On this day (September 28) in 1930, acclaimed Nashville songwriter Tommy Collins was born Leonard Raymond Sipes in Bethany, Oklahoma. Helping craft the “Bakersfield” sound that rose to prominence on the country charts of the late 1950s, Collins’ more than 800 compositions included the number-one hits “Carolyn” and “The Roots of My Raising” by Merle Haggard.
Although intense personal battles prevented him from achieving the same level of fame as his peers in Bakersfield, California, Collins left a lasting mark on the genre nonetheless. Buck Owens, Wynn Stewart, Jean Shepard, Wanda Jackson, Ferlin Husky, Dick Curless, Rose Maddox and Freddie Hart are just a few artists who have recorded his work.
On March 14, 2000, Collins died from complications of emphysema at his home in Ashland City, Tennessee. Today, we’re taking a trip through his life and career on what would have been his 96th birthday.
About Tommy Collins
Growing up just outside of Oklahoma City, Leonard Sipes began singing and writing songs as a child, eventually appearing on local radio shows…