Francis Collins, former member of The Crystals

[chemelr]

My personal friend, Fatima Johnson, formerly known as Frances Collins, passed away on Christmas Eve. She was the last lady to join the already well known group, The Crystals - La La Brooks, Dee Dee Kinniebrew and Barbara Alston. Fatima was already a trained dancer when she joined The Crystals. After The Crystals broke up, she was a dance teacher at the same studio she was trained in down in Florida. She was a teacher and mentor to the end. Her son is well known in the rap/hip hop community - Prodigy. Fatima was a beautiful person, inside and out.

Fatima, I will miss you immensely, and know that La La and myself will love you forever more.

[marv2]

I am very sorry to hear of Frances' passing. I remember her and her smile on stage. Heaven just received a new bright star. Rest in peace Fatima and my sincere condolences to her family, friends and fans.


Marv

[chemelr]

From back in the day, left to right, Dee Dee Kinniebrew, Frances Collins, La La Brooks and the guitar player is Ronald Clark. 12280

[Luciano]

Sorry for the loss of your friend. No words can make this time easy. Thank you for sharing about your friend. What a special person she must have been. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

What a legacy she left as one of the members of the all time great girl group The Crystals and with her son rap legend Prodigy.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

My deepest condolences to Francis and her family and loved ones. Without doubt, she was a beautiful brick in the Wall Of Sound. May she rest in peace forever.

[marv2]

Here they are with Frances on the left..............


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dItMq2H-5us

[marv2]

https://knightraider1948.wordpress.com/2016/12/27/so-sad-to-hear-about-the-passing-of-fatima-johnson-born-frances-collins-of-the-crystals-fatima-is-standing-second-from-the-right-next-to-la-la-brooks-in-the-picture-of-the-crystals-from-about-1964/

[marv2]

https://boxden.com/showthread.php?t=2435400

[rrussi]

I never met Frances, but remember she joined the Crystals right before they went to England in February 1964. They had replaced Pat Wright, first with a girl named Fippy that went to Hawaii with them in November 1963, then with a girl named Barbara Massey [[I think was her last name), who stayed long enough to appear with them on American Bandstand doing Little Boy. She left to go to work with Harry Belafonte. Then Frances came in and stayed 'til they disbanded for a while in 1967. I know Frances' parents had a dance school and she also ran a dance school in south Florida. Sadly, she's now gone! For many years most people thought Pat Wright was gone too, but she is living here in Florida also, near Orlando. Love today and let people know as tomorrow is not promised. I always loved all of the Crystals. I had wanted Rolling Stone or another publication to gather the five girls today who posed for their Twist Uptown lp cover photo in front of their 1962 Chevrolet Impala station wagon and redo the photo with a story since all five women are still with us. I am sure a car of that make and model could be found. I don't even recall if I suggested it to RS.

[marv2]

I never met Frances, but remember she joined the Crystals right before they went to England in February 1964. They had replaced Pat Wright, first with a girl named Fippy that went to Hawaii with them in November 1963, then with a girl named Barbara Massey [[I think was her last name), who stayed long enough to appear with them on American Bandstand doing Little Boy. She left to go to work with Harry Belafonte. Then Frances came in and stayed 'til they disbanded for a while in 1967. I know Frances' parents had a dance school and she also ran a dance school in south Florida. Sadly, she's now gone! For many years most people thought Pat Wright was gone too, but she is living here in Florida also, near Orlando. Love today and let people know as tomorrow is not promised. I always loved all of the Crystals. I had wanted Rolling Stone or another publication to gather the five girls today who posed for their Twist Uptown lp cover photo in front of their 1962 Chevrolet Impala station wagon and redo the photo with a story since all five women are still with us. I am sure a car of that make and model could be found. I don't even recall if I suggested it to RS.


Randy re-do of the Uptown album cover is a good idea.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I never met Frances, but remember she joined the Crystals right before they went to England in February 1964. They had replaced Pat Wright, first with a girl named Fippy that went to Hawaii with them in November 1963, then with a girl named Barbara Massey [[I think was her last name), who stayed long enough to appear with them on American Bandstand doing Little Boy. She left to go to work with Harry Belafonte. Then Frances came in and stayed 'til they disbanded for a while in 1967. I know Frances' parents had a dance school and she also ran a dance school in south Florida. Sadly, she's now gone! For many years most people thought Pat Wright was gone too, but she is living here in Florida also, near Orlando. Love today and let people know as tomorrow is not promised. I always loved all of the Crystals. I had wanted Rolling Stone or another publication to gather the five girls today who posed for their Twist Uptown lp cover photo in front of their 1962 Chevrolet Impala station wagon and redo the photo with a story since all five women are still with us. I am sure a car of that make and model could be found. I don't even recall if I suggested it to RS.
Rrussi, for 53 years, I've been wondering about something that maybe you can fill me in on. What the heck was going on the day The Crystals performed "Little Boy" on American Bandstand? I remember that day in February 1964 [[when I was 13) like it were yesterday, and I remember the uneasy feeling it left me with. When Dick Clark announced The Crystals performing "Little Boy", there was a long, uncomfortable silence. Then the record started playing yet there were still no Crystals to be seen until they finally came through the curtain just in time for Lala to sing her first lyric, "Little Boy, you probably don't know it..." What went wrong? All I could think of was that the girls' flight might have arrived late, and they showed up just in time to go on stage, albeit several seconds late. The Crystals sure look uncomfortable, and I still feel the same discomfort to this day whenever I watch this video. Is there a story that goes along with it?

To refresh your memory, here's the video. [[Many thanks to tomtokenator for uploading it to YouTube.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESvs4LDQ6cs

[chemelr]

Yes there is a "little" story for which you are speaking about. I too had the same feeling and I asked La La about this. She told me that her and the rest of The Crystals were so nervous performing for Dick Clark. When it was time to make their entrance from behind the curtain, La La could not find the curtain opening. Of course she did find it and she was even more nervous but it all came out fine for them.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Yes there is a "little" story for which you are speaking about. I too had the same feeling and I asked La La about this. She told me that her and the rest of The Crystals were so nervous performing for Dick Clark. When it was time to make their entrance from behind the curtain, La La could not find the curtain opening. Of course she did find it and she was even more nervous but it all came out fine for them.
Ah, so THAT's what happened! I knew that something wasn't quite right. Thanks for setting the record straight. Poor Lala -- so nervous about wanting to be perfect for Dick Clark, and then not being able to find the damned curtain opening. Sounds like something that could only happen to Lucy Ricardo & Ethel Mertz -- or me! Thanks again, chemeir. After 53 years, the mystery is solved and I can finally put my mind at ease!

[rrussi]

Well, there it is...that's what happened! Couldn't find the opening to the curtain. But I don't know why they were so nervous as they had worked with him so many times already, as he even mentions in his introduction of them. When he does the interview they hardly spoke with the exception of Barbara Massey. La La, however, did well and I was glad she mentioned her little poodle was a gift from Phil Spector. I love it that he brought the dogs out. I know they took them everywhere. Dee Dee Sharp had a little poodle as well and took it on tour with her. I think that TV appearance actually aired in January, 1964. As Dick Clark mentions the record had just come out. Also, that TV appearance was in L.A. as American Bandstand had moved from Philadelphia to California maybe just a few months earlier. Everytime I watch this performance of the Crystals I think of how young they were. La La was probably 16 here. I think the record Little Boy actually did well in Japan.

[rrussi]

There have been the extended videos of the American Bandstand appearance including the interview and then Dick Clark has Dee Dee's little poodle and La La's little poodle brought over. La La's little dog is Bambi and she does say it was a gift from Phil Spector.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Well, there it is...that's what happened! Couldn't find the opening to the curtain. But I don't know why they were so nervous as they had worked with him so many times already, as he even mentions in his introduction of them. When he does the interview they hardly spoke with the exception of Barbara Massey. La La, however, did well and I was glad she mentioned her little poodle was a gift from Phil Spector. I love it that he brought the dogs out. I know they took them everywhere. Dee Dee Sharp had a little poodle as well and took it on tour with her. I think that TV appearance actually aired in January, 1964. As Dick Clark mentions the record had just come out. Also, that TV appearance was in L.A. as American Bandstand had moved from Philadelphia to California maybe just a few months earlier. Everytime I watch this performance of the Crystals I think of how young they were. La La was probably 16 here. I think the record Little Boy actually did well in Japan.
Hey, thanks for filling in the blanks, rrussi!

To comment about their nervousness: Sure, The Crystals had worked with Dick Clark before on his Caravan Of Stars tour[[s), but this was American Bandstand -- the real deal! Unlike their live stage shows, the girls were about to perform in the personal, intimate studio setting of Dick's own personal spotlight -- in front of millions of viewers, no less. I can understand how that would have made LaLa more nervous than usual. I would have been a nervous wreck and, more than likely, would have slipped or tripped in front of everyone on my way to find my stage markings!

You may very well be right about The Crystals' Bandstand appearance being in January rather than February. I remember I was watching Bandstand at my paternal grandmother's house in what felt like the dead of winter [[cold, gray, and yucky). However, I don't remember seeing the interview. My grandmother may very well have asked me to turn off the TV following their "Little Boy" performance. I really don't recall. I just remember being thrilled to finally see the girls on TV, while simultaneously feeling unsettled by the uncomfortable "curtain" intro. [[BTW, you would have thought that one of Dick's staff would have been positioned backstage to give the girls their cue and to open the curtain for them.)

I would love to have seen Dick's interview with the girls, especially when they brought out LaLa's dog which she credited as a gift from Phil Spector. It just goes to show you that, despite what people may say, Phil wasn't a totally bad guy. He had a heart when he was allowed to let it show in his own way.

I miss those good old days when American Bandstand was shot in Philadelphia. I have so many wonderful memories of growing up with that show and the artists who were almost regulars -- Connie Francis, Freddie Cannon, Ernie Maresca, the Cameo/Parkway artists [[Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Rydell, The Orlons, The Dovells), etc., etc., etc. It was also the first time I had ever seen the Philles artists perform. I can remember Darlene Love's performance of "[[Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry". And I can remember the kids in Philly dancing to Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans' "Not Too Young To Get Married." Best of all, I witnessed the unveiling of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby" [[which I viewed in late August on my maternal grandmother's TV). Wow! The Summer of 1963! What a Philles thrill that was! Those were the days! Unfortunately, when the show moved to California, the black-pop sax sound of Philly was replaced with the hippy, white-pop guitar sound of L.A. [[Puke!)

In closing, I'm glad to hear that The Crystals' "Little Boy" did well in Japan. I've always loved that record. God knows, LaLa did a great job on it, as she always did on Phil's productions. "Little Boy" was no exception.

[luke]

Lala wonderful but song pretty boring. Oh how I loved watching bandstand when I was a little dude. Wasn't it on 5 days a week for awhile ...in Philly? . I lived nearby.

[rrussi]

Yes, Bandstand came on everyday in the afternoon for one or two hours Mon thru Fri when in Philadelphia. When they made the move to Hollywood, it was one hour only on Saturdays.

I have seen the interview included here on the internet on some of the videos of the Little Boy appearance. But most often it is only shown up til he walks over to greet them. After briefly speaking with them he has someone bring over their "friends" and it is Dee Dee's and La La's little poodles.
In regard to Frances Collins, I just spoke with Dee Dee yesterday. Fran's parents didn't own a dance school, it was her second mother-in-law who did. Apparently Fran was Johnson then married young and became Collins. Her second husband was also Johnson and it was his mother who owned a dance school in Queens, NY, I think. She had two sons, one of which entered show business and became a rapper, as mentioned above. She did have a dance school in Miami, Fatima's Dance or something like that. Dee Dee, however, hadn't spoken to her in many years, but said she was a very nice person.

[rrussi]

I wish we could watch reruns of American Bandstand! I too remember seeing most every artist I liked on the show. I remember Darlene Love getting such an applause for Today I Met The Boy I'm Gonna Marry that Dick Clark had them put the record back on and she continued the lip-sync. I also remember the day he was doing the Top Ten count up to number one, which was the Essex record Easier Said Than Done. They would play #1 by counting up to it from #10. Well, #5 was Fingertips by Little Stevie Wonder and as he approached #1, the kids started yelling "Five, Five", and he said, Ok you want number five. And he played Fingertips rather than #1 and the kids were dancing wildly. I always wondered if that was staged! I actually danced on American Bandstand in the 70s and forgot to ask him about that, but I know with the strictness in the production, I doubt the kids in 1963 would've done that. DC was a nice man! I saw him a few times after being a dancer on his show and he always acknowledged me and remembered me. He and his wife Kari were really sweet. And can you imagine, I remember the afternoon both Mary Wells and Martha & the Vandellas were the guests! Again, DC had Martha do Come & Get These Memories a second time as the applause of the kids was so enthusiastic. Great entertaining show and I'd love to see them again, in full-episodes! I don't even have copies of any of the shows I was on and he had told me to call his office to get copies, I never got around to it and then when I wanted them he was very sick and I wasn't going to bother him. But I think all of us old enough to remember saw all our favorite stars for the first time via American Bandstand.