Born
Lester Rallingston Collins, this trumpeter had already settled on the more casual stage name of
Shad Collins when in his late teens he joined the band of
Charlie Dixon, at that time featuring the remarkable vocalist Cora La Redd. From here he moved to a combo led by pianist
Eddie White, staying with him for several years until hired by drummer
Chick Webb's outfit in 1931. Throughout the '30s, the trumpeter worked with top-notch leaders, among them the superb arranger and reed player
Benny Carter and the big bands of
Don Redman and
Count Basie. In 1940, he returned to the
Carter camp, and was then associated with
Freddie Moore and an excellent sextet led by tenor saxophonist
Lester Young the following year.
When
Cab Calloway threw
Dizzy Gillespie out of his band for supposedly playing "Chinese music" during his solos,
Collins was the subsequent replacement. The bebop quotient must have been more satisfying to the leader, as the trumpeter kept this job until 1943, then rejoined the
Calloway show from 1944 through 1946. In the late '40s and early '50s,
Collins performed with
Buster Harding,
Al Sears, and
Jimmy Rushing, the latter leader helping to bring more of a rhythm & blues feeling to
Collins' riffing. With many big bands folding, this turned out to be a good development in terms of employment. The funky tenor saxophonist
Sam "The Man" Taylor was
Collins' main employer throughout the '50s and even into the '60s, when the trumpeter began gigging on more of a part-time basis.
Collins was an active composer and arranger whose creations include the frequently recorded "Rock-a-Bye Basie."
–
Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi