Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

singer best known for working with

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

in the 1970s and for the influential 1972

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

single, "

Think (About It) "Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.' ...

". A favorite among hip hop, R&B, and dance music producers for decades, Collins is by far the most sampled female artist of all time, with portions of her recordings used in well over 3,500 songs.

Early life and career

Collins began her recording career at age 14. She played with Charles Pike & The Scholars. She sent her demo tape to James Brown who initially prioritized her after Marva Whitney and Vicki Anderson. After Anderson left Brown for the second time, Collins received the opportunity to be the lead female in Brown's touring lineup. Her first single released was "Wheel of Life" in 1971 on King Records. When Brown left the label, Collins went to Polydor and People which left the record neglected. Collins recorded "What My Baby Needs Now Is a Little More Lovin'" with James Brown in 1972. Her biggest solo hit was the James Brown-produced

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

-style song "

", from her 1972 album of the same name on People Records. The song contains five

breaks Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

which have been sampled widely in

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

and

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

, most famously, the "

Yeah! Woo! The Think break is a drum break that has been widely sampled in popular music. It comes from the 1972 song " Think (About It)" by the American soul singer Lyn Collins, written and produced by James Brown. The drum break was performed by John " ...

" and "It takes two to make a thing go right" loops in

Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American Hip hop music, hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard (b. May 18, 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock was the stage name of Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best ...

's " It Takes Two" which is composed almost completely from samples of ''Think'', including a few lines of Collins' vocals. She also recorded the 1974 funk song "Rock Me Again and Again and Again and Again and Again and Again". In 1975, she released album ''Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me by Now''. She would go on to sing backup for

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Collins attempted a comeback as a dance/club diva, recording the

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

single "Shout" for Belgium's ARS label. During this period a European tour was completed and a 1987 show alongside James Brown's Funky People which did not feature James Brown performing. In 1993, Collins' profile was given a boost by female

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...

singer Patra, who invited Collins to perform on her hit remake of "

"; partly due to the resulting interest, her two official albums were reissued in England and the Netherlands. In February 2005, Collins embarked on her first solo tour. For three weeks, she performed in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Death

Shortly after returning from her 2005 European tour, Collins died from a seizure related to

cardiac arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. Essentially, this is anything but normal sinus rhythm. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beat ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

, at the age of 56. Fellow James Brown backup singer Martha High was alongside Collins during her final days alive.

Legacy

In 2006, Paris-based Hi&Fly Records released a live album titled ''Mama Feelgood'', which included recordings from her European tour and some interview clips. This release was produced by German-born DJ Pari, who produced for Marva Whitney and managed Collins' last tour. Reflecting on her time working with

, she reportedly said "I would have preferred to sing more and scream less."

Cultural references

In October 2004, "Rock Me Again and Again" and "Think (About It)" featured on the '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas''

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

, playing on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. "Rock Me Again and Again" was covered by synth band

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic music, electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their t ...

on their 1984 album ''

Hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

.''

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

's song "Shackled and Drawn" from his 2012 album ''

Wrecking Ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a Crane (machine), crane, that is used for Demolition, demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1940s and 1950s. Several wrecking companies claim to have inve ...

'' and Ludacris' song "Southern Fried Intro" from his 2003 album '' Chicken-n-Beer'' both feature an excerpt from Collins' song "Me and My Baby Got Our Own Thing Going".

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Lyn 1948 births 2005 deaths People from Lee County, Texas Singers from Texas African-American women singers American soul singers American funk singers James Brown vocalists Polydor Records artists