Paul Collins formed The Beat during the American punk rock revolution in 1977. Major members have included Alice Cooper drummer Dennis Conway, Octavio Vinck, Steve Huff, Patti Smith Group drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, Larry Whitman, Michael Ruiz, guitarist Patrick Collins and singer/songwriter Paul Collins from The Nerves. Paul Collins' Beat appeared on the Caddyshack motion picture soundtrack and touring and performing with various artists including The Police, The Cure, The Jam, Huey Lewis And The News, The Specials and classic rock icon Eddie Money amongst others. Paul Collins co-wrote the song Let Me Into Your Life with Eddie Money, who introduced Collins to Bill Graham Management, resulting in a recording contract and national/international tours. During the 1970s and 1980s, Paul Collins and The Beat recorded two major albums for Columbia Records, followed by several albums with Sony Records. The roots of The Beat lie in The Nerves, Collins' first band. The Nerves formed in 1974 and disbanded in 1977. The Nerves featured the talents of Peter Case (The Plimsouls), Jack Lee and Paul Collins. The Nerves managed to tour with The Ramones without support from a record company and virtually created DIY as we know it today. The Nerves funded their own albums and tours, sometimes playing two shows in the same night. Paul Collins' version of The Beat is sometimes confused with a ska band called The Beat from UK. In order to avoid any name confusion, this UK group became known as The English Beat and Collins' group became known as Paul Collins' Beat. Paul Collins' Beat remain active today, touring USA, Japan, Canada and the length and breadth of Europe. Paul Collins' Beat has a particularly strong following in both Spain and France. Paul Collins' Beat were one of the first major bands to begin offering their new recordings as free MP3 CD audio downloads on their official website. Paul Collins' Beat are scheduled to release a new album in the United States in 2011. On their official website, The Beat's very own Paul Collins announced the CD re-releases of The Nerves and The Breakaways, two legendary indie bands Collins founded with Peter Case during the 1970s.
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