Norman Collins
Singer, Songwriter, Guitar
Norman Collins was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. He purchased his first guitar at age 16, quickly becoming skilled and absorbing the many local influences of Blues, Country, and Soul based artists in the Greater St. Louis area.
Supplementing Norman Collins' expanding reputation as an in-demand guitarist is his creative and bountiful ability as a wonderfully gifted songwriter/Lyricist. These dual talents nourish and drive the intuitive and poetic messages featured in these songs.
Norman Collins' musical journey has included professional musical projects in some of the most famous recording studios in Nashville, Tennessee. These included the legendary RCA-Studio B.
All roads eventually led to an introduction to Recording Artist and Chess Records (Chicago, Illinois) President, Hank Ballard, who hired Collins as a staff guitarist with many accredited contributions to the artist roster during his time at Chess Records.
Norman Collins has been continuously touring from the beginning of his musical journey whether performing his own original songs or supporting other musical acts that have included Jimmy Buffett, Hank Ballard, John Hiatt, and other notable national acts.
Norman Collins & the Tumblers are beginning a West Coast Tour supporting the latest release Something to Say in early 2024 along with the best of previous releases including What the Cat Dragged, In the Picture, Man about Town and I Must Be Dreaming.
Norman Collins & the Tumblers will guide you on a musical journey with well-honed, crafted lyrical and instrumental content that will move you to listen, dance, and celebrate stories well told!
mIKE sUGAR
GUITARS, vOCAL, sLIDE gUITAR
For Mike Sugar, microphone feedback, synthesizers and electric guitars were great teachers and inspiration.
Growing “down” in New Orleans and then moving “over” to Los Angeles expanded but also solidified a growing musical foundation.
Many years of collaborating, writing, improvising, performing, and recording really takes it out of a person!
Decades of musical survival in those arts is evident in Sugar's passion and refinement of those endeavors.
His globally distributed solo albums demonstrate constant evolution in timbre and texture.
Sugar has played shows with Frank Vignola, Taj Mahal, Zero, Bob Weir, and Jon Fishman, among many others. Recording projects including projects produced by John Fields, Ted Templeman, and Booker T Jones. Current performance schedule includes Super Diamond, The Hots, Zach Hammer Trio, Funtouchables, The Camaros, Shelley Doty X-tet, Stroll Down Penny Lane, and more.
On their first meeting, Norman Collins asked Sugar if he played slide guitar and Sugar's enthusiastic “yes” brought him into the band. Seen recently on stage playing electric cello, recorder, upright bass, melodica, synthesizer, bass guitar, and percussion, Sugar welcomes the opportunity to twang on a Telecaster with Norman and The Tumblers and slide into new tunes and tones.
Tom Mcmanus
Bassist/Vocals
Tom McManus is a seasoned bassist and vocalist with a rich history in the San Francisco Bay Area’s music scene. His career spans a diverse range of genres, including rock, pop, and blues, and he has been a part of various bands such as Brother Buzz, Promised Land, Tonal Recall, Phil McGee and Friends, and the Tommy Meisel Blues Band.
Tom’s musical journey is marked by performances at esteemed venues like Lou’s Pier 47 and Recovery Room in San Francisco, The Iron Gate and St James Gate in Belmont, Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, Ashkenaz in Berkeley, San Pedro Square in San Jose, and the Mildred Owen Concert Hall in Pacifica.
Influenced by the iconic Allman Brothers Band and the Grateful Dead, Tom’s style also echoes the timeless vibes of Motown, rock, country, top 40, and blues. This eclectic mix has fostered his profound respect for the bass guitar’s role in blending rhythm and harmony, along with tasteful playing that recognizes less is more when in comes to the "low end."
From his early days, Tom has cherished singing and contributes background harmonies during live shows.
Robi Bean
Drums
Robi Bean has worked in the music industry for more than 4 decades performing in an array of genres in popular venues, recording studios, and major concerts, supporting artists the likes of Primus, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, Roy Gains, working with producers the likes of David (more cowbell) Lucas, Don Elliot (Miles Davis sideman) and Gleni Tai.