- In 1955, she became the first black woman to host her own TV variety show in North America.
- She is a jazz singer, TV host, and entertainer.
- In the 1930s, she moved to Vancouver where she became prominent in the jazz scene, along with musicians Chris Gage, Lance Harrison, Doug Parker, and Dave Robbins.
- Called Canada's "First Lady of Jazz".
- Pictured on a Canadian commemorative postage stamp in the Black Heritage Month series, issued 21 January 2022. Price on the day of issue of the nondenominated permanent domestic-letter-rate stamp was (CAN) 92¢. Collins was 102 years old when the stamp was issued.
- Long time financial supporter of the Performing Arts Lodge Vancouver.
- In 2014 she was invested with the Order of Canada for her "pioneering achievements as a jazz vocalist and for breaking down barriers and fostering race relations in the mid-20th Century".
- Long time financial supporter of British Columbia Black History and Awareness Society.
- Has four children, Rick, Judith, Barry and Tom.
- Has a young sister and an older sister.
- Her parents emigrated to Alberta, Canada from the United States in 1910 as part of a group of Black homesteaders.
- Her parents were of Black and Creole Indian heritage and were originally from the State of Oklahoma. They were drawn to the area by a 1906 advertisement to purchase a quarter section (160 acres (65 ha)) of land for $10, among more than 10,000 Black homesteaders who did so.
- At age 15, she won a talent contest in Edmonton. She then sang with Joe Macelli's dance band, and the Three Es, and on CFRN.
- In 1938, she relocated to Vancouver and began performing with the Swing Low Quartette, a gospel group that consisted of Collins, her sister, Ruby Sneed, along with Edna Panky and Zandy Price. They performed on CBC Radio from 1940 through 1942.
- As a girl, she sang and played hymns, religious songs, and anthems, and was involved in Shiloh Baptist Church in Edmonton, a congregation formed by immigrants.
- After a brief retirement from 1948 through 1952 she appeared at Theatre Under the Stars in Finian's Rainbow in 1952 and 1954 and Kiss Me, Kate in 1953, and in a staging of You Can't Take it With You.
- Her children were bullied at school. Collins, in turn, volunteered at the school and began teaching music to Girl Guides.
- Canada Post honoured her with a commemorative stamp on January 21, 2022.
- She married Richard Collins in 1942 and remained married for 70 years.
- Her family was included in the video documentary Hymn to Freedom: The History of Blacks in Canada in 1994.
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