Aaron Collins (September 3, 1930 – March 27, 1997) was an American

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

singer and songwriter, most active in the 1950s and 1960s.

Biography

Collins grew up in Arkansas and sang in church. After three years in a gospel group in Michigan, he moved to California. There he joined a spiritual group called the Santa Monica Soul Seekers (whose members later became the Cadets/the Jacks). Collins is best known as being a singer with the

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

groups the Cadets, the Jacks, and

the Flares The Flairs (or Flares) were an American doo-wop group known for their 1961 hit "Foot Stompin', Pt. 1." Based in Los Angeles, they went through several lineup changes during their existence. Their notable members included Richard Berry (writer of ...

. The Cadets are best known for their hit "

Stranded in the Jungle "Stranded in the Jungle" is a song originally recorded by the American doo-wop group the Jay Hawks. It was written by Ernestine Smith and the band's first tenor, James Johnson. The Jay Hawks' version of the song peaked at No. 18 on the ''Billboard ...

" in 1956. The Jacks' biggest hit was "Why Don't You Write Me?" in 1955. "Foot Stomping" was the Flares' big hit in 1961. The lead vocals in these groups were usually done by Aaron Collins, Willie Davis, or

Will "Dub" Jones Will J. "Dub" Jones (May 14, 1928 – January 16, 2000) was an American R&B singer. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and died in Long Beach, California.

. While Collins was still a member of the Cadets and the Jacks, a solo album was released in 1957 called ''Calypso USA''. Two recordings from this album, "Pretty Evey" and "Rum Jamaica Rum", were released as a single by Aaron Collins and the Cadets in 1957. These recordings were actually by Collins and a white studio group and not the Cadets. He released a couple of solo records in the 1960s. Other records were released in the early 1960s as by the Peppers and the Thor-Ables. These two groups were actually members of the Cadets and the Flares including Willie Davis and Aaron Collins. Collins was also part owner of MJC Records in the early 1960s with Cadets members Lloyd McCraw and

Will "Dub" Jones Will J. "Dub" Jones (May 14, 1928 – January 16, 2000) was an American R&B singer. He was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and died in Long Beach, California.

. His sisters, Betty and Rose Collins, had a hit for RPM Records in 1956 called "Eddie My Love" as

the Teen Queens The Teen Queens were an American musical group from the 1950s, most remembered for their hit single " Eddie My Love", which reached No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and No. 3 on the R&B Best Sellers charts in March 1956. Biography Th ...

. Later in life, Collins had a ladies' shoe store in Los Angeles, California, located on the corner of Manchester and Vermont, and named Collins Shoe Closet, which was burned down in the

Rodney King riots The 1992 Los Angeles riots were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, United States, during April and May 1992. Unrest began in South Los Angeles, South Central Los Angeles on April 29, after ...

April 29, 1992.

Discography

Singles

* Pretty Evey/Rum Jamaica Rum (Modern #1019) (1957) (as Aaron Collins and the Cadets) * Dry Your Eyes And Try Again/A Prayer For Elaine (Dynasty #640) (1960) * Easy To Say/Little Bit Of Lovin’ (Crazy Horse #1302) (1969) * You Hit the Spot/If I Could Be Where You Are (Crazy Horse #1308) (1969)

Albums

* Calypso USA (Crown #5028) (1957)

Notes

External links

Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks – The Jacks/The Cadets

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Aaron American rhythm and blues singers 1930 births 1997 deaths Singers from Arkansas Singers from California 20th-century American singers The Cadets (group) members