Allen Collins Band
| Allen Collins Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Genres | Southern rock, hard rock, blues rock |
| Years active | 1983–1985 |
| Labels | MCA Records |
| Associated acts |
Lynyrd Skynyrd The Rossington-Collins Band |
| Past members |
Allen Collins Billy Powell Derek Hess Randall Hall Jimmy Dougherty Leon Wilkeson Barry Lee Harwood Mike Owings Michael Ray Fitzgerald Phil Price |
The Allen Collins Band was a spinoff of Southern rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Rossington-Collins Band. It existed from 1983 to 1984 and was formed shortly after the dissolution of the Rossington-Collins Band.
History
Most of the members carried over from the Rossington-Collins Band, with the exceptions of Dale Krantz and Gary Rossington, who quit after a row with Collins. Vocalist Jimmy Dougherty was brought in as front man.
The band's name was originally Horsepower, but just prior to the release of its debut album it discovered another band was already using that name. The Allen Collins Band released Here, There and Back on MCA in 1983, its only album. The sudden death of Collins' wife, Kathy, took its toll on Collins. Emotionally drained, his behavior became more and more erratic, and the band began to disintegrate.
Collins attempted to create a new lineup. Jacksonville guitarist Mike Owings joined in the spring of 1984 and co-wrote several unrecorded songs with Collins (Owings joined Molly Hatchet in 1999 and is currently lead guitarist in David Allan Coe's band). In 1985, Collins recruited vocalist/guitarist Michael Ray Fitzgerald and bassist Phil Price, but the project completely fell apart at this point (Fitzgerald, Price and ACB singer Jimmy Dougherty had already worked together under the name Mike Angelo and the Idols with Dougherty on drums Chain of Fools: funk rock; Dougherty later played drums for St. Augustine alt-country band Gunga Din, later renamed Crabgrass).
Keyboardist Billy Powell and bassist Leon Wilkeson re-joined Skynyrd in 1987. Guitarist Randall Hall formed the Randall Hall Band, with which he still performs. Barry Lee Harwood moved to Nashville but has since returned to Jacksonville. Derek Hess lives in Jacksonville where he performs with various local bands.
Band members
- Allen Collins - Guitars (1983-1985; died 1990)
- Billy Powell - Keyboards (1983-1985; died 2009)
- Derek Hess - Drums (1983-1985)
- Randall Hall - Guitar & Vocals (1983-1985)
- Jimmy Dougherty - Vocals (1983-1985; died 2008)
- Leon Wilkeson - Bass (1983-1985; died 2001)
- Barry Lee Harwood - Guitar (1983-1984)
- Mike Owings - Guitar (1984-1985)
- Michael Ray Fitzgerald - Guitar & Vocals (1985)
- Phil Price - Bass (1985)
Discography
- Here, There, and Back (MCA 1983)
- Here, There & Back re-released by ROLL FOR ROCK / LAAC Publishing 11-2007
Live recordings
- "Live at the Lone Star Cafe" November 7, 1983
- This is the only known live recording of the band.
- Intermingled with the setlist are a few Lynyrd Skynyrd covers, with the set culminating in what is the final recorded version of "Freebird" with Allen Collins.