Larkin Allen Collins Jr., an American musician and songwriter, was a key figure in the southern-rock genre. As a founding member and guitarist of Lynyrd Skynyrd, he co-wrote many of the band’s iconic songs alongside Ronnie Van Zant. However, tragedy struck when an airplane crash claimed the lives of some band members and left Collins severely injured. Despite personal hardships, Collins continued his musical journey, forming The Rossington Collins Band and later the Allen Collins Band. Although his physical condition limited his role, he remained dedicated to music as the music director of Skynyrd upon its official reunion in 1987.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Larkin Allen Collins Jr.
- Died At Age: 37
- Born Country: United States
- Guitarists
- Rock Musicians
- Died on: January 23, 1990
- Place of Death: Jacksonville, Florida, United States
- Cause of Death: Pneumonia: Chronic Pneumonia
- Diseases & Disabilities: Paralysis
- U.S. State: Florida
- City: Jacksonville, Florida
Childhood & Early Life
Larkin Allen Collins Jr. was born on July 19, 1952, at St. Lukes Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, US. He first developed an interest in the guitar in 1963 when a friend received a guitar as a birthday gift. He, along with his sister and mother Eva, went through a tough time when his parents divorced. His mother worked all day at a cigar factory and had a job in the evenings at Woolworths to make ends meet. Collins studied at Nathan B. Forrest High School. He got his first Silvertone guitar and amplifier from his mother and started playing the guitar at age 12. He also received lessons from his stepmother, Leila Collins. Collins became proficient with the guitar quickly and soon formed his first band ‘The Mods.’ His passion for cars, particularly race cars, developed in his childhood and lasted all through his life. This saw him garnering several collectible and performance cars later in his life.
Career
Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns, and Gary Rossington decided to form a band in 1964. They approached and convinced Collins to join them. Bassist Larry Junstrom also joined in. Initially, the band was named ‘My Backyard’, then ‘The Noble Five’ and by 1968 it was called ‘The One Percent’ before finally settling on the name ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd’ in 1969. Skynyrd started gaining national success from early 1973. Collins and Ronnie co-wrote several hit songs for Skynyrd including ‘Gimme Three Steps’ (1973), ‘Free Bird’ (1974), and ‘That Smell’ (1977). With time, live performances of Skynyrd and its signature songs ‘Free Bird’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ (1974) gained the band international fame. The otherwise thriving Skynyrd faced a sudden setback after the Convair CV-240 passenger aircraft boarded by its members on October 20, 1977, ran out of fuel and crashed into a forest in Mississippi. The accident killed three band members, Ronnie, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines while Collins suffered two broken vertebrae in his neck and serious damage in his right arm. It was recommended that Collins go for amputation, however, his father refused and although it took time, Collins recovered. The accident unfortunately led to an abrupt end to the 1970s era of Skynyrd. Collins then joined hands with Rossington to form ‘Rossington Collins Band’ in 1979. It also included Skynyrd members Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson, in addition to female lead vocalist, Dale Krantz. The band spawned two albums of which the first ‘Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere’ (1980) included their most successful single ‘Don’t Misunderstand Me’ that charted in late 1980. Shortly after the dissolution of Rossington Collins Band in 1982, Collins started ‘Allen Collins Band’ in 1983. It included most of the Rossington Collins Band members excepting Krantz and Rossington and released the album ‘Here, There & Back’ in 1983. The band existed till 1984. Collins, along with his manager-father, then made an effort to reform Skynyrd and started inducting former Skynyrd members. Earlier in 1979, he performed at Volunteer Jam V at Skynyrd’s first stage performance since the plane crash. It marked his last performance with Skynyrd. After the band reunited officially in 1987, Collins, by then paralyzed, could only serve as the musical director of the band. Skynyrd donated a substantial amount of its 1987–88 concert tour proceeds to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis while Collins came up with the Roll For Rock Wheelchair Events and Benefit Concerts in 1988. Years after Collins’ death, on March 13, 2006, Skynyrd was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Family & Personal Life
Collins married Kathy Evelyn Johns on October 10, 1970, with whom he had two daughters, Amy and Allison. Kathy had a fatal hemorrhage during the miscarriage of the couple’s third child in 1980. Her death devastated Collins. Personal tragedy struck again on January 29, 1986, when Collins’ new Ford Thunderbird crashed into a ditch. It proved fatal for his girlfriend Debra Jean Watts and left him paralyzed from the waist down. He could use his arms and hands limitedly. The incident restricted him from playing the guitar again ever on stage. He pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter and to driving under the influence of alcohol. On January 23, 1990, Collins succumbed to chronic pneumonia and was interred in Jacksonville, Florida, beside his wife.