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.
Call It Stormy Monday
Albert Collins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad
Wednesday's worse, and Thursday's also sad
Yes the eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Sunday I go to church, then I kneel down and pray
Lord have mercy, my heart's in misery
Crazy about my baby, yes, send her back to me
The lyrics of Call It Stormy Monday by Albert Collins talk about how the days of the week are not doing any good to the singer. It starts with the line "They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad." This line puts forward the point that Monday being considered as a bad day is not justified as even Tuesday is as bad as Monday. The singer goes on to say that every other day in the week is worse than the preceding day. This shows how the singer is undergoing difficult times and days do not seem to change the situation.
The lyrics then move on to the weekend, where it's said that the eagle flies on Friday, which shows how the freedom that the weekend brings might not always be helpful as it may also lead to undesirable outcomes. The singer talks about how he goes out to play on Saturdays and attends church on Sundays to show his devotion and to pray for his troubles to end. The song ends with the singer asking for mercy as he is miserable due to his love being away from him.
Overall, the lyrics of this song showcase the troubles that the singer is going through throughout the week and how he is hoping to get out of it. It also touches upon how even weekends might not always be an escape from the difficulties that one is experiencing.
Line by Line Meaning
They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad
Although Monday is notoriously stormy, Tuesday is equally bad, neither spared for a brighter day.
Wednesday's worse, and Thursday's also sad
The miserable weather persists through the week, darkening on Wednesday, and weighing heavy on Thursday.
Eagle flies on Friday, and Saturday I go out to play
Although the week has been painful, Friday brings some hope as the weekend approaches, and Saturday is spent trying to forget the past week's struggles.
Sunday I go to church, then I kneel down and pray
Having rested over the weekend, Sunday is spent in reflection and prayer, seeking comfort and guidance for the week ahead.
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy on me
In moments of agony, plea for the grace of the Lord and his mercy.
Lord have mercy, my heart's in misery
The heartaches are unbearable, seeking redemption and consolation.
Crazy about my baby, yes, send her back to me
Despite everything, cannot deny the passion for the beloved, hoping she returns to bring light and joy back into life.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AARON WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@turockandar
Albert Colins was truly one of the greatest blues players that ever lived with his very original style!
@JT-fl8wx
Up one
@wadeolder7193
These guys have played this song a zillion times. But the do it like it was the first time.
God loves them. And so do we.
@hotforknowledge2111
Abert Collins was one of the great genius' of the blues; his angular, at times dissonant and strikingly original choice of notes was unique as well as his driving head-spitting tone.
@mrspenn1611
2 legends now play in the great gig in the sky....
@SrogiJogi
Stephen Pennell Before I would pass almost every musician I ever "more than like" will already be there, so I asume - I'll arive just in time for "the great gig in the sky"
That thought keeps me smilin a little, instead of sheding a tear when I listen to my music.
@primolandia
+SrogiJogi And the best part is that the gig won't end... :)
@jalitasuttles3082
+Edward gbone omg!it takes soul baby and they had real soul.you know where your going focus on that.
@Agharta99
Hell is here not elsewhere but it's your choice.
@ssurfcity
@kidsgottheblues BB & Albert (and others) released an album called Blues Summit in '93, and this song (studio version) was on it. That was also the year AC passed.....