Leon Collins

Collins was born Leandre Kollins in Chicago, Illinois to a father of West Indian descent.

As a teenager, Collins performed with worked with Count Basie's orchestra, the bands of Erksine Hawkins, Earl Hines, and Tito Puente.

[1] As work opportunities dried out when rock and roll became popular and big bands became less in demand, he learned to play the guitar, and attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

In 1976, he performed with other retired dancers in a tap revival show at Boston's New England Life Hall, which led to new opportunities.

A documentary produced by David Wadsworth, Songs Unwritten, was filmed about Collins and released shortly after his death.