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Contains all the material Tommy Collins recorded for Capitol and Columbia. Also includes tracks recorded in Oklahoma for the Morgan label. Personnel: Tommy Collins (vocals); The Jordanaires, Wanda Collins (vocals); Don Rich, Ferlin Husky, James L. Wilkerson, Herman Wade, Glenn Ross Campbell , Wes Buchanan, Grady Martin, Fred Carter, Glen Wilds, Joe Maphis, Lewis Talley, Ray Edenton, Roy Nichols, Billy Porter, Billy Strange, Buck Owens (guitar); Johnny Gilchrist, Lloyd Green, Ralph Mooney (steel guitar); Leroy Mack McNees (dobro); Thomas Lee Jackson Jr. (violin); Bill Woods (fiddle, piano); Grover C. "Shorty" Lavender, Jelly Sanders, Bob Morris, Grover Lavender (fiddle); Charlie McCoy (harmonica); Herbert L. "Cousin Herb" Henson, Clifford Whitcomb, George French, Jr., Floyd Cramer, William Whitney Pursell, George French, Merrill Moore (piano); Paul Sells (organ); Harold Bradley (bass guitar); Bobby Galardo, Helen "Peaches" Price, Marion Z. "Pee Wee" Adams, Ken Presley, Johnny Cuviello, Buddy Harman (drums). Audio Mixers: Larry Walsh; Mark Wilder; Richard Bennett. Liner Note Author: Dale Vinicur. Recording information: Bakersfield Civic Auditorium, CA (??/??/1951-11/03/1968); Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA (??/??/1951-11/03/1968); Columbia Recording Studio, Nashville, TN (??/??/1951-11/03/1968); Oklahoma City, OK (??/??/1951-11/03/1968). Illustrators: R.A. Andreas; Steve Hathaway; Bruce Bastin; Jim Shaw; Tommy Collins; Brad Benedict; Buck Owens. Photographers: R.A. Andreas; Steve Hathaway; Bruce Bastin; Jim Shaw; Tommy Collins; Brad Benedict; Buck Owens. Unknown Contributor Roles: Mark Wilder; Mike Brown. Spanning five discs and well over one hundred tracks -- featuring all of the songs he cut for Capitol in the late '50s and early '60s, including alternate takes and unreleased material -- Leonard contains too much Tommy Collins for anyone but completists and historians. Nevertheless, it is the only collection of Collins' prime material to appear on CD. Collins was very influential and he deserves this deluxe box set treatment, but a single disc collection is needed -- it would make his music available to country fans that simply can't afford a box set of this magnitude, but still want to hear the singer. If you can afford Leonard, it's a worthwhile investment for dedicated country music fans, but there isn't enough first-rate material on the box to justify the expense for listeners that want to explore the roots of the Bakersfield sound. ~ Thom Owens
