Friday, June 28, 2013

The Collins Kids - Hoy Hoy

The Collins Kids were a 50's country/rockabilly brother-and-sister dual whose talents far exceeded the exposure that they received. While they are known - rightly - in today's rockabilly circles as pioneers, they never really hit the national stage in their hey-day, despite regularly appearing on the LA TV show Town Hall Party. Lorrie Collins has a sweet voice, capable of ballads and rockers alike and Larry was a stellar guitarist (and superior harmony vocalist) and showman from as early as age 11! He was mentored by none other than Joe Maphis and received a double neck Mosrite like Maphis used (a tenor 6-string and standard 6-string) and could play flyingly fast!

A possible hindrance despite all of their talent may have been the material that was chosen for them - mostly novelty numbers referencing their relationship or simply silly tunes. When they sing love songs to each other it actually becomes a little creepy, even though it sounds great. You can't but think of the cliches of inbred country families as they stare into each others' eyes and say "move a little closer", "you're mighty cute" and the like.

This collection shows their versatility though, from soft ballads (the weakest material) to flat-out rockabilly numbers (their best) and lots in between. Certainly a good place to start with the Kids!