Tommy Collins Best Of The Capitol Years CD

As one of the forefathers of the lively, electric Bakersfield sound, Tommy Collins is one of the most important figures of country music in the '50s, yet his recordings have not been nearly as well-circulated as they should have been. Of course, it's hard to complain about his work not being widely available when it was all collected on Bear Family's exhaustive 1992 five-disc set, Leonard, but the size of that box is intimidating even for those who could afford it. Fortunately, Koch released The Capitol Collection in 2005, finally giving Collins a single-disc set of highlights of his best work. While this doesn't contain all of his charting singles -- none of his '60s singles are here -- it has all of his hits from the '50s, including "You Better Not Do That," "High on a Hilltop," "I Guess I'm Crazy," "It Tickles," "Untied," and "You Oughta See Pickles Now," along with a host of other great sides that illustrate exactly why Collins was such a great inspiration to Buck Owens and, especially, Merle Haggard (who gives an interview with Daniel Cooper for the disc's fine liner notes). While hardcore country fans will need the box, listeners with a stricter budget, or who are merely curious, should get this terrific disc, which is an essential addition to any serious country music collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Live Recording

Recording information: Capitol Records, Hollywood, CA (09/08/1953-10/06/1964).

Author: Merle Haggard.

Personnel: Tommy Collins (vocals, guitar); Don Rich, Wes Buchanan, Glen Wilds, Roy Nichols, Billy Strange, Wesley Buchanan (guitar); J.R. Jelly Sanders, J.R. Jelly Sanders (violin); George French, Jr., George French (piano); Bill Woods, Charles Lee "Fuzzy" Owen (bass instrument); Helen "Peaches" Price, Marion Z. "Pee Wee" Adams, Gwyn Merle Nichols, Ken Presley, Marion "Pee Wee" Adams, Gwenn Merle Nichols (drums); Merle Haggard, Wanda Collins (vocals); Ferlin Husky, Alvis E. Owens (guitar); Ralph Mooney (steel guitar).

Liner Note Author: Daniel Cooper.