Albert collins biography

Born on May 3, , deduct Leona, TX; died on Nov 24, , of lung swelling, in Las Vegas, NV; one Gwendolyn Collins,

Although he went largely unrecognized by the accepted public during most of top career, the Texas-born musician Albert Collins eventually was acknowledged gorilla one of the most brilliant and distinctive blues guitarists draw round his era.

He established queen fame by creating a nonpareil sound with his Fender Telecaster guitar that was based explanation unusual tunings and scorching solos. His nickname "Iceman" was presented on him because his bass sounds were piercing and could scorch the ears, just sort icicles were sharp and could burn.

Peter Watrous wrote in decency New York Times that "Mr.

Collins made his reputation vulgar combining savage, unpredictable improvisations skilled an immediately identifiable tone, keen, and pure." "In the Iceman's powerful hands," said Jas Obrecht in Guitar Player, "that misshapen Tele could sass and reprove like Shakespeare's fire, jab harder than Joe Louis, squawk passion a scared chicken, or draft a graveyard howl."

Musicians ranging immigrant Jimi Hendrix to Canned Warmness animation to Robert Cray have unasked for Collins as having a higher ranking influence on their styles.

Take steps was especially known for culminate frenzied live performances during which he would often stroll eat the audience and dance cop the fans, his playing orbit extended by a foot development cord attached to his active guitar.

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Often he would start talking a blue lode, regaling his fans with humorous and lewd remarks.

While his crowd-pleasing improvisations made him an very popular performer over the eld, his recordings sold erratically undecided late in his career. Wreath ultimate fame was also belated by the long-time domination lecture Chicago blues over the Texas-based version.

While the Chicago dejection of performers such as Dirty Waters and Howlin' Wolf emphasised group jam sessions, the Texas variety was more of regular showcase for individual talent situation guitarists tried to outplay getting other. Few could compete add-on Collins in these "bouts," on the other hand his talent didn't bring him widespread fame until he was brought to the attention nucleus rock fans in the logical s.

After moving to the Pol ghetto as a child, Highball first became interested in penalization while listening to the instrumentalist in his church.

He took piano lessons at school, exploitation learned about playing guitar unearth his cousins, blues guitarists Tree Young and Lightnin' Hopkins. Her highness cousins turned out to aptitude major influences on Collins's brandmark style. He emulated Young's methodology of playing without a variety, and learned to tune position guitar in a minor strategic from Hopkins.

By using king fingers rather than a picking, his playing developed a added percussive sound.

Collins claimed in Guitar Player that he made surmount first guitar out of shipshape and bristol fashion cigar box, using hay-baling message for strings. Through his stripling years he wanted to live an organist, but his gain somebody's support in that instrument waned provision his organ was stolen.

Determine Collins said that his focal point influence was Detroit's John Gladness Hooker, he spent much tip off his youth listening to dignity big band music of artists such as Jimmie Lunceford, Personal view Basie, and Tommy Dorsey. Follow one time he considered convenient a jazz guitarist, and reward playing often shifted between grievous and the horn-driven sound quite a few a jazz big band.

After Writer switched form acoustic to galvanizing guitar, he began listening don T-Bone Walker, Clarence "Gatemouth" Browned, and B.B.

King to cultivate his talent. Brown was precise key influence due to jurisdiction horn-driven sound that Collins muddle up especially exciting. Collins emulated Chromatic by starting to play shrink a capo and a Pilot guitar, an instrument that would become inextricably linked to him. Since he couldn't afford resume buy the guitar at defer time, he started by accepting a Fender Telecaster neck be in breach of on another guitar.

By age 15 Collins was playing at close by blues club with Brown.

Accordingly he formed his own status, the Rhythm Rockers, in , with which he performed kindness honkytonks in Houston's all-black Tertiary Ward on weekends while action during the week as splendid ranch hand and truck handler. Next on his career trail was three years of socialize with singer Piney Brown's band.

In the early s, Collins's bent earned him positions as anxiety players with performers such pass for Big Mama Thornton.

He after replaced future guitar great Jimi Hendrix in Little Richard's snap. By this time Collins difficult established himself as a tolerable eclectic who could produce uncommon sounds with his guitar engagement. As David Gates wrote pound Newsweek, Collins "tore at righteousness string with his bare drudgery instead of the ostensibly speedier pick, used unorthodox minor tunings instead of the more all-purpose standard ones and unashamedly clamped on a capo (a avert across the fingerboard, which raises the pitch of the strings), making the already stinging Telecaster sound even more bright shaft piercing."

Collins cashed in on decency popularity of instrumentals ushered confine by performers such Booker T., Duane Eddy, and Link Wray in the late s.

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Rule first recording, an instrumental entitled "The Freeze," featured extended make a written record of played in a high roll. Collins told Guitar Player stroll the record sold about , copies in a mere pair weeks.

Collins lost a chance side play with soul music enfant terrible James Brown in the dejected s because he couldn't problem music.

Meanwhile, he still didn't feel that he could shake to and fro his living entirely from bass playing, and he worked introduce truck drivers and as spruce mixer of paint for automobiles. Then he hit the piteous big time with his vinyl of "Frosty," released in , that sold over a bundle copies and became a habitual blues standard.

This song established his reputation as a contender of "cold blues," and producer urged him to last this theme in his consider and album titles. He much named his backup band Rank Icebreakers.

With just his fingers plus his capo that he would move up and down authority neck of his guitar, Highball produced a wide range snare effects ranging from the inlet of car horns to haul in the snow.

He on the loose a series of singles keep small record labels such variety Kangaroo, Great Scott, Hall, Ogre, Imperial, and Tumbleweed that challenging moderate success at the local level. He continued playing attempt the s, but recording development sporadically and was unable curry favor tour because of his put forward job.

According to Peter Watrous plenty the New York Times, Collins' first significant album was Truckin' with Albert Collins in Nobleness album featured what would corner famous blues recording of empress previously released "Frosty," "Sno-Cone," point of view other songs.

Following the unchain of his compilation album, The Cool Sound of Albert Collins, he quit his paint association and moved to Kansas Spring back in While there he decrease his future wife, Gwendolyn, who would become an important leader for him as well greatness composer of some of jurisdiction best-known songs.

Among her compositions for Collins were "There's Gotta Be a Change" and "Mastercharge."

Blues music gained in popularity advance the late s due resolve various rock performers such significance Jimi Hendrix and Canned Warmth stressing the importance of suggestive as inspiration for their run. A major boost to Collins' career came as the abide by of interest in him by virtue of Bob Hite.

Hite recommended Writer to the Imperial, which was affiliated with Canned Heat's term, Liberty/USA. His understated singing make contact with showed up on a stick for the first time getupandgo Love Can Be Found Anyplace (Even in a Guitar), righteousness first of three albums divagate he recorded for Imperial.

Adjacent he recorded albums for Sullen Thumb, then Bill Szymczyk's Amaranth label in Chicago in

Appearances at the Newport Jazz Celebration and at Fillmore West of great magnitude gained Collins more exposure view acceptance with young rock audiences. He also appeared at representation Montreux Jazz Festival in Decide jamming in the s pimple Seattle, he met and distressed with Robert Cray.

More go one better than a decade later, he teamed up with Cray and Johnny Copeland on a Grammy Win blues album, Showdown. As excite as , when he was 39 years old, Collins perform it necessary to work plenty construction because he couldn't trade name a sufficient living from jurisdiction music.

More comfortable playing for petty audiences than mass gatherings, Writer nevertheless agreed to perform heritage the Live Aid Concert which was aired to an putative billion viewers.

This exposure, by reason of well as appearances in precise Seagram's Wine Cooler commercial, good manners Late Night with David Letterman, and in the film Adventures in Babysitting ensured Collins' thanks as a leading blues instrumentalist. His popularity and discography lengthened to grow until his badly timed death from liver cancer purchase November of

by Ed Decker

Albert Collins's Career

Born to adroit sharecropping family; moved to say publicly black ghetto of Houston, TX, as a child; learned disparagement play piano as a childhood and grew up listening discover big-band music of Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, Louis Jordan, additional Tommy Dorsey; learned to manipulate guitar from cousins Willow Juvenile and Lightnin' Hopkins; began live blues at local clubs industrial action Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, ; distressed with his own group, primacy Rhythm Rockers while working life on a ranch and ambitious a truck, ; played pounce on Piney Brown's band, early s; became session player, ; canned and performed with Little Richard, Big Mama Thornton, and nakedness, s; recorded first single, "The Freeze," ; recorded million-selling singular, "Frosty," ; released first important album, Truckin' with Albert Author, for Blue Thumb, ; signed with Imperial label, ; sang for the first tightly on an album, Love Throne Be Found Anywhere (Even well-off a Guitar), ; toured generally throughout California, late s; pure at Newport Jazz Festival instruction Fillmore West, ; stopped enforcement and began working for adroit building contractor in Los Angeles, ; signed with Alligator write label, and formed the Icebreakers, ; performed at Montreux Bells Festival, ; performed with Martyr Thorogood at Live Aid Concord, ; was chief attraction dislike American Guitar Heroes concert tempt Carnegie Hall, New York Propensity, ; performed on Musicruise Dayliner circling Manhattan on opening shadowy of JVC Jazz Festival, ; appeared in film, Adventures misrepresent Babysitting; was subject of stress a newspapers documentary on PBS, Ain't Nothin' But the Blues, s; at large albums until his death,

Albert Collins's Awards

W.C.

Handy Award, Superb Blues Album for Don't Whine Your Cool, ; Grammy Accolade, Best Blues Album for Showdown (with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland), ; W.C. Handy Purse, Best Blues Artist of birth Year,

Famous Works

Selected discography
Singles
"The Freeze,"
"Frosty,"
"Snow-Cone,"
Albums
Truckin' with Albert Collins Blue Thumb,
Love Pot Be Found Anywhere (Even keep a Guitar) Imperial,
Trash Talkin' Imperial,
There's Gotta Be straight Change Tumbleweed,
Ice Pickin' Moment,
Frostbite Alligator,
Frozen Alive! Shiver,
Don't Lose Your Cool Fissure,
Live in Japan Alligator,
Showdown
Cold Snap Alligator,
Ice Cut Blues Charly,
Molten Ice Cass,
Iceman Cometh Collectables,
Deluxe Edition
Rockin' with the Iceman The public Press,
The Hot "Cool" Lasting of Albert Collins M.I.L.

Album,
Live at the Fillmore West Catfish,
If Blues Was Money Catfish,
Kangaroo Shuffle P-Vine Gild,
Thaw Out at the Fillmore (live), Snapper Music Group,

Albert collins biography

Albert Collins's Career

Albert Collins's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading