Rodger Collins Jr. (born August 20, 1940), also known as Hajji Rajah Kasim Sabrie, is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

singer and musician.

Biography

Collins was born in

Santa Anna, Texas Santa Anna is a town in Coleman County in Central Texas, United States. Its population was 1,099 at the 2010 census. Geography Santa Anna is located in eastern Coleman County at (31.740189, –99.325192). Three U.S. highways pass through the c ...

, moving to San Francisco, California as a teenager. He won a talent show in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, before studying drama in San Francisco. He sang in clubs, and in the early 1960s was signed by

Fantasy Records Fantasy Records is an American independent record label company founded by brothers Max and Sol Stanley Weiss in 1949. The early years of the company were dedicated to issuing recordings by jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, who was also one of its inves ...

, who issued his records on their subsidiary

Galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System. ...

label. Joel Selvin, "One record gave singer Rodger Collins a taste of fame, but no fortune. ...", ''SFGate'', March 9, 2004
Retrieved November 14, 2016 Although his first two singles were unsuccessful, his third record, "She's Looking Good", written by Collins and arranged by

Ray Shanklin Bobby Ray Shanklin (June 4, 1947 - March 6, 2015) was a composer. Along with Ed Bogas, he co-composed the scores for Ralph Bakshi's films ''Fritz the Cat'' and ''Heavy Traffic ''Heavy Traffic'' is a 1973 American live-action/animated drama fi ...

, reached number 44 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and number 101 on the

pop chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

in 1966. The song was later a bigger hit for

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

, and was also recorded by

David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...

, and by

Jack Mack and the Heart Attack Jack Mack and the Heart Attack is an American soul and R&B band that was formed in 1980 in Los Angeles, California. Their debut album, ''Cardiac Party'', was produced by Glenn Frey of Eagles (band), The Eagles on Irving Azoff's Full Moon Recor ...

for the 1985 movie ''

Tuff Turf ''Tuff Turf'' is a 1985 American drama film directed by Fritz Kiersch and starring James Spader and Kim Richards. The film was released in the United States on January 11, 1985. Plot Morgan Hiller (Spader) is an intelligent but bullied teenager ...

''. Collins' other notable recordings included, in 1970, "Foxy Girls in Oakland", written by Joe Crane of the

Hoodoo Rhythm Devils The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils were an American blues-funk band from San Francisco, California, United States, formed in 1970. History In 1970, John Rewind was teaching guitar at Roger Calkins Music on Market Street in San Francisco. One of his student ...

; and "You Sexy Sugar Plum" released on Fantasy Records in 1973. The latter track peaked at number 22 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

when reissued in 1976 in response to demand on the northern soul scene. Collins was noted for his energetic performances, which included a stint opening for

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

and

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocal ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

in the mid-1970s. He also wrote songs recorded by other singers, including Charles Brown and

Sugar Pie DeSanto Sugar Pie DeSanto (born Peylia Marsema Balinton, October 16, 1935) is an American R&B singer and dancer, whose career in music flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. Early life DeSanto was born to an African-American mother, who was a concert pianis ...

. After touring with

Joe Tex Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the style ...

, Collins converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, and changed his name to Rajah Kasim Sabrie. He largely retired from performing in 1974, later establishing an appliance repair business in Oakland. He also set up Garden Tree Music to release his own recordings, issuing the albums ''Through My Eyes'' (2009) and ''Just One More Time'' (2013). Rodger Collins discography, ''CDBaby.com''
Retrieved November 14, 2016

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Rodger 1940 births Living people American soul musicians American funk musicians Musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area People from Santa Anna, Texas