spent his childhood on the road with Tex Ritter, Joe Maphis, Johnny Cask and many other well know Country Greats. They drove in Cadillac’s from town to town and when one of the seasoned country western musicians was too drunk or hung over to go on stage, Little Larry would be given a cigar and his double neck guitar and sent on stage. He was 10 years old and learned early that “Reaction is Fatal”.
The first time I saw Larry Collins preform was in Hollywood on Thanksgiving Eve. 1966. with Neil Young. Neil and I, having finished dinner at Dickie Davis’s home, decided to walk home to the house on Penhurst where I lived. Halfway home, walking along Hollywood Blvd. we heard music coming from an open bar and decided to investigate.
The “Collins Kids” had just finished their final set of the evening.
Neil remembered Larry playing a double neck guitar on “Ranch Party” in Canada when they were both about 12 years old.
I met Larry in 1981 at Record One, where Niko Bolas, a breath of fresh air, was being mentored by Val Garay.
1984
I worked with Larry on a solo album he recorded in the renowned Muscle Shoal’s Recording Studio and planned to mix at Record One with Niko Bolas.
1986 ready to mix the Muscle Shoals Album, I called Niko.
When Niko returned my call to set a date for the mixing, he said that someone wanted to talk to me.
I assumed it was Val Garay, my friend who owned the studio.
Imagine my surprise when I heard Neil Young’s unmistakable voice. Neil was just finishing his first record at Record One, working with Niko for the first time.
Neil invited Larry and I to his Payback party which was planned for the day before our booking with Niko started.
We came Washington a day early and went straight to the studio from the airport.
Sadly, Neil had not been able to attend but the room was filled with member of the band, record company people and Neil’s management. They treated me like Neil Young royalty.
I hadn’t seen Neil for over 10 years and was pleased how nice everyone was.
The musicians, of the day like “The Eagles” who recorded at Record One were all in awe of the 60’s in Hollywood and Neil Young was everyone’s favorite. I don’t recall who was at the party, but I do remember it was a large turnout and the album was well received.
Larry Collins, co-writer of Gammy winner “Delta Dawn “and 1981 Grammy nominated County song of the year” You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma” had great respect for Neil and his music. They were close to the same age but Larry’s childhood career, with his sister, had been the soul support of his parent and siblings. He was not free to explore the counterculture emerging music.
Larry was one of the most-talented and least-appreciated guitarists in the history of the instrument,” said Walter Carter, a guitar historian who interviewed Lorrie for the October ’18 issue of VG. “His hot rocking playing on the old ‘Ranch Party’ videos is still impressive. When you consider that he was barely a teenager, that it was the ’50s – the infancy of rock and roll – and that he was dancing and grinning through it all, it’s a shame he never got the national exposure that his talent deserved.” Ward Meeker
Niko did a wonderful job of mixing for Larry’s recording of the song Larry wrote about Jim Morrison. It was never released after the “Academy of Country Music” booked Larry to perform in Las Vegas, after hearing his new album but the Casino refused to let Larry preform his album from Muscle Shoals because they said it was to rock n roll.
Rest In Peace Larry Collins
For anyone interested there are many videos of the Collins Kids on YouTube and during Covid I made video’s of several of the songs from the Muscle Shoals Album.
They can be found using Larry Collins name and “Just For Jim” is one of the songs mixed by Niko Bolas.
using words only from the song.
“Just For Jim”