Peter Julian Alexander Collins (14 January 1951 – 28 June 2024) was an English record producer, arranger, and audio engineer.
[1][2] He produced records by Gary Moore, Bon Jovi, Billy Squier, Rush, Air Supply, Alice Cooper, Nik Kershaw, Blancmange, Suicidal Tendencies, Queensrÿche, Indigo Girls, Nanci Griffith, Jermaine Stewart, Jane Wiedlin, October Project, The Cardigans, Rosetta Stone, Josh Joplin, Tracey Ullman, Drake Bell, Ultraspank and The Brian Setzer Orchestra.
Collins grew up in Sussex and attended Steyning Grammar School, from where he went to sixth-form college in Brighton.
[4] He took a job as assistant producer at the Decca studios in north London, which he later said in practice meant being the tea-boy, but he "crept back after hours" to record his own radio and TV jingles.
[5] In 1976, he was signed to Magnet Records and formed a group called Madison, along with Sippy, Peter Spooner and "Page 3" girl Cherri Gilham, to perform the pop song "Let It Ring".
"[9] He produced albums for Rush, who called him "Mister Big" and credited him with giving their sound a commercial edge that broadened their appeal and improved their record sales,[10] first working on Power Windows (1985) and then Hold Your Fire (1987).