Ray Collins, the singer for the first Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention album ‘Freak Out’ has died in California.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention Freak Out
Collins was 76-years old. He died on Christmas Eve after suffering a heart attack on December 18.
In 1964 Collins recruited Zappa for his band The Soul Giants. They later became the Mothers of Invention.
Ray was the singer of the first album ‘Freak Out’ in 1966 and then the two 1967 albums ‘Absolutely Free’ and ‘Lumpy Gravy’. He left before the next record ‘We’re Only In It For The Money’ but contributed to its follow-up ‘Cruising with Ruben & the Jets’. (both 1968).
According to Rolling Stone, Collins was homeless and lived out of a van in Claremont, California. He had occasionally worked as a cab driver but his income was mostly from the occasional royalty cheque and from Social Security.
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