Albert Collins (October 1, 1932 — November 24, 1993) was a blues guitarist,… Read Full Bio ↴Albert Collins (October 1, 1932 — November 24, 1993) was a blues guitarist, singer and musician. He had many nicknames, such as "The Ice Man", "The Master of the Telecaster" and "The Razor Blade".
Born in Leona, Texas, Collins was a distant relative of Lightnin' Hopkins and grew up learning about music and playing guitar. His family moved to Houston, Texas when he was seven. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he absorbed the blues sounds and styles from Texas, Mississippi and Chicago. His style would soon envelop these sounds.
He formed his first band in 1952 and two years later was the headliner at several blues clubs in Houston. By the late 1950s Collins began using Fender Telecasters. He later chose a "maple-cap" 1966 Custom Fender Telecaster with a Gibson PAF humbucker in the neck position and a 100 watt RMS silverfaced 1970s Fender Quad Reverb combo as his main equipment, and developed a unique sound featuring minor tunings, sustained notes and an "attack" fingerstyle. He also frequently used a capo on his guitar, particularly on the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. He primarily favored an "open F-minor" tuning (low to high: F-C-F-Ab-C-F).
Collins began recording in 1960 and released singles, including many instrumentals such as the million selling "Frosty". In the spring of 1965 he moved to Kansas City, Missouri and made a name for himself.
Many of Kansas City's recording studios had closed by the mid 1960s. Unable to record, Collins moved to California in 1967. He settled in San Francisco and played many of the venues popular with the counter-culture. In early 1969 after playing a concert with Canned Heat, members of this band introduced him to Liberty Records. In appreciation, part of the title of Collins’ first record for United Artists - "Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Even In A Guitar)/Trash Talkin'" - was taken from the lyrics of "Refried Hockey Boogie". Collins signed and released his first album on Imperial Records, a sister label, in 1968.
Collins remained in California for another five years, and was popular on double-billed shows at The Fillmore and the Winterland. Collins moved back to Texas in 1973 and formed a new band. He was signed to Alligator Records in 1978 and recorded and released Ice Pickin'. He would record seven more albums with the label, before being signed to Point Blank Records in 1990.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Collins toured the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. He was becoming a popular blues musician and was an influence for Coco Montoya, Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Debbie Davies, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Mayer and Frank Zappa.
In 1983, when he won the W. C. Handy Award for his album Don't Lose Your Cool, which won the award for best blues album of the year. In 1985, he shared a Grammy for the album Showdown!, which he recorded with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland. The following year his solo release Cold Snap was also nominated for a Grammy. In 1987, John Zorn enlisted him to play lead guitar in a suite he had composed especially for him, entitled "Two-Lane Highway," on Zorn's album Spillane.
Alongside George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Bo Diddley, Collins performed at Live Aid in 1985, playing "Who Do You Love?", "The Sky Is Crying" and "Madison Blues", at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium. He was the only black blues artist to appear.
Collins was invited to play at the 'Legends Of Guitar Festival' concerts in Seville, Spain at the Expo in 1992, where amongst others, he played "Iceman", the title track from his final studio album.
He made his last visit to London, England in March 1993.
After falling ill at a show in Switzerland in late July 1993, he was diagnosed in mid August with lung cancer which had metastasized to his liver, with an expected survival time of four months. Parts of his last album, Live '92/'93, were recorded at shows that September; he died shortly afterwards, in November at the age of 61. He was survived by his wife, Gwendolyn and father, Andy Thomas. He is interred at the Davis Memorial Park, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Collins will be remembered not only for the quantity of quality blues music that he put out throughout his career that has inspired so many other blues musicians, but also for his legendary live performances, where he would frequently come down from the stage and mingle with the audience whilst still playing. This practice was illustrated in Collins' uncredited cameo appearance in the film Adventures in Babysitting. He insisted to Elisabeth Shue that "nobody leaves here without singin' the blues", forcing the children to improvise a song before escaping.
Another instance of Collins' humorous stage presence was recounted in the film documentary, Antones: Austin's Home of the Blues. Collins left the building, still plugged in and playing. Several minutes after Collins returned to the stage, a pizza delivery man came in and gave Collins the pizza he had just ordered when he left the building. Collins had gone to Milto's Pizza & Pasta through an adjoining alley and ordered while he was still playing.
Born in Leona, Texas, Collins was a distant relative of Lightnin' Hopkins and grew up learning about music and playing guitar. His family moved to Houston, Texas when he was seven. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, he absorbed the blues sounds and styles from Texas, Mississippi and Chicago. His style would soon envelop these sounds.
He formed his first band in 1952 and two years later was the headliner at several blues clubs in Houston. By the late 1950s Collins began using Fender Telecasters. He later chose a "maple-cap" 1966 Custom Fender Telecaster with a Gibson PAF humbucker in the neck position and a 100 watt RMS silverfaced 1970s Fender Quad Reverb combo as his main equipment, and developed a unique sound featuring minor tunings, sustained notes and an "attack" fingerstyle. He also frequently used a capo on his guitar, particularly on the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets. He primarily favored an "open F-minor" tuning (low to high: F-C-F-Ab-C-F).
Collins began recording in 1960 and released singles, including many instrumentals such as the million selling "Frosty". In the spring of 1965 he moved to Kansas City, Missouri and made a name for himself.
Many of Kansas City's recording studios had closed by the mid 1960s. Unable to record, Collins moved to California in 1967. He settled in San Francisco and played many of the venues popular with the counter-culture. In early 1969 after playing a concert with Canned Heat, members of this band introduced him to Liberty Records. In appreciation, part of the title of Collins’ first record for United Artists - "Love Can Be Found Anywhere (Even In A Guitar)/Trash Talkin'" - was taken from the lyrics of "Refried Hockey Boogie". Collins signed and released his first album on Imperial Records, a sister label, in 1968.
Collins remained in California for another five years, and was popular on double-billed shows at The Fillmore and the Winterland. Collins moved back to Texas in 1973 and formed a new band. He was signed to Alligator Records in 1978 and recorded and released Ice Pickin'. He would record seven more albums with the label, before being signed to Point Blank Records in 1990.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Collins toured the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. He was becoming a popular blues musician and was an influence for Coco Montoya, Robert Cray, Gary Moore, Debbie Davies, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, John Mayer and Frank Zappa.
In 1983, when he won the W. C. Handy Award for his album Don't Lose Your Cool, which won the award for best blues album of the year. In 1985, he shared a Grammy for the album Showdown!, which he recorded with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland. The following year his solo release Cold Snap was also nominated for a Grammy. In 1987, John Zorn enlisted him to play lead guitar in a suite he had composed especially for him, entitled "Two-Lane Highway," on Zorn's album Spillane.
Alongside George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Bo Diddley, Collins performed at Live Aid in 1985, playing "Who Do You Love?", "The Sky Is Crying" and "Madison Blues", at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium. He was the only black blues artist to appear.
Collins was invited to play at the 'Legends Of Guitar Festival' concerts in Seville, Spain at the Expo in 1992, where amongst others, he played "Iceman", the title track from his final studio album.
He made his last visit to London, England in March 1993.
After falling ill at a show in Switzerland in late July 1993, he was diagnosed in mid August with lung cancer which had metastasized to his liver, with an expected survival time of four months. Parts of his last album, Live '92/'93, were recorded at shows that September; he died shortly afterwards, in November at the age of 61. He was survived by his wife, Gwendolyn and father, Andy Thomas. He is interred at the Davis Memorial Park, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Collins will be remembered not only for the quantity of quality blues music that he put out throughout his career that has inspired so many other blues musicians, but also for his legendary live performances, where he would frequently come down from the stage and mingle with the audience whilst still playing. This practice was illustrated in Collins' uncredited cameo appearance in the film Adventures in Babysitting. He insisted to Elisabeth Shue that "nobody leaves here without singin' the blues", forcing the children to improvise a song before escaping.
Another instance of Collins' humorous stage presence was recounted in the film documentary, Antones: Austin's Home of the Blues. Collins left the building, still plugged in and playing. Several minutes after Collins returned to the stage, a pizza delivery man came in and gave Collins the pizza he had just ordered when he left the building. Collins had gone to Milto's Pizza & Pasta through an adjoining alley and ordered while he was still playing.
Back Yard Back Talk
Albert Collins Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Albert Collins:
...But I Was Cool! I always live by the, golden rule Whatever happens, ha, don'…
01.T-bone Shuffle Let your hair down, baby, let's have a natural ball Let…
A Good Fool Is Hard to Find My baby came home last night And she looked at me…
Â...but I Was Cool! I always live by the, golden rule Whatever happens, ha, don'…
Ain't Got Time Uh! I feel alright, ya'all (yeah!) You feel alright? (yeah!)…
All About My Girl When you told me it was all over, babe You thought…
Angel of Mercy I went to work this mo'nin' My foreman looked me in…
Â...but i was cool! I always live by the, golden rule Whatever happens, ha, don'…
Baby What Do You Want Me To Do Goin' up, goin' down Goin' up, down, down, up Anyway you wan…
Bending Like a Willow Tree If you don't bend you'll have to break It's good advise…
Black Cat Bone I believe, My baby got a black cat bone I believe,…
Blackjack Ah, let me tell you people About this Blackjack game It's ca…
Blue Monday Hangover Well, the first thing Monday mornin', I drink black coffee,…
Brick Brick baby! That's what I'm gonna throw upside your head! I …
Broke I used to be a big shot long ago I had…
But I Was Cool! I always live by the, golden rule Whatever happens, ha, don'…
Call It Stormy Monday They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad They…
Cash Talkin' Well I walked down to my bank, just to see…
Cold I?ve got a cold, cold feelin; It?s just like ice…
Cold Cuts My cold cuts babe I wanna a brown hot dog…
Cold, Cold Feeling I’ve got a cold, cold feelin; It’s just like ice…
Collins Da-da, uh! (Mr. Collins?) Girls please! (Mr. Collins, Mr. C…
Conversation With Collins You take like, me an' my wife We got about four…
Conversation Wth Collins You take like, me an' my wife We got about four…
Do What You Want To Do You think you're the only woman Who can keep me satisfied Yo…
Don In questo girotondo d'anime Chi si volta è perso e resta…
Don't Go Reaching Across My Plate If one thing in this world I just can't stand Is bein'…
Don't Lose Your Cool In questo girotondo d'anime Chi si volta è perso e resta…
Don't Mistake For Kindness Weakness You've been runnin' in the streets again, but I'd never…
Dream Last night once again I had the dream I tossed and…
Dyin' Flu Well I'm dyin' of the flu Honey I don't know what…
Ego Trip Tryin' to tell you baby, about your trip Ev'rytime I talk…
Frosty 3 and 3 is 6, baby 3 and 6 is nine If…
Get to Gettin' Get to gettin' Get to gettin' Get to gettin', get to gettin'…
Give Me My Blues I play my music, the only way that I can Play…
Got a good thing goin' When you told me was all over, babe You thought all…
Got a Mind to Travel I layed down last night, too tired to wait I…
Head Rag Here she come, yeah, with that head rag on There she…
Honey Hush Oh honey hush, yes you talk too much Oh honey hush,…
Honey Hush aka Talking Woman Blues Oh honey hush, yes you talk too much Oh honey hush,…
Honey Hush! Oh honey hush, yes you talk too much Oh honey hush,…
Hooked On You Don't you do it, Lordy so good like that Don't you…
Hot 'N Cold You change your mind Like girl changes clothes. yeah You P.M…
I Ain Everyday baby, when the sun go down I get with my…
I Get The Feeling - I ... GOT THAT FEELING THAT GAL DON'T LOVE ME AND…
I Got a Problem I've got a problem, I say I got a problem I…
I Got That Feeling - I ... GOT THAT FEELING THAT GAL DON'T LOVE ME AND…
I Need You So I need you so, to keep me happy If I can't…
I'm Beginning To Wonder I'm beginnin' to wonder, baby, what's goin' on when I'm…
I've Got A Mind To Travel I layed down last night, too tired to wait I…
Iceman I'm your iceman, baby, ain't here to cool you down Yes…
If The Blues Was Money If trouble was money, I'd swear I'd be a millionaire If…
If You Love Me If you love me like you say Why you treat me…
Jam It Up 'Gimme a little taste of drum' 'And a piece of bass' '…
Lights Are On But Nobody Playin' with my mind babe Always accusin' me of doin' wrong…
Lights Are On But Nobody's Home Playin' with my mind babe Always accusin' me of doin' wrong …
Lights Are On But Nobody’s Home Playin' with my mind babe Always accusin' me of doin' wrong…
Lights On Nobody Home Playin' with my mind babe Always accusin' me of doin' wrong …
Listen Here I'm talkin' about Houston, Texas by the way of L.A.…
Master Charge My wife has a charge card That I got her the…
Mastercharge My wife has a charge card That I got her the…
Medleybaby What You Want Me T Goin' up, goin' down Goin' up, down, down, up Anyway you wan…
Moon Is Full I said the moon is full, I feel my love…
Mr Collins Mr Collins Da-da, uh! (Mr. Collins?) Girls please! (Mr. Collins, Mr. C…
Mustang Sally Mustang Sally, guess you better slow your mustang down Musta…
My Mind Is Trying to Leave Me I went to breakfast this mo'nin, down to the corner…
Nobody Loves Me If you love me like you say Why you treat me…
Put The Shoe On The Other Foot Put your shoe on the other foot You can walk just…
Quicksand They tell me love is like quicksand, can't stop when…
Same Old Thing Take a lot a entertainers, sing songs 'Bout the things they…
She's Into Something Say what you do! Snappin' of a finger make a dog…
Snatchin' It Back How can I get your love, When you keep on snatchin'…
Snowed In Last winter I was in Chicago and the weather was…
Soul Food c'mon children, we got soul food in the house We got…
T-Bone Shuffle Let your hair down, baby, let's have a natural ball Let…
Talkin Slim Blues Well I walked down to my bank, just to see…
The Dream Last night once again I had the dream I tossed and…
The Hawk I remember when I was snowed in and up at…
The Highway Is Like a Woman The time has come, I got to hit the road…
The Moon Is Full I said the moon is full, I feel my love…
The Things I Used To Do The things that I used to do Lord I won't do…
The Trouble Was Money If trouble was money, I'd swear I'd be a millionaire If…
There's Gotta Be A Change Oh, there's got to be a change Things just can't stay…
Things I Used To Do The things that I used to do Lord I won't do…
Things That I Used to Do The things that I used to do, Lord, I won't…
Tired Man I'm a tired man I ain't got time to play Yeah ya…
Too Many Dirt Dishes Too many dirty dishes in the sink for just us…
Too Tired I laid down last night, too tired to wait I had…
Trash Talkin' Went down to Albert's Alley Pick up on me a Collins…
Trouble Was Money If trouble was money, I'd swear I'd be a millionaire If…
When a Guitar Plays the Blues You get the strangest kinda feelin', that's when the guitar…
When the Welfare Turns Its Back On You Now what you gonna do, when the welfare turn it's…
You Accuse Me Goin' up, goin' down Goin' up, down, down, up Anyway you wan…
…But I Was Cool! I always live by the, golden rule Whatever happens, ha, don'…
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