RAY COLLINS DEAD | MOTHERS OF INVENTION FOUNDER & SINGER RAY COLLINS DIES | RAY COLLINS DEATH

	RAY COLLINS DEAD | MOTHERS OF INVENTION FOUNDER & SINGER RAY COLLINS DIES | RAY COLLINS DEATH RAY COLLINS DEAD | MOTHERS OF INVENTION FOUNDER & SINGER RAY COLLINS DIES | RAY COLLINS DEATH ABC NEWS/REUTERS: Ray Collins (1936 - 2012) member of The Mothers of Invention rock band passed away from a heart condition. Collins grew up in Pomona, California. He started his musical career singing falsetto backup vocals for various 'doo-wop' groups in the Los Angeles area in the late 1950s and early 1960s,including Little Julian Herrera and the Tigers. In 1964, Collins, drummer Jimmy Carl Black and bassist Roy Estrada joined with Frank Zappa to form The Soul Giants, which, under Zappa's leadership, turned into the Mothers of Invention. Ray was the lead vocalist on the Mothers early albums, including Freak Out!, Absolutely Free and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets. He contributed to other Zappa projects through the mid-1970s. Ray Collins, who invited guitarist Frank Zappa to join the band that eventually became the Mothers of Invention, has died at age 75. Collins' friend Patrick Brayer tells the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin that the musician from Claremont, Calif., died Monday, five days after a heart attack. Collins brought Zappa to R&B cover band the Soul Giants in 1964. By 1966, they had become the Mothers of Invention, releasing their first album, "Freak Out," on Verve Records. Collins sang on three albums, then left the Mothers, saying their comedic approach to music didn't suit him. He pursued little music afterward and spent his last years living in a van, but was a <b>...</b>	From: InsaneMrBrain Views: 9 0 ratings
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