Albert Collins

Known by the nicknames "The Master of the Telecaster," "The Iceman," and "The Razor Blade," Albert Collins lost his prime years as a blues artist to liver cancer, which brought about his early passing on November 24, 1993, when he was 61. The groundbreaking and highly regarded Collins stood on the threshold of far greater global recognition, much as the late John Campbell had, through his association with Pointblank, an imprint of Virgin Records. Yet unlike Campbell, he had already spent decades performing in relative obscurity before achieving wider notice in the mid-'80s.

Born October 1, 1932, in Leona, TX, Collins relocated with his family to Houston at age seven. There, in the Third Ward neighborhood alongside Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, he first studied keyboards and looked up to Hammond B-3 organist Jimmy McGriff during his teenage years. By 18 he had turned to guitar, frequenting local clubs to absorb the sounds of his idols Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, and cousin Lightnin' Hopkins. In the mid-'50s he began playing those same venues, forging a personal approach built on minor tunings and a capo while launching the signature "guitar walks" that would later captivate younger white crowds in the 1980s. Leading the ten-piece Rhythm Rockers, he issued his debut single, "The Freeze," on Houston's Kangaroo label in 1958, followed by a string of instrumentals such as "Sno-Cone," "Icy Blue," and "Don't Lose Your Cool" that earned him regional attention. After cutting "De-Frost" b/w "Albert's Alley" for Beaumont's Hall-Way Records, he scored a million-selling hit in 1962 with "Frosty." Teenagers Janis Joplin and Johnny Winter, both from Beaumont, witnessed the session; Collins later recalled that Joplin accurately foresaw its success. The track remained a staple of his sets more than thirty years afterward. His percussive, ringing attack—executed by plucking strings with his right hand—became a hallmark, one that Jimi Hendrix repeatedly acknowledged as an influence.

Throughout the remainder of the 1960s Collins balanced day jobs with short regional tours and weekend gigs, recording for small Texas imprints including Great Scott, Brylen, and TFC. In 1968 Bob "The Bear" Hite of Canned Heat traveled to Houston to catch him live, then brought him to California for an immediate signing with Imperial Records. Late that year and into 1969, amid the continuing blues revival, Collins gained broader exposure opening for acts such as the Allman Brothers at San Francisco's Fillmore West. He maintained a base in Los Angeles for years before settling in Las Vegas in the late '80s.

He completed three albums for Imperial before moving to Tumbleweed Records, where Joe Walsh produced several singles for the label owned by Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk; Tumbleweed ceased operations in 1973. Although recording opportunities remained sparse through the 1970s and early 1980s, earlier airplay allowed continued touring, with Collins driving his own bus until 1988, when he and his band finally hired a driver. His major opportunity arrived in 1977 with a signing to Chicago's Alligator Records; the brilliant Ice Pickin' appeared the following year. Six further Alligator releases followed, among them 1986's Cold Snap, which featured organist Jimmy McGriff. It was during this period that Collins discovered he could sing capably and, collaborating with wife Gwen, co-wrote signature pieces including "Mastercharge" and "Conversation With Collins."

Additional Alligator titles encompass Live in Japan, Don't Lose Your Cool, Frozen Alive!, and Frostbite. The 1985 summit album Showdown!, recorded with guitarists Robert Cray and Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, earned a Grammy for the trio. Cold Snap itself received a Grammy nomination. In 1989 Collins joined Pointblank, releasing the album Iceman in 1991; the label issued the compilation Collins Mix in 1993. Other labels capitalized on his rising festival and theater popularity with reissues such as EMI's Complete Imperial Recordings (1991) and MCA's Truckin' With Albert Collins (1992). His session work proved extensive, appearing on David Bowie's Labyrinth, John Zorn's Spillane, Jack Bruce's A Question of Time, John Mayall's Wake Up Call, B.B. King's Blues Summit, Robert Cray's Shame + a Sin, and Branford Marsalis' Super Models in Deep Conversation.

Having gone long stretches without recording in the 1970s, Collins recognized the blues resurgence gaining force in the mid-'80s amid peak enthusiasm for Stevie Ray Vaughan. He enjoyed brief media visibility in his final years through performances at Carnegie Hall, appearances on Late Night with David Letterman, a role in the Touchstone film Adventures in Babysitting, and a Seagram's Wine Cooler advertisement alongside Bruce Willis. The blues revival he, Vaughan, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds helped ignite in the mid-'80s persisted into the mid-'90s, yet Collins could not participate in its further development.