35 Facts About Albert Collins

Albert Gene Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style.

Albert Collins was noted for his powerful playing and his use of altered tunings and a capo.

Albert Collins was introduced to the guitar at an early age by his cousin Lightnin' Hopkins, a Leona resident, who played at family gatherings.

The Albert Collins family relocated to Marquez, Texas, in 1938 and to Houston in 1941, where he attended Jack Yates High School.

Albert Collins tuned his guitar to an open F-minor chord, with a capo at the 5th, 6th or 7th fret.

At 18, Albert Collins started his own group, the Rhythm Rockers, in which he honed his craft.

Albert Collins played an Epiphone guitar during his first two years with the Rhythm Rockers, but in 1952, after seeing Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown playing a Fender Esquire, he decided to purchase a Fender.

Albert Collins wanted a Telecaster, but because of the cost he chose to buy an Esquire, which he took to the Parker Music Company in Houston to be fitted with a Telecaster neck pickup.

Albert Collins started to play regularly in Houston, notably at Shady's Playhouse, where James "Widemouth" Brown and other well-known Houston blues musicians would meet for "Blue Monday" jams.

Albert Collins recorded his debut single, "Freeze", backed with "Albert Collins Shuffle", for Kangaroo at Gold Star Studios, in Houston, in the spring of 1958, with Hayes on saxophone.

Texas blues bands of this period incorporated a horn section, and Albert Collins later credited Hayes with teaching him how to arrange for horns.

On 19 June 1968, the group Canned Heat was playing at the Music Hall in Houston, and a friend of theirs mentioned that Albert Collins was playing at the Ponderosa Club, which they duly attended.

The move to California was proving to be the right decision, with Albert Collins establishing himself as a regular act on the West Coast circuit, playing at the Fillmore West and the Whisky a Go Go and at the "Newport 69" festival in Northridge, California, 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.

Albert Collins opened for the Grateful Dead at the Family Dog on the Great Highway in San Francisco in early August, 1969.

On 2 February 1978, Albert Collins appeared in concert with the Dutch band Barrelhouse, which was his first live appearance outside the United States.

In 1984 Albert Collins did a two-tape instructional lesson for Arlen Roth and his company, Hot Licks.

On 13 July 1985, Albert Collins performed with George Thorogood and the Destroyers at Live Aid, 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, Albert Collins appeared in concert with Etta James and Joe Walsh at the Wiltern Theater, in Los Angeles; the concert was released on video under the title Jazzvisions: Jump the Blues Away.

Albert Collins cited the album as personally important to him because of the involvement of the organist Jimmy McGriff, an early musical idol, with whom Albert Collins had played in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1966.

On 12 February 1987, Albert Collins appeared as a musical guest on the NBC talk show Late Night with David Letterman.

Albert Collins made a cameo appearance later that same year in the comedy film Adventures in Babysitting.

Also in 1987, the American composer John Zorn and Albert Collins collaborated on a suite, "Two-Lane Highway", which was released on Zorn's album Spillane.

Albert Collins was signed to Point Blank Records, a subsidiary of Virgin Records, in 1991 and released the album Iceman the same year.

On 15 November 1991, Albert Collins performed with Cray, Steve Cropper and Dave Edmunds at the Guitar Legends event in Seville, a series of five concerts to promote the upcoming Seville Expo '92.

In 1993, Albert Collins played at the Point Blank Borderline Blues Festival in London, which ran from 17 March to 27 March; this was his last appearance in the UK.

Albert Collins was performing at the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, in July 1993 when he was taken ill.

Albert Collins is remembered for his informal and audience-engaging live performances.

The use of an extended guitar cord allowed Albert 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.

Albert Collins is remembered for his humorous stage presence, which can be seen in the comedy film Adventures in Babysitting.

Albert Collins returned to the stage still playing the solo and resumed entertaining the audience in person.

Albert Collins continued with this type of work until the late 1970s, when his wife, Gwen, talked him into returning to a career in music.

Albert Collins is buried at Davis Memorial Park in Las Vegas, Nevada, a cemetery adjacent to Harry Reid International Airport.

Albert Collins was an inspiration to a generation of Texas guitar players, including Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan.

Albert Collins was among a small group of Texas blues players, along with Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Johnny Copeland, who shaped the legacy of T-Bone Walker into a modern blues template that was to have a major influence on many later players.