Born and raised in Pretty Water, Oklahoma, their parents sold the farm and cows to move to California so the two talented children could fulfill their show business destinies. Within a year, the two joined the cast of the weekly country music showcase on Los Angeles television in 1954.
The Collins Kids became regular performers on Town Hall Party in 1954 and on the syndicated for television version of the show, Tex Ritter's Ranch Party, which ran from 1957 to 1959. It was on Town Hall Party that Ricky Nelson first saw Lorrie Collins, and soon after they began dating. In a 1958 episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Lorrie played both Ricky's girlfriend - and that girlfriend's identical twin.
The Collins siblings continued to perform together in the mid-1960s, appearing as regulars on the Canadian music program Star Route and making a guest appearance on the 8 September 1965, edition of Shindig!. Many of their performances on Town Hall Party were released on DVD by Bear Family Records of Germany; a CD of their work on the show, Rockin' on T.V., was released in 1993 on the Krazy Kat label in Europe.
Larry wrote a number of well-known songs including "Delta Dawn", "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma", "Tulsa Turnaround"; some in partnership with songwriter Alexander Harvey.
The duo reunited for a rockabilly revival concert in England in 1993. They appeared at Deke Dickerson's Guitar Geek Festival in Anaheim, California, on 19 January 2008, with their nephew, Dakota Collins, playing upright bass as a new addition to the Collins band.
In 1959, when Lorrie was 17, she married Stu Carnall, who was Johnny Cash's manager and twice her age.
She is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Lorrie Collins died in 2018.
Hop Skip and Jump
The Collins Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just a hop, skip and a-jump, the way my baby's at
It's just a few more hops and I'll be boppin' with that cat
There's a real cute boy who lives next door
And he can bop the blues
He sags around all day long in his boppin' shoes
He'd dance so long, he danced away his blues
Now all the boys in my block try to bop the blues
They'd dance so long, they danced away their blues
The Collins Kids' upbeat tune "Hop, Skip, and Jump" is a description of a dance craze that swept the nation in the 1950s. The song depicts a young girl falling in love with a boy who is an accomplished dancer. She watches him dance in awe and is inspired to learn, hoping that he would take notice of her. She believes that dancing is the solution to discontentment and depression. The lyrics "He'd dance so long, he danced away his blues/Now all the boys in my block try to bop the blues" suggest dancing as a way of coping with difficult emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just a hop, skip and a-jump, the way my baby's at
My baby is just a short distance away and easy to reach
It's just a few more hops and I'll be boppin' with that cat
I just need to take a few more steps and I'll be dancing with that boy
There's a real cute boy who lives next door
I have a neighbor who is a very attractive boy
And he can bop the blues
He is skilled at dancing to music with a fast tempo
He sags around all day long in his boppin' shoes
He wears his special dancing shoes all day, waiting for an opportunity to bop
He'd dance so long, he danced away his blues
He would dance for a long time, until he forgot about his problems
Now all the boys in my block try to bop the blues
The other boys in my neighborhood are also trying to dance away their troubles
They'd dance all night, till daylight in their boppin' shoes
They would dance continuously, even until the sun comes up, in their special dancing shoes
They'd dance so long, they danced away their blues
By dancing for a long time, they were able to forget about their problems and feel happy
Writer(s): L. Collins
Contributed by Parker P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jackspry9736
RIP Lorrie Collins (May 7, 1942 โ August 4, 2018), aged 76
And
RIP Larry Collins (October 4, 1944 โ January 5, 2024), aged 79
You both will be remembered as legends.
@sigspearthumb3249
Can we please go back to these days when entertainment was wholesome, and music was... musical.
@peacenow42
you do realize 'those days' oppressed the heck out of POC?
@anthonythomas6593
A great time to be alive
@chicosredhead
What kids do when they don't watch online ever. They were so talented!
@TonyToledo22
Watch online? ๐
@TacitusR
If that boy could develop some self confidence and crawl out of his shell he'd have the potential to be a dynamic performer.
@SuperChuckRaney
Hahaha
@KBADWAY
That boy was not what I expected...Elvis looks and energy some Chuck berry moves....it is amazing he wasnโt more of a star. He was definitely a showman.
@1954barker
Chuck Berry taught him nothing