The Oklahoma City/County Historical Society and the City of Bethany, Oklahoma, recently placed a roadside marker on Route 66 to commemorate the late songwriter and singer Tommy Collins.
Collins probably is best known for writing “If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’), which was a big hit both for Faron Young and George Strait.
Here’s Collins playing the song during a European gig in 1989:
He helped mold the Bakersfield Sound of country music during the 1950s through the 1970s. He was elected to the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Bethany is Collins’ hometown. The marker stands on Route 66 near Council Road. It’s part of the Oklahoma Music Trail.
KFOR-TV had more details about the marker ceremony:
Oklahoma County Commissioner Brian Maughan and Mayor Nikki Lloyd were joined by fellow Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame member Gayla Peevey and singer Leona Williams on behalf of the Collins family. Williams was a longtime friend and co-writer of Collins up until he died in 2000.
The Historical Society says Peevey also performed on Oklahoma City radio station KLPR, where both she and Collins were first discovered in the 1950’s.
“I enjoy sharing the rich music history that stems from Oklahoma,” said Commissioner Brian Maughan, “When people think of ‘music cities’ they think of Nashville, Austin, Chicago, New Orleans… I want to put Oklahoma on that list. I want people to know about the artist that came from this state.”
The City of Bethany posted several photos from the ceremony:
(Hat tip to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association)