The Collins Kids

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For the youth chess group, see the Collins Kids organization.

The Collins Kids were a juvenile rockabilly duo, featuring sister Lawrencine "Lorrie" Collins (born May 7, 1942, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma) and younger brother Lawrence "Larry" Collins (born October 4, 1944, in Tulsa, Oklahoma). Their hits, such as "Hop, Skip and Jump", "Beetle Bug Bop" and "Hoy Hoy", were geared towards kids, but their infectious singing and playing crossed over generations. Larry, a lightning-fingered guitar whiz at the age of 10, was known for playing a double-neck Mosrite guitar like his mentor, Joe Maphis. They were regular performers on Tex Ritter's "Town Hall Party" and "Ranch Party" television series in 1958 and 1959.

Lorrie Collins is notable as one of the first female rock and roll singers, as she and her brother performed versions of songs such as "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "High School Confidential" and "Chantilly Lace", as well as "Hoy Hoy" and other early rockabilly numbers. Many of their performances on "Town Hall Party" survive and have been released on DVD by Bear Family Records of Germany; a CD of their work on the show, Rockin' on T.V., was released in 1993 on the Krazy Kat label in Europe. In an early 2000s interview for PBS, Lorrie also stated that she sparked some controversy for her youthful sex appeal and torch song performances (most notably the hit "Rock Boppin' Baby"). When performing covers of songs such as "Shake Rattle and Roll" and Paul Anka's "Lonely Boy" for TV, Lorrie almost always retained the original, often male-oriented lyrics.

In the late 1950s, Lorrie was the first girlfriend of television star and teen idol Ricky Nelson, on both the Nelson family's top rated show "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet" and in private life, as well.

In 1959, when Lorrie was 17, she married Stu Carnall, who was Johnny Cash's manager and twice her age. She continued acting and singing with Ricky on the television show and recording and touring with her brother Larry until 1961, when she gave birth to her first child. The Collins continued to perform into the 1960s, appearing as regulars in the 1963 Canadian music series Star Route (alongside future star Glen Campbell), and the duo later made appearances on "The Jackie Gleason Show" and "The Hollywood Palace," as late as 1967. Larry went on to produce many country music hits, and he wrote the hit "Delta Dawn ^[1]," which became hits for both country singer Tanya Tucker and pop singer Helen Reddy. He also wrote the country hit "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" ^[2], which, in 1981, brought the popular country duo of David Frizzell and Shelly West into the limelight.

The Collins reunited for a rockabilly revival concert in England in 1993. They continue to perform together as of 2007.

They appeared at Deke's Guitar Geek Festival in Anaheim, Ca, January 19th, 2008, with a new addition to the band. Their own nephew Dakota Serge (A.K.A Coyote Man) playing the upright bass.