Born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica,[1] Collins began his career as a drummer, moving to keyboards in the mid-1960s.[2] In the late 1960s, he performed with the Invincibles band (whose members also included Lloyd Parks, Sly Dunbar and Ranchie McLean. He played on The Maytals' "Pressure Drop" and "Sweet and Dandy".[2] After working with Lee "Scratch" Perry, Collins was part of the duo Dave and Ansel Collins along with Dave Barker, with whom he had a number one hit in the United Kingdom in 1971 with "Double Barrel".[2][3] His keyboard playing exemplified the Skinhead reggae style.[4] Collins is also a producer and has released solo records, including single sides "Cock Robin", "Atlantic One", "Stalag" and "Nuclear Weapon" between 1969 and 1971, as well as a handful of later albums. He was a member of 1970s Channel One studio band The Revolutionaries, as well as the Impact All Stars and Sugar Minott's Black Roots Players, performing on many of the classic songs of the roots reggae era (album 1979 Black Roots). He was also part of Jimmy Cliff's backing band, Oneness, in the 1970s.[2][5] He continued to record during the 1980s, mainly as a session musician, and released a solo album in 1986.[3]
