Born 96 Years Ago Today in Oklahoma, the Bakersfield Sound Pioneer Who Wrote Songs for Buck Owens and Merle Haggard

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.

After graduating from high school in 1948, he recorded a handful of singles for the California-based record label Morgan.

Following a brief military stint in the early 1950s, Sipes moved to Bakersfield, California, with his friend Wanda Jackson and her family.

However, the Jackson family soon moved back to Oklahoma, leaving Sipes alone in the Golden State. He began making connections in the city, eventually meeting friend and future roommate Ferlin Husky.

After recording several of Sipes’ songs, The “Wings of a Dove” singer helped him land a contract with his own label, Capitol Records, in June 1953.

Sipes then began going by the stage name Tommy Collins, which he thought sounded more commercial than his birth name.

Solo Success and a Religious Conversion

Assembling a backup band that included a then-unknown Buck Owens on guitar, Tommy Collins scored a number-two solo hit with “You Better Not Do That”.

Three top 10 hits followed during the fall of 1954 and the spring of 1955 — “Whatcha Gonna Do Now,” “Untied,” and “It Tickles”.

During that time, Faron Young reached number two with another Collins composition, “If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’)”). George Strait would later land a number-one hit with his 1988 cover.

By 1957, however, Collins felt disillusioned with the entertainment industry. Experiencing a religious conversion, he enrolled in seminary school and became a pastor.

Collins continued recording for Capitol during his ministry, but neither he nor the label had much interest in promoting his work.

The Comeback

No longer fulfilled by his ministry work, Tommy Collins left the church and headed back to Bakersfield in 1963.

Initially re-signing with Capitol, he switched to Columbia Records in 1965. The following year, Collins returned to the country top 10 with “If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl”.

However, his chart success stalled after that. Despite opening for both Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, Collins had spiraled further into substance use and depression by the early 1970s.

Finally deciding to get sober after his wife, Wanda, divorced him, he channeled his demons into what he’d always done best — writing songs. In addition to hits for Haggard, he penned Mel Tillis’ top 10 hit “New Patches”.

In 1981, Haggard released “Leonard”, a tribute to Collins: Well, Leonard gave me lots of inspiration / He helped teach me how to write a country song / And he even brought around a bag of groceries / Hey, back before Muskogee came along.

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The song reached the top 10 of the country charts and became one of Haggard’s most enduring hits. Signing as a songwriter with Ricky Skaggs Music in 1993, Collins was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame six years later.

Featured image courtesy of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame