THIS CUSTOM CD WAS MADE FROM RARE ORIGINAL DISC RECORDS.
ADVANCED FILTERING SYSTEM WAS USED FOR VERY CLEAN SOUND.
THIS ENHANCED CD EDITION WAS RE-MASTERED USING THE LATEST DIGITAL TECHNIQUES.

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Bio

Arthur Collins was born in Philadelphia, PA on February 7th 1864.
Collins moved with his family to Barnegat, New Jersey around 1879 and as a teenager worked as a volunteer lifesaver on the Jersey shore, beginning an enthusiasm for sailing that became a lifelong pursuit.
However, his fine baritone voice, heard in church and in local concert appearances, convinced Collins' family to send him back to Philadelphia for formal training.

After concluding his studies, Collins spent some 15 years touring with various stock companies and appearing in summer opera in St. Louis.
Taking occasional roles for extra money, Collins enjoyed a star turn in a production given by the DeWolf Hopper Opera Company in 1898, and talent scouts for Edison Records requested Collins audition which was held May 16, 1898.
 

Within a few years, Collins proved one of the most productive and successful singers in the record business, and in his long career between 1898 and 1925 he worked for every record company active in the United States.
He specialized in what were then called coon songs, popular African-American dialect numbers associated with vaudeville and minstrel shows.
Collins also utilized an array of vocal effects and caricature voices which gave the impression that there were multiple persons at the horn on his recordings, though it was just Collins.

In the early 1900's he partnered with Byron Harlan and recorded hundreds of comic duets through the mid 1920's as Collins and Harlan.
 

During a personal appearance at the Princess Theater in Medina, Ohio on October 20, 1921, Collins was badly injured when he fell through an open trap door.
While he recovered well enough to resume his singing and recording career, his health began to decline afterward and in 1926, Collins retired, relocating to Florida with his wife. He died at the age of 69 in Tice, Florida on August 3, 1933.

This Encore 2 CD includes many of Arthur Collins comic recordings made during the Ragtime Era.
The period covered by this CD is 1909 to 1911.

Arthur Collins – Encore 2

Comic Ragtime Minstrel Songs

(Recorded 1909 – 1911)