It has been said that Andrew Collins was born to entertain. Or at least that’s what his parents thought. Professional dancers, they put him into dance class about as soon as diapers were optional. Those 8 years gave him valuable stage experience, but sadly his very flat feet precluded any possible involvement with the New York City Ballet. Or any ballet. Luckily, he picked up piano along the way (and clarinet…it’s a long story…), and started singing. This prepared him for his big break in the “jobbing musician” world when he got a call to sub in a band for an accordion player who had been thrown in jail. It was subsequently discovered that said accordion player was also embezzling funds from the band. Mutiny ensued, and a career was born.

In between weddings and bar mitzvahs, he spent 5 years fronting The Andrew Collins Band featuring his own style of parachute pants (it was the 80’s after all…) pop-rock. Meanwhile, his jobbing solo piano/singer (or just piano) gigs picked up, and soon he was playing just about everywhere…country clubs, banquet halls, restaurants, casinos, boats, grocery stores and cabarets.

During the missing years (read: pandemic…) he established a virtual show every Saturday night: Andrew Collins’ Virtual Frog Bar Piano Bar. He needed to make music; he also needed to eat. And it turns out people needed him, resulting in a loyal and grateful collection of online patrons that would tune in every week and commiserate in the comments. Oh, and he has spent 29 years as the staff musician at a very cool little church that lets him do weird things like adapt a George Michael song to fit the story of Doubting Thomas.

These days he plays everywhere and anywhere, piano on premises or with his own gear. Besides his solo adventures, he plays with Windy City Dueling Pianos and Rocks Off Rolling Stones tribute band. Spanning a wide variety of genres, he just loves to make the music, whether it’s Sinatra standards, Ed Sheeran singles or all points in between.