Lyn Collins

Biography

Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, "Think (About It)×Think (About It)September 1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Think (About It)3:25A2Just Won't Do Right3:03A3Wheels of Life3:05A4Ain’t No Sunshine2:51A5Things Got to Get Better3:27B1Never Gonna Give You Up3:05B2Reach Out for Me3:40B3Women's Lib5:20B4Fly Me to the Moon2:42".
A favorite among hip-hop, R&B, and dance music producers for decades, Collins is one of the most sampled female artists of all time, with portions of her recordings used in over 3,500 songs.

Early life and career

Collins began her recording career at age 14, singing lead vocals with a girl group called Charles Pikes & 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-style song "Think (About It)×Think (About It)September 1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Think (About It)3:25A2Just Won't Do Right3:03A3Wheels of Life3:05A4Ain’t No Sunshine2:51A5Things Got to Get Better3:27B1Never Gonna Give You Up3:05B2Reach Out for Me3:40B3Women's Lib5:20B4Fly Me to the Moon2:42", from her 1972 album of the same name on People Records. The song contains five breaks which have been sampled widely in hip-hop and drum and bass, most famously, the "Yeah! Woo!" and "It takes two to make a thing go right" loops in Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock'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×Check Me Out If You Don't Know Me by Now1975 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1A Foggy Day4:02A2To Each His Own3:08A3Put It on the Line3:25A4Mr. Big Stuff3:59A5How Long Can I Keep It Up5:30B1Baby Don’t Do It3:25B2Backstabbers5:40B3Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again & Again & Again (6 Times)3:28B4Try a Little Tenderness3:10B5If You Don’t Know Me by Now5:22. She would go on to sing backup for Dionne Warwick and Rod Stewart. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Collins attempted a comeback as a dance/club diva, recording the house 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 singer Patra, who invited Collins to perform on her hit remake of "Think (About It)"; 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 in Pasadena, California, 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×Mama FeelgoodApril 1973 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAMama Feelgood3:30BFly Me to the Moon2:45, 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 James Brown, 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)×Think (About It)September 1972 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracksA1Think (About It)3:25A2Just Won't Do Right3:03A3Wheels of Life3:05A4Ain’t No Sunshine2:51A5Things Got to Get Better3:27B1Never Gonna Give You Up3:05B2Reach Out for Me3:40B3Women's Lib5:20B4Fly Me to the Moon2:42" featured on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas soundtrack, playing on fictional radio station Master Sounds 98.3. "Rock Me Again and Again" was covered by synth band The Human League on their 1984 album Hysteria. Bruce Springsteen's song "Shackled and Drawn" from his 2012 album Wrecking Ball 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".