Feuds and Interludes (Rock ‘n’ Romance Legends #1)

Chapter 1

One

F eedback Magazine

March 2024

Love and Fame

Boone Collins Talks Hall of Fame, His Famous Grandparents, and That Feud.

By Sammara Gunderson

Boone Collins of Stellar carries himself with confidence and poise as he greets me in the foyer of his grandparents’ estate in Laurel Canyon. The confidence, no doubt, comes from his many accomplishments, and the poise he comes by genetically. As the only grandson of John Boone, British-born singer/guitarist for the ’70s supergroup California and Academy Award-Winning British actress Vera Jean Collins, Boone’s success is a combination of right place, right time, relentless determination, and pure talent. No one on the rock scene today can keep up with his vocal pyrotechnics, and Stellar continues to wow audiences and critics alike with their combination of classic rock roots and alternative edge.

Boone is days away from his performance at this year’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, where instead of playing Stellar tunes, he’ll be sharing the stage with his grandfather’s former collaborator, Bruce Duncan, and playing some of his grandfather’s biggest hits. I asked Boone to tell us about the plans for the show.

“Our goal is to showcase not only my grandfather’s brilliant guitar compositions, but also to recreate the one-of-a-kind sound produced by putting him and Bruce together on a microphone. I’m not my grandfather, but I learned his songs down to the note as a young person, and I want to do my best to celebrate his career. We’ve got a lot of great material to choose from.”

He says “young person” as if that was long ago, but at 30, Collins has an old soul that comes from the trauma and grief he’s experienced. While he may have been raised with everything he needed in a material sense, Boone’s early life was tumultuous to say the least.

His mother, Jean, met his father, actor Michael Cannon, on the set of her first film when she was still a teenager, and the two had a whirlwind romance documented in the tabloids. She became pregnant at age eighteen and, when Boone was five, Michael was arrested for domestic abuse against Jean, and charged with gun possession. While out on bail awaiting trial, he violated the protective order the court placed against him and assaulted Jean again. Michael was sentenced to ten years in San Quentin. He was murdered six months later.

Jean died of an overdose a week after his death. Boone was six years old. John and Vera Jean took custody of him and attempted to give him a sense of normalcy, but as he’s shared in the past, those losses took their toll.

Boone is open about his history, but rather than ask him to recount tales he’s shared a thousand times before to people like me, I’d rather focus on his plans for world domination. It’s obvious he’s most comfortable talking about Stellar, who recently returned to Los Angeles after two years of heavy touring, so let’s dig in and discover what’s currently the buzz for the band.

“This was our first time playing larger venues in Europe. We’d mostly played festivals and clubs before, and this change was a blast. We played Japan, Australia, and Brazil as well. It was our most extensive tour to date, and we were overwhelmed by the fans’ support. They were so good to us. It has us contemplating how to build on this momentum with our upcoming album.”

I ask him how much preparation has gone into his impending performance with Bruce.

He laughs.

“Our managers talked to each other. Isn’t that how everything gets done these days?” He takes a sip of herbal tea, which he cryptically points out is part of his new normal. “Touring is hard on the body,” he adds as his only explanation. “I’ve met Bruce many times, but he and my grandfather hadn’t been social for a long while. Rehearsal will be the first time I’ve seen him in probably two years? Maybe since my grandfather’s funeral.”

Boone shows me around the main floor of the mansion, which contains the massive collection of memorabilia from California and John’s solo career that Vera Jean has curated over the years. Their family bond is strong.

“I miss him every day. I wish he were here to play these songs himself, but I’ll do my best to honor him. My grandmother celebrates him with her annual gala that benefits the Collins Foundation. We do our best to keep his life and music fresh in people’s minds.”

Boone is such a together guy for a rock star who’s experienced so much trauma as a child. Although he definitely looks the part, speaking with him feels more like having a conversation with an historian or music academic, which is surprising, until you recall that he’s a classically trained musician, educated at the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

It’s when you read stories of his epic feud with Shane Butler—lead guitarist for Wicked Soul, and grandson of the aforementioned Bruce Duncan of California fame—that you question his facade. For two men with impeccable rock ’n’ roll credentials, they’ve chosen completely different paths and each found success in their own right. So why the feud?

“You’d have to ask him, honestly. Shane is insanely talented as both a musician and songwriter, and while I think he sells himself short sometimes, he’s created some great music.”

“Just not ‘Faker’?” I ask him about Wicked Soul’s smash hit from three years ago, which was reportedly written about Boone after the two bands made memorable appearances at the iHeart Radio festival in Las Vegas.

Boone chuckles and rolls his eyes. “If that song is even about me. I try not to listen to the rumors.”

“Is it true you requested not to play the same day as Wicked Soul and threatened to pull out of the lineup if they performed after you?” I have to ask.

“Our manager handles those things, so it’s not even realistic that I would make a threat like that. Look, if Shane has issues with me, it’s completely one-sided. I have a lot of respect for him as an artist.”

From there, Boone makes it clear he’s done discussing his rival, which leaves a lot of questions unanswered. He concludes the tour of his family’s museum and we walk out front to Vera Jean’s rose garden. I ask him what he’s got lined up next, and he grins slyly.

“No rest for Stellar, that’s for sure. We’re headed into the studio as soon as the Rock Hall gig is done. I spent the last six months writing new material for our next album, which will be our fifth, and we’re all anxious to get moving on a new project. I’ll also be helping my grandmother with next year’s benefit for the Collins Foundation. Gotta stay busy.”

And he is. He doesn’t mention the collaborations he’s got scheduled and the score he’s working on for an upcoming Dreamworks film, which his manager filled me in on. Feedback Magazine will share the details as they are available. The next few years are going to be busy for Boone Collins. His star continues to rise out of the shadow of his grandfather’s music legacy to shine brightly on its own.