Zebra Grafix

   Larkin Allen Collins, Jr. was born in Jacksonville Florida on July 19, 1952. Allen Collins was a self-taught master guitarist and a prolific song writer. His love of music presented itself early; Allen began teaching himself to play when he was 12, and contrary to popular myth, it was Allen’s father, Larkin Collins, Sr. who bought Allen his first axe. Allen’s father made a wise decision, because Allen went on to become one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and is credited with composing some of the most loved and requested Rock songs.

   Allen Collins, Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington founded Lynyrd Skynyrd, the definitive Southern Rock band. Producer Al Kooper took notice of Lynyrd Skynyrd one night in Atlanta. With his assistance, the band saw the release of its first album in 1973, Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd. Allen Collins wrote the world’s most loved and requested Rock anthem, Free Bird, which appears on the band’s first album, and he is widely recognized for performing the song’s finger-blistering, eight minute solo. Allen had a unique style; he was a gifted soloist and a uniquely talented, tightly controlled rhythm player. The many songs he wrote with his longtime friend and band mate, Ronnie Van Zant, still Rock us and remain relevant. The music stands the test of time because when it is pure, perfected and from the heart it is as good as it gets. And music that has the ability to move us never goes out of style –one hundred years from now, guitarists will still be trying to learn how to play the Free Bird solo.

   Lynyrd Skynyrd shaped the sound of a new musical genre, and they brought the working mans blues to the mainstream. For years, the band toured extensively, somehow managing to keep up a nearly impossible schedule to promote a quick succession of albums. By 1977, Skynyrd was playing the world stage and had become a household name with the help of hits like Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Three Steps, and Tuesday’s Gone. And then everything swiftly and suddenly changed forever on October 20, 1977, when the band’s chartered plane ran out of fuel and fell from the sky. The plane crashed into the woods near McComb, Mississippi, injuring 20 and taking the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, singer Cassie Gaines, road manager Dean Kilpatrick, and the two pilots. Allen suffered cracked vertebrae and extensive injuries to his left arm and face. Gary Rossington survived as well, but suffered multiple broken bones and internal injuries.

   Allen and Gary went on, after three long years of recovery, to found the Rossington Collins band in 1980. Fans embraced them, and they achieved respectable record sales and released two albums before disbanding in 1982. Gary Rossington and the band’s lead singer, Dale Krantz, had fallen in love. The couple dropped out of the Rock and Roll circus for a while, got married and raised a family. Allen went on to found his own band, the Allen Collins Band. He brought Leon, Billy, and Artimus with him, as well as new lead singer Jimmy Dougherty, drummer Derek Hess, and guitarists Randall Hall and Barry Lee Harwood. The Allen Collins Band released one album in 1983, Here, There & Back.