Updated 04/06 Instruments Played........... Bass Guitar Fender, Fretted and Fretless Five Strings, Piccolo. Double Bass Acoustic and electric. Chapman Stick Touchboard Instrument. In addition..... Vocals, Guitar, Tres, Sousaphone and Keyboards.     Significant Dates/Events 1973 (November) - Born Oliver Michael Collins in Stockport Cheshire, England. 1981 - First interest in playing music - piano lessons. 1984 - Started playing Bass Guitar 1984 - 1990 - Continued performing, writing and recording music with older brother John and local musicians. 1992 - Studied Jazz and performance at Leeds College Of Music. 1995 - Toured with show band internationally.........experience! 1996 - Resumed studies a Salford University (Pop Music and Sound Recording) 1997 - Resides in Manchester, continuing to perform and record with local artists. 1998 - Toured Scandinavia with Dave Finnegan's Commitments. Working for producer Alan Parsons with group "Iconic Phare". Recruited as bass and composition lecturer at City College Manchester. 1999 - Performing with Subterranea (fronted By Ollie) at Manchester Jazz Festival.- Recording and performances with Dean O'Shea Group (instrumental Guitar led). 2000 -2002 - Performing with Moolah who were billed in the largest ever New Year's Eve open air concert in Manchester. - Recording and performing with Manchester Latin House group Jersey Street a nine piece extravaganza! - Recording and performances with Mettle Music and Angie Palmer. Also Appearences with Curiosity Killed The Cat 2003 International Performances and recording with Melana. - Release of debut solo album "Make Time Last". Recording with Rebelski (Heavenly Records), recording and performing with Holly Lerski / Angelou. Ollie is currently playing gigs and jazz festivals with Dave Walsh's "Acoustric". 2004 Album credits on "Road" - Angie Palmer and "When We Say Jump" - Plus Four. 2005 Performances with Sax Assault including Bob Mintzer at the UK Saxophone day. Gigs with Angie Palmer, Rebelski and Acoustric. For Updates and recent entries please click to olliecollins.com   Ollie (top left) pictured with Iconic Phare and Alan Parsons (arms folded). Picture taken in Abbey Road Studios (1998). See more photos in the gallery   Full Biography Ollie's early memories of music were classical piano lessons with his Auntie at 8 years old. However he soon became more switched on by the Rock/Pop music in the early 80's as well as his parents record collection of the Beatles and albums by Stevie Wonder, Toto and Pink Floyd. Ollie's transition to the bass was inspired and motivated by his older brother John who at the time started to play keyboards and write songs. " He wanted to form a band and I was determined to get involved, so I started on the bottom two strings of my Dads student guitar - he later pointed out that I should play bass. My parents surprised me on my eleventh birthday with a Fender copy and amplifier - the best present ever." By the age of 13 Ollie had advanced quickly on the bass, and could already showcase a repertoire of challenging Level 42 covers!" I had weekly bass and drum lessons but most of my technique and progress came from spending hours playing along with records, I would tape the Top 40 on a Sunday and learn all the songs I liked, by ear. My brother and I used to put on our own lunch time gigs at school with other school musicians - it was a riot! We came 2nd in the T.S.B Rock School contest in 1988 with our originals." At 14 years Ollie started to play fretless bass. " After hearing the bass on Paul Simon's Graceland album and Pino Palladino's playing with Paul Young, I became hooked on the instrument - it's a big part of what I do." Ollie spent subsequent years in various cover and originals bands recording and playing gigs. Whilst taking his A levels Ollie decided he wanted to become a professional player. In 1993 Ollie was awarded a place at Leeds College of music and studied Jazz harmony, improvisation, arranging, reading and the double bass. However after two years on the course Ollie left to work with a pro band Cruising round America. " It was the best professional music experience I'd had up to that point. The gig really made me work hard on my reading, busking and playing solid time". In 96 Ollie resumed his music studies at Salford University and graduated with with a Bachelor Of Arts Degree. In 1997 Ollie performed to a full house at the Royal Albert Hall with brass multi- instrumentalist James Morrison Jazz Quartet, without a rehearsal! And in 1998 worked with Producer Alan Parsons and super group "Iconic Phare". In the same year Ollie toured Scandinavia and UK with Dave Finnegans Commitments and afterwards took a part time lecturing post in music technology and bass guitar at Manchester's City College. 1999 Saw Ollie front "Subterranea", together with members including Saxophonist Simon Willescroft, keyboard player Andy Kingslow and Drummer Matt Swindells they performed originals by the group at the headline event of the annual Manchester Jazz festival. In the subsequent years has been busy recording and performing with local artists "Jersey Street" (Glasgow Underground), Mettle Music (Toko), Big Finn (MR) and also Rebelski (Heavenly,EMI) and Holly Lerski (Sanctuary). In addition Ollie produced and released his debut album "Make Time Last" he also authors the critically acclaimed "Ollie Collins' Global Bass " website and has received global traffic and album sales. Still residing in Manchester Ollie has become a mainstay in the local music scene. Playing both electric and upright bass and together with backing vocals he manages to sustain enough Pop/Rock and Jazz gigs and recording to work full time. Musical Influences - Ollie's musical melting pot James Jamerson, Larry Graham, Pino Palladino, Level 42, Thomas Dolby, Bernard Edwards/ Nile Rogers, Percy Jones, Francis Dunnery, Tony Levin, Prince, Allan Holdsworth, The Yellow Jackets, Marcus Miller, Francis Roco Prestia (TOP), Stanley Clarke, Frank Zappa, Roland Orzabal, Yes, Cream, Sly And The Family Stone, Bootsy Collins, Victor Wooten/Bela Fleck And The Flecktones, Miles Davis, Carlos Santana, John Lennon/Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Nile Rogers/Bernard Edwards, Sting and the Police, Paul Simon, Chick Corea, Alain Caron, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Anthony Jackson, Danny Thomson, Sly and Robbie, Jimi Hendrix and not forgetting Jaco Pastorius.