Though Collins received a Bachelor of Science degree, he was drawn to pursue a career in the business side of music. Collins moved to Nashville in 1970 and was hired at Pi-Gem Music by Jack D. Johnson. Johnson was a Nashville talent manager who, in 1964, discovered and signed singer Charley Pride, then an ex-baseball player. Pride achieved enormous success in country music, received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Collins learned from Johnson how to handle the career of a major star.
