Mel Collins

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Mel Collins
Alan Parsons Project
  • Dire Straits
  • Melvyn Desmond Collins (born 5 September 1947,

    flautist and session musician
    .

    Collins has played in several

    .

    Career

    Collins was born into a family of musicians. His mother was Bebe Collins a singer while his father was Derek Collins a

    .

    Collins has worked with a large number of notable recording artists,[1] including 10cc, Alexis Korner, Alvin Lee, Clannad, Eric Clapton, Bad Company, Pino Daniele, Dire Straits, Bryan Ferry, Roger Chapman, Marianne Faithfull, The Rolling Stones, Roger Waters,[2] Gerry Rafferty, Tears for Fears, Go West and Joan Armatrading.

    He was a member of progressive rock bands King Crimson, Camel, and sessioned with The Alan Parsons Project. For King Crimson he was Ian McDonald's replacement, playing on the albums In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), Islands (1971) and Earthbound (1972). He left King Crimson in 1972, later contributing to the album Red (1974) as a session musician. He played on the Crimson Jazz Trio's second album, The King Crimson Songbook, Volume Two, released in 2009.

    Collins played the saxophone solo on

    Frank Collins, Dyan Birch, and Alan Spenner
    , and is a frequent performer with Tony O'Malley.

    In 1983, Collins played the saxophone solo on the hit single "Private Dancer", the title cut on Tina Turner's album by the same name. His solo was recorded in England at the Wessex Studios.[4]

    In 1984, Mel Collins played saxophone in Pino Daniele’s album ’’Musicante‘’, having previously toured with the Neapolitan blues man. In the same year, Mel Collins toured with Roger Waters to support the album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking. In 1985 Collins was part of the supergroup 'Willie and the Poor Boys' appearing in their video with

    Songs From The Big Chair by Tears for Fears, playing saxophone on "The Working Hour". In 1986 he was a musician on the animated film When the Wind Blows. He worked again with Waters in 1987, appearing on both the album Radio K.A.O.S. and the subsequent tour and in 1988 again with Daniele in the album ’’Bonne Soirée
    ’’ and the subsequent tour.

    In 2006 a band member on Die Harald Schmidt Show.[5]

    From 2002–07 Collins was a member of the King Crimson offshoot group 21st Century Schizoid Band, with other former Crimson members.

    In May 2008 Kokomo was reformed temporarily. With Collins were Tony O'Malley, Neil Hubbard,

    Adam Phillips, Andy Hamilton
    , Paddy McHugh, Dyan Birch, Frank Collins, Bernie Holland, and Glen Le Fleur.

    Collins played woodwinds on the 2011 King Crimson ProjeKct 7, A Scarcity of Miracles, appearing on a King Crimson related album for the first time since 1974. In September 2013, Robert Fripp confirmed that Mel Collins would be a member of King Crimson again, the band being referred to as King Crimson VIII.

    Collins was also a member of Pete Haycock's reformation of the Climax Blues Band in 2013, prior to Haycock's death in October 2013.

    Collins is currently a member of Dire Straits Legacy, a band dedicated to playing music by Dire Straits, dubbed as "the closest you’re going to get!"[6] The band features Collins on saxophone, alongside fellow former Dire Straits touring members: Danny Cummings (percussion, vocals) and Phil Palmer (guitar, vocals), former Dire Straits members: Alan Clark (keyboards) and Jack Sonni (guitar, vocals) alongside record producer Trevor Horn (bass, vocals) as well as Marco Cavigila (lead guitar, vocals) and Primiano Dibiase (keyboards).[7] The band have recorded on Studio album "3 Chord Trick".[8]

    Selected discography

    as Band member/sideman

    Session work

    Collins has done session work for many different artists, among them

    Collaborations

    Bands by years

    Timeline

    References

    1. ^ "Collins". Answers.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
    2. ^ McPherson, Ian. "Collins with the Rolling Stones". timeisonourside.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
    3. ^ "'Miss You' – Rolling Stones". timeisonourside.com. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
    4. ^ "'Private Dancer' - Tina Turner". Discogs.com. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
    5. ^ "Mel Collins". IMDb. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
    6. ^ "Why DSL ?". DSL* Dire Straits Legacy. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
    7. ^ "The Band". DSL* Dire Straits Legacy. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
    8. ^ Legacy - 3 Chord Trick, retrieved 17 May 2022

    External links