Albert Gene Collins (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993)Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American

electric blues Electric blues is blues music distinguished by the use of electric amplification for musical instruments. The guitar was the first instrument to be popularly amplified and used by early pioneers T-Bone Walker in the late 1930s and John Lee Ho ...

guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. He was noted for his powerful playing and his use of altered tunings and a capo. His long association with the

Fender Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele (), is an electric guitar produced by Fender (company), Fender. Together with its sister model the Fender Esquire, Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes ...

led to the title "The Master of the Telecaster".

Early life

Collins was born in Leona, Texas, on October 1, 1932. He was introduced to the guitar at an early age by his cousin

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its li ...

, also a Leona resident, who played at family gatherings. The Collins family relocated to Marquez, Texas, in 1938 and to

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

in 1941,Obrecht, Jas, ed. (1993). ''Blues Guitar: The Men Who Made the Music''. 2nd ed. Miller Freeman Books. pp. 246–259. . where he attended Jack Yates High School.''Albert Collins''. Vital Blues Guitar Series. Transcriptions by Richard DeVinck. Creative Concepts Publishing (California), 1994. . Collins took piano lessons when he was young, but when his piano tutor was unavailable his cousin Willow Young would lend Albert his guitar and taught him the altered tuning that he used throughout his career. Collins tuned his guitar to an open F-minor chord (FCFA♭CF), with a capo at the 5th, 6th or 7th fret. At the age of sixteen, he decided to concentrate on learning the guitar after hearing "

Boogie Chillen' "Boogie Chillen'" or "Boogie Chillun" is a blues song first recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1948. It is a solo performance featuring Hooker's vocal, electric guitar, and rhythmic foot stomps. The lyrics are partly autobiographical and alternate ...

" by

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues that he develo ...

Career

At 18, Collins started his own group, the Rhythm Rockers, in which he honed his craft. During this time he was employed for four years at a ranch in Normangee, Texas; he then worked as a truck driver for various companies for 12 years. Collins played an

Epiphone Epiphone () is an American musical instrument brand that traces its roots to a musical instrument manufacturing business founded in 1873 by Anastasios Stathopoulos in İzmir, Ottoman Empire, and moved to New York City in 1908. After taking over ...

guitar during his first two years with the Rhythm Rockers, but in 1952, after seeing

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown (April 18, 1924 – September 10, 2005) was an American singer and multi-instrumentalist from Louisiana. He was best-known as a blues music, blues performer, but his music was often eclectic and also touched on genres ...

playing a

Fender Esquire The Fender Esquire is a solid-body electric guitar manufactured by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation of Los Angeles. It was the first solid-bodied guitar marketed by the company, and made its debut in 1950.. Early development Proto ...

, he decided to purchase a Fender. He wanted a

Telecaster The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele (), is an electric guitar produced by Fender (company), Fender. Together with its sister model the Fender Esquire, Esquire, it was the world's first mass-produced, commercially successfulLes ...

, but because of the cost he chose to buy an

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

, which he took to the Parker Music Company in Houston to be fitted with a Telecaster neck pickup. This was his main guitar until he moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and it was the guitar that he used on his earliest recordings, including his signature song, "Frosty". For the rest of his career he played a "maple cap"–necked natural ash body Fender 1966 Custom Telecaster with a Gibson PAF

humbucking pickup A humbucker, humbucking pickup, or double coil, is a guitar pickup that uses two wire coils to cancel out noisy interference from coil pickups. Humbucking coils are also used in dynamic microphones to cancel electromagnetic hum. Humbuckers a ...

retrofitted into the neck position, which became the basis for a Fender Custom Artist signature model in 1990. In 1954, Collins, then aged 22 and without a record release, was joined in the Rhythm Rockers by 17-year-old

Johnny Copeland John Clyde Copeland (March 27, 1937 – July 3, 1997) was an American Texas blues guitarist and singer. In 1983, he was named Blues Entertainer of the Year by the Blues Foundation. He is the father of blues singer Shemekia Copeland. In 2017, ...

, who had just left the Dukes of Rhythm (a band he had started with the Houston blues musician Joe "Guitar" Hughes). Collins started to play regularly in Houston, notably at Shady's Playhouse, where James "Widemouth" Brown (brother of Gatemouth Brown) and other well-known Houston blues musicians would meet for "Blue Monday" jams. By the mid-1950s, he had established his reputation as a local guitarist of note and had started to appear regularly at a Fifth Ward club, Walter's Lounge, with the group Big Tiny and the Thunderbirds. The saxophonist and music teacher Henry Hayes heard about Collins from Hughes. After seeing him perform live, Hayes encouraged Collins to record a single for Kangaroo Records, a label he had started with his friend M. L. Young. Collins recorded his debut single, "Freeze", backed with "Collins Shuffle", for Kangaroo at

Gold Star Studios Gold Star Studios was an independent recording studio located in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, California. In its entire history, Gold Star was one of the most successful commercial recording studios in the world. Founded by David S. Gold ...

, in Houston, in the spring of 1958, with Hayes on saxophone. Texas blues bands of this period incorporated a horn section, and Collins later credited Hayes with teaching him how to arrange for horns.

1960s

In 1964, he recorded "Frosty" at Gulf Coast Recording Studio in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

for Hall Records, owned by Bill Hall, who had signed Collins on the recommendation of Cowboy Jack Clement, a songwriter and producer who had engineered sessions for

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

and

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee on February 1, 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Jo ...

. His debut album, ''The Cool Sound of Albert Collins'', released in 1965 on the TCF Hall label, consisted of previously released instrumentals, including "Thaw-Out", "Sno-Cone", and "Don't Lose Your Cool". On 19 June 1968, the group

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American blues rock band that was formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and ...

was playing at the

Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

in Houston, and a friend of theirs mentioned that Collins was playing at the Ponderosa Club, which they duly attended. After Collins had finished playing, they introduced themselves and offered to help secure an agent for him as well as an introduction to

Imperial Records Imperial Records is an American record company and label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd. The label was reactivated in 2006 by EMI, which owned the label and back catalogue at the time. Imperial is owned by Universal Music Group. Early years to ...

in California. With the offer of a record deal and regular live work, Collins decided to move, relocating to

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

in July 1968, where he played in the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

trio of the

keyboardist A keyboardist or keyboard player is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instru ...

Lawrence Wright, and then in November moving to

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for ) is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto. Th ...

. For his 1968 Imperial album, Collins chose the title ''Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Even in a Guitar)'', from the lyrics of Canned Heat's "Fried Hockey Boogie", in honor of Canned Heat and their lead singer Bob Hite, who wrote the liner notes for the album. In the spring of 1969 Collins was hired by Bob Krasnow to play on the

Ike and Tina Turner Ike or IKE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ike (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Ike (surname), a list of people * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), Supreme Commander of ...

album '' The Hunter'', which was released by Krasnow's

Blue Thumb Records Blue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow and former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Blue Thumb's last record was released in 1978. In 1995, the label was revived and remained active u ...

. The move to California was proving to be the right decision, with Collins establishing himself as a regular act on the West Coast circuit, playing at the

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore ...

and the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

and at the "Newport 69" festival in

Northridge, California Northridge is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of the Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles. The community is home to California State University, Northridge, and the Northridge Fashion Center. Originally named List of minor biblica ...

, in June 1969 and the Gold Rush Festival at Lake Amador, California, in October. In December 1969, his debut album, ''The Cool Sound of Albert Collins'', was reissued as '' Truckin' with Albert Collins'' by Blue Thumb. He opened for the Grateful Dead at the Family Dog on the Great Highway in San Francisco in early August, 1969.

1970s

In November 1971, the

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

label Tumbleweed Records, which had been newly created by Larry Ray and

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and recording engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the ...

, released Collins's album ''There's Gotta Be a Change''; it was the label's first official release. The single "Get Your Business Straight", backed with "Frog Jumpin'", was released by Tumbleweed in February 1972. In 1973 Tumbleweed closed because of financial problems, leaving Collins without a record label. He was signed by

Bruce Iglauer Bruce Iglauer (born July 10, 1947) is an American businessman and record producer who founded Alligator Records as an independent record label featuring blues music. Early life and career Iglauer was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States ...

, the owner of

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using ...

, in 1978 on the recommendation of Dick Shurman, whom Collins had met in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. His first release for the label was '' Ice Pickin''' (1978), which was recorded at Curtom Studios, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and produced by Iglauer, Shurman and Richard McLeese. On 2 February 1978, Collins appeared in concert with the Dutch band Barrelhouse, which was his first live appearance outside the United States. The concert was filmed for the Dutch TV show ''Tros Sesjun'' and was subsequently released on vinyl in 1979 by Munich Records as ''Albert Collins with The Barrelhouse Live''.

1980s

Collins won a W. C. Handy Award in the category Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1983 for his Alligator release ''Don't Lose Your Cool''. In 1984 Collins did a two-tape instructional lesson for Arlen Roth and his company, Hot Licks. On 13 July 1985, Collins performed with George Thorogood and the Destroyers at ''

Live Aid Live Aid was a two-venue benefit concert and music-based fundraising initiative held on Saturday, 13 July 1985. The event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia, a m ...

'', appearing as guest soloist on "Madison Blues"; the US part of the charity concert was held at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia and, with simultaneous broadcasts in other countries, was viewed by over 1.5 billion people. In December 1986, Collins appeared in concert with

Etta James Jamesetta Hawkins (January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012), known professionally as Etta James, was an American singer and songwriter. Starting her career in 1954, James frequently performed in Nashville's R&B clubs, collectively known as the Ch ...

and

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

at the Wiltern Theater, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

; the concert was subsequently released on video under the title '' Jazzvisions: Jump the Blues Away''. The backing musicians for the concert were

Rick Rosas Rick "Rick the Bass Player" Rosas (September 10, 1949 – November 6, 2014) was an American musician, and one of the most sought after studio session musicians in Los Angeles. Though largely known for his long collaboration with Neil Young, throug ...

(bass), Michael Huey (drums), Ed Sanford (

Hammond B3 organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

), Kip Noble (piano) and Josh Sklar (guitar). Also in 1986, Collins won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

with

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

and

for their album '' Showdown!'' Collins finished working on his seventh Alligator album, ''

Cold Snap A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap, cold spell or Arctic Snap) is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temp ...

'', by October 1986. It was released shortly afterwards to good reviews and received a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional Blues Recording of 1987. Collins cited the album as personally important to him because of the involvement of the organist

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing pia ...

, an early musical idol, with whom Collins had played in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1966. On 12 February 1987, Collins appeared as a musical guest on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

talk show ''

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

''. He made a cameo appearance later that same year in the comedy film '' Adventures in Babysitting''. Also in 1987, the American composer

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

and Collins collaborated on a suite, "Two-Lane Highway", which was subsequently released on Zorn's album '' Spillane''. On 22 April 1988, Collins appeared at the

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

in a group consisting of

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

and

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (also known as SRV; October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble (band), Double Trouble. Although his ma ...

; the group played on the steamboat ''

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

'' as it cruised along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, in recognition of the musical heritage of

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

and artists such as Fate Marable,

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

and

Red Allen Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. (January 7, 1908 – April 17, 1967) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armst ...

, who had entertained passengers on the fleet of riverboats owned by the Streckfus brothers.

1990s

Collins was signed to

Point Blank Records Point Blank Records is a record label subsidiary of Virgin Records. Point Blank Records was founded in 1988 by John Wooler. Wooler served as Deputy Head of A&R at Virgin Records UK from 1984 to 1994 and Senior Vice President of Virgin Reco ...

, a subsidiary of

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label owned by Universal Music Group. They were originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), ...

, in 1991 and released the album '' Iceman'' the same year. Iglauer expressed his disappointment at the departure of Collins from Alligator while acknowledging that he had signed Collins on a record-to-record basis. On 15 November 1991, Collins performed with Cray,

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He was the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

and

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh retired singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with Pub rock (United Kingdom), pub rock and New wave music, new wave, having many hit record, h ...

at the Guitar Legends event in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

, a series of five concerts to promote the upcoming

Seville Expo '92 The Universal Exhibition of Seville 1992 – Expo '92 (officially: ) was a universal exhibition held from Monday 20 April to Monday 12 October 1992, at the , in Seville, Spain. The theme for the expo was "The Age of Discoveries", celebrating the ...

. The preceding month, on 28 October, Collins was filmed in concert for the television program ''

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...

''; the concert was broadcast on 21 February 1992 and released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

in April 2008 as ''Albert Collins: Live From Austin, TX''. In 1993, Collins played at the Point Blank Borderline Blues Festival in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, which ran from 17 March to 27 March; this was his last appearance in the UK. Collins was performing at the Paléo Festival in

Nyon Nyon (; historically German language, German: or and Italian language, Italian: , ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in Nyon District in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland. It is located some 25 kilometer ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, in July 1993 when he was taken ill. He was diagnosed in mid-August with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

, which had metastasized to his

liver The liver is a major metabolic organ (anatomy), organ exclusively found in vertebrates, which performs many essential biological Function (biology), functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of var ...

, with an expected survival time of four months. Tracks for his last album, ''Live '92/'93'', were recorded at shows that September. Collins died on 24 November 1993 at the age of 61. His final album, ''Live '92/'93'', was posthumously nominated at the

38th Grammy Awards The 38th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Alanis Morissette was the main recipient, being awarded four trophies, in ...

of 1996 in the category Best Blues Contemporary Album.

Style

Collins is remembered for his informal and audience-engaging live performances. He would frequently leave the stage while still playing to mingle with the audience. The use of an extended guitar cord allowed Collins to go outside clubs to the sidewalk; one anecdote stated that he left a club with the audience in tow to visit the store next door to buy a candy bar without once stopping his act. He is also remembered for his humorous stage presence, which can be seen in the comedy film '' Adventures in Babysitting''. It is also prominent in the documentary ''Antones: Austin's Home of the Blues'': Collins was playing a lengthy solo one night at Antone's and left the building while still playing. He returned to the stage still playing the solo and resumed entertaining the audience in person. Shortly afterwards, a man arrived at the club and gave Collins the pizza he had just ordered.

Personal life

In his early days, Collins worked as a paint mixer and

truck driver A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; an HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

to make ends meet. In 1971, when he was 39 years old, he worked in

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, since he could not make a proper living from his music. One of his construction jobs was a remodeling project for

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

. He continued with this type of work until the late 1970s, when his wife, Gwen, talked him into returning to a career in music. After a three-month battle with cancer, Collins died at his home in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, on November 24, 1993. He was 61 years old. Surviving him were his wife, Gwendolyn, and his father, Andy Thomas. Albert Collins is buried at Davis Memorial Park in Las Vegas, Nevada, a cemetery adjacent to

Harry Reid International Airport Harry Reid International Airport , formerly known as McCarran International Airport, is the primary international airport serving the Las Vegas Valley, a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located south of downtown Las Vega ...

Legacy

Collins was an inspiration to a generation of Texas guitar players, including

and Jimmie Vaughan. He was among a small group of

Texas blues Texas blues is blues music from Texas. As a regional style, its original form was characterized by jazz and swing influences. Later examples are often closer to blues rock and Southern rock. History Texas blues began to appear in the early 1900 ...

players, along with

Johnny "Guitar" Watson John Watson Jr. (February 3, 1935 – May 17, 1996), often known professionally as Johnny "Guitar" Watson, was an American musician. A flamboyant showman and electric guitarist in the style of T-Bone Walker, his recording career spanned 40 year ...

and

, who shaped the legacy of

T-Bone Walker Aaron Thibeaux "T-Bone" Walker (May 28, 1910 – March 16, 1975) was an American blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader, who was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds. In 2018 ''R ...

into a modern blues template that was to have a major influence on many later players. In an interview with ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...

'' magazine,

said, "it was seeing Albert Collins at a rock festival in 1969 that really turned my head around." Two years later, Collins played at Cray's high-school graduation party in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, and the ice-pick sound sunk in deep: "That was it," Cray recalled. "That changed my whole life around. From that moment I started seriously studying the blues." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' ranked Collins at number 56 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists.

Discography

Studio albums

* 1965: ''The Cool Sound of Albert Collins'' (TCF Hall TCF-8002) collection of singles, reissued in 1969 as '' Truckin' with Albert Collins'' ( Blue Thumb BTS-8) * 1968: ''Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Even in a Guitar)'' ( Imperial LP-12428) * 1969: ''Trash Talkin (Imperial LP-12438) * 1970: ''The Compleat Albert Collins'' (Imperial LP-12449) * 1971: ''There's Gotta Be a Change'' (Tumbleweed TWS-103) * 1978: '' Ice Pickin''' (

Alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

AL-4713) * 1980: ''

Frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...

'' (Alligator AL-4719) * 1983: '' Don't Lose Your Cool'' (Alligator AL-4730) * 1986: ''

'' (Alligator AL-4752) - with

* 1991: '' Iceman'' ( Point Blank/Virgin VPBCD-3; 91583; 86197; 39194)

Collaborations

* 1985: '' Showdown!'' (Alligator AL-4743) - with

Live albums

* 1969: ''Alive & Cool'' (Red Lightnin' RL-004) - live at the

, 1969 * 1976: ''The Bicentennial Session'' (Crossed Arrow Music 2008) * 1978: ''Albert Collins with The Barrelhouse Live'' (Munich Records BM-150225) * 1979: ''Jammin' with Albert'' (Blues Tune BT-008) - with

Champion Jack Dupree William Thomas "Champion Jack" Dupree (July 23, 1909 or July 4, 1910 – January 21, 1992) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. His nickname was derived from his early career as a boxer. Biography Dupree was a New Orle ...

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

* 1981: ''Frozen Alive!'' (Alligator AL-4725) - live at the Union Bar,

Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

* 1984: ''Live in Japan'' (Alligator AL-4733) - live at Kudan Kaikan,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, 1982 * 1989: ''Jazzvisions: Jump the Blues Away'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * '' The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee h ...

841287) - with

* 1995: ''Live '92/'93'' ( Point Blank/

Virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

40658) * 1995: '' Cold Tremours'' ( Blues Boulevard 250186, Music Avenue 250186) * 1995: ''Charly Blues Legends Live – Vol. 7'' (

Charly Charly may refer to: People * Charly (name) Places * Charly-sur-Marne, in the Aisne department * Charly, Cher, in the Cher department * Charly, Rhône, in the Rhône department * Charly-Oradour, in the Moselle department Other * Operation ...

CBL-756) * 1998: ''Molten Ice'' (Cass Records CAS-70108) - live at the El Mocambo Club, 1973; also released as ''The Things He Used To Do'', ''The Iceman Cometh'', and ''The Hot 'Cool' Sound of Albert Collins'' * 2005: ''The Iceman at Mount Fuji'' (

Fuel 2000 Fuel 2000 is an independent record label, formed in 1994 as part of the Fuel Label Group, one of the biggest independent record labels. It has amassed a catalog with over 20,000 master recordings. Since its inception, the company has released ove ...

/Varese 061457) - live at the Mt. Fuji Jazz Festival, 1992 * 2008: ''Live at Montreux 1992'' (

Eagle Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...

ER-20124) * 2014: ''Funky Blues – Live 1973'' (Rockbeat ROC-3275) - live at Joe's Place,

Cambridge, MA Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 U.S. census was 118, ...

* 2016: ''Live at

Rockpalast ''Rockpalast'' (''Rock Palace'') is a German music television show that broadcasts live on German television station Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). ''Rockpalast'' started on 4 October 1974. Hundreds of rock, heavy metal and jazz bands have perf ...

–

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

1980'' (MIG Music 90632, 2-CD + DVD set) * 2017: ''At

Onkel Pö Onkel Pös Carnegie Hall, better known as Onkel Pö, was a music venue in Hamburg in the 1970s and the early 1980s. Pöseldorf Onkel Pö was originally a jazz venue in Mittelweg in the quarter Pöseldorf (in Rotherbaum) in Hamburg, and was opened ...

's Carnegie Hall –

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

1980'' (Delta Music N-77040, 2-CD set)

Compilations

* 1991: ''The Complete Imperial Recordings'' (

EMI America EMI America Records was launched in 1978 by EMI as their second label in the United States after Capitol Records, relying on Capitol only for pressing, distribution, and international liaison. In 1987, EMI America merged with Manhattan Records, ...

96740, 2-CD set) * 1993: ''Collins Mix (The Best Of)'' (Point Blank/Virgin 39097) - re-recordings of his classic tracks * 1997: ''Albert Collins: Deluxe Edition'' (Alligator ALCD-5601) * 1999: ''The Ice Axe Cometh (The Collection 1978–1986)'' (Music Club MCCD-406)

Guest work

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...

, "Too Tired" on '' Still Got the Blues'' * Gary Moore, "The Blues is Alright" on '' After Hours'' * Gary Moore, "Too Tired" on '' Blues Alive'' *

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, " Underground" on ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...

'' *

Jack Bruce John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish musician. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of Rock music, rock band Cream (band), Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a ...

, "Blues You Can't Lose" on '' A Question of Time'' *

, "You're Gonna Need Me" on '' Shame + A Sin'' *

, "Backstabbers" on '' Mr. Lucky'' * John Lee Hooker, "Boogie at Russian Hill" on ''Boom Boom'' *

, "Call It Stormy Monday" on '' Blues Summit'' *

Ron Levy Ron Levy (born Reuvin Zev ben Yehoshua Ha Levi, May 29, 1951) is an American electric blues musician and composer. Levy was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. He primarily plays piano and organ. Levy grew up in Brookline, Massachu ...

's Wild Kingdom, "Chillin' Out" and "Defrostin'" on ''B-3 Blues and Grooves'' *

Branford Marsalis Branford Marsalis (born August 26, 1960) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ens ...

, ''Super Models in Deep Conversation'' * Buckshot LeFonque, "No Pain, No Gain" on '' Buckshot LeFonque'' *

John Mayall John Brumwell Mayall (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and Rock music, rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of ...

, "Light the Fuse" and "I'm a Sucker for Love" on '' Wake Up Call'' *

, "Two-Lane Highway" on '' Spillane'' * "Blues for Stevie" on ''Guitar World Presents...'Guitars That Rule The World' '' (various artists 1991 sampler)

Singles

* "Freeze" / "Collins Shuffle" (Kangaroo KA-103/KA-104) * "Defrost" / "Albert's Alley" (Great Scott 0007; Hall-Way 1913; Hall-Way/ Smash 1795) * "Homesick" / "Sippin' Soda" (Hall-Way/Smash 1831) * "Frosty" / "Tremble" (Hall 1920) * "Thaw-out" / "Backstroke" (Hall 1925) * "Sno-Cone, Part I" / "Sno-Cone, Part II" (TCF Hall 104) * "Hot 'n' Cold" / "Dyin' Flu" (TCF Hall 116) * "Don't Lose Your Cool" / "Frost Bite" (TCF Hall 127) * "(What'd You Say) I Don't Know" / "Soulroad" (Tracie 2003) * "Cookin' Catfish" / "Taking My Time" (20th Century/

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

6708) * "Ain't Got Time" / "Got a Good Thing Goin'" (Imperial 66351) * "Do the Sissy" / "Turnin' On" (Imperial 66391) * "Conversation with Collins" / "And Then It Started Raining" (Imperial 66412) * "Coon 'n' Collards" / "Do What You Want to Do" (

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

56184) * "Get Your Business Straight" / "Frog Jumpin'" (Tumbleweed 1002) * "Eight Days on the Road" / "Stickin'" (Tumbleweed 1007)

Videography

* 1986 ''Further On Down the Road: Albert Collins,

Lonnie Mack Lonnie McIntosh (July 18, 1941 – April 21, 2016), known as Lonnie Mack, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was influential in the development of blues rock music and rock guitar soloing. Mack emerged in 1963 with his break ...

, Roy Buchanan – Live at Carnegie Hall'' (Alligator) * 2003 ''The Iceman at Mount Fuji'' (Fuel 2000/Varese 061299) * 2003 ''In Concert: One Filter'' (Music Video Distributors 6526) * 2005 ''Albert Collins: Warner Bros. Classics'' (Warner Bros. 9086390) * 2006 ''Live Has Many Faces'' (Munich MRDVD-6004) * 2008 ''Live From Austin TX'' (New West NW-8051) * 2008 ''Live at Montreux 1992'' (Eagle Vision EREDV641) * 2016 ''Live at Rockpalast – Dortmund 1980'' (MIG Music 90632, 2-CD + DVD set)

Film and television

* 1978 ''Live Has Many Faces'' (Barrelhouse featuring Albert Collins, filmed for the Dutch television show ''Tros Sesjun'') * 1987 ''

'' (television show musical guest) * 1987 '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (motion picture film cameo with his band) * 1992 ''

'' eason 17, episode 5(1991 studio concert)

References

External links

Albert Collins at Alligator Records

Adventures in Babysitting at IMDB - Albert Collins Cameo

Albert Collins Biography at Texas State Historical Association

Albert Collins Discography at MusicBrainz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Albert 1932 births 1993 deaths People from Leon County, Texas 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singers Musicians from Houston Smash Records artists Texas blues musicians Deaths from lung cancer in the United States Grammy Award winners Contemporary blues musicians 20th-century American guitarists Guitarists from Texas Alligator Records artists Sonet Records artists Imperial Records artists African-American guitarists Blue Thumb Records artists