Allen Collins

Celebrated rock guitarist Allen Larkin Collins was born in Jacksonville, FL, on July 19, (b. 1952). The fame he has reached came from his explosive skill with the guitar and from his founding membership in a band known as Lynyrd Skynyrd. When Collins was 11 years old, he picked up his first guitar, one that belonged to a friend. Collins' mother was a single mom, holding down two jobs, struggling financially, but she managed to get her son a guitar of his own. With no money for lessons, the young Collins, through triumphs and failures, taught himself to play the instrument. As soon as he was good enough, he put together a band called the Mods. Not even 13 at the time, Collins' next amateur musical device, My Backyard, came together in 1964. The group quickly changed the name to Noble Five. Other members were bassist Larry Junstrum, drummer Bob Burns, guitarist Gary Rossington, and singer Ronnie VanZant. By 1965, Collins, Rossington, VanZant, and Burns changed the name of the band once more, this time becoming Lynyrd Skynyrd. Slowly, with years of practice in between, performing for fun turned into performing professionally. The guys even rocked out with the tune "Free Bird" at Collins' wedding to Kathy Johns in 1970. It was musician Al Kooper who first took real notice of these long-haired Southern boys. With his help, Lynyrd Skynyrd saw the release of its debut album in 1973 under the MCA Records label. Collins, as part of Lynyrd Skynyrd, completed a number of albums, with big hits like "Saturday Night Special," "What's Your Name?," and "Sweet Home Alabama." The band toured worldwide and its albums went gold and platinum. By early 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd was a household name and it seemed the band's star would burn forever. Sadly, on October 20th of that very year, a...