Frank Collins
Frank Collins, (1887-1966), Goulburn, NSW, collected and provided details of and collected some of the Australian tunes in this archive.
Portrait: [1], "One of a family of musicians from the Goulburn district, Frank, who died in 1966 left behind him a series of acetate recordings of his fine fiddle playing. This picture is copied from a family snapshot taken in the 1930s."
Frank recorded a number of tunes to disc in the 1950s, some years before his death. Of the 12 discs made five were in the keeping of his daughter Pansy House. They were re-recorded by John Meredith in company with Chris Sullivan. These recordings are now held by the National Library of Australia (search their catalog for "Frank Collins").
He was interviewed by:
- John Meredith 1950s?, [2]
- John Meredith in January 1983, [3], Recording of acetate disc by : John Meredith. Recording is a tape recording of 4 acetate discs, 78 rpm. 12", 2 x 5 min., originally recorded ca. 1960. Frank Collins is accompanied on piano by Bertha Ohlbach. Frank Collins plays fiddle accompanied by Ken and Val Stevenson on drums and guitar.
- Chris Sullivan in February 1983, [4], Frank Collins' 78 RPM phonograph records recorded on to tapes by Chris Sullivan.
- Chris Sullivan in February 1983, [5], rank Collins' 78 RPM phonograph records recorded on to tapes by Chris Sullivan.
- John Meredith in June 1983, [6], Frank Collins plays the fiddle accompanied by Ken Stevenson on drums and Val Stevenson on guitar
- Chris Sullivan in November 1984, [7],
- John Meredith in March 1984, [8], Recorded off an ex-acetate disc made circa 1950's in Goulburn by Brian Baxter studios on a Uher 4200.
- Jacko Kevans in 1990, [9], Dub of 'Music deli' radio program about fiddler Frank Collins; and, Dub of BBC 'Goon show' radio program
- Chris Sullivan in 1991, [10], Various folk musicians recorded
"Pansy House, [11] nee Collins, of Bowral ... casually mentioned that her late father, Frank Collins, had made some recordings of his fiddle playing (in the 1950s) some years before his death and had distributed the twelve disks among friends and relations. She had five of the disks ... The disks were cut using a process popular at that time for 'one off' recordings, the acetate disk ... Born in 1887, Frank Collins died at the age of seventy-nine in 1966. In 1904 he married Letitia Cary and they went to live in a bark house at Boxers Creek, near Wingello, where Pansy was born two years later." -- (adapted from) J Meredith, R Covell, P Brown, Folk Songs of Australia Vol 2, UNSW Press, 1987, p80-84
