Albert Collins

The Iceman, whose Telecaster cut like a blade

Albert Collins was born in 1932 in Leona, Texas, and moved with his family to Houston as a boy. A relative of Lightnin' Hopkins, he grew up surrounded by Texas blues, but he was also fascinated by the organ and big-band sounds. He took up the guitar and developed an unusual approach, tuning to an open minor chord, clamping a capo high on the neck and plucking with his bare fingers instead of a pick.

Through the 1950s he led bands around Houston, and in 1958 he cut The Freeze, the first of many instrumentals with icy titles. Frosty, released in 1962, became a regional smash and gave him his lasting cold-weather image. Still, he spent years working day jobs alongside club dates. In the late 1960s members of Canned Heat helped him land a deal with Imperial Records, and he moved to California, recording several albums there.

His career truly took off after he signed with Chicago's Alligator Records. Ice Pickin', released in 1978, was a fiery comeback that introduced him to a new generation, and he followed it with Frostbite, the live Frozen Alive! and Don't Lose Your Cool. In 1985 he joined Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland on Showdown!, which won a Grammy, and that summer he played Live Aid in Philadelphia alongside George Thorogood.

By now he was a festival headliner famed for strolling into the crowd, and even out onto the street, trailing a very long guitar cord. He appeared in the film Adventures in Babysitting, guested with Gary Moore and John Zorn, and made Iceman for Pointblank in 1991. He was diagnosed with liver cancer in 1993 and died that November in Las Vegas, aged 61.

The 10 greatest Albert Collins solos

1. 1
   Frosty

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1962
2. 2
   The Freeze

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1958
3. 3
   Master Charge

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1978
4. 4
   Ice Pickin'

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1978
5. 5
   Too Tired

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1978
6. 6
   T-Bone Shuffle

   Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland · solo by Robert Cray · 1985
7. 7
   Don't Lose Your Cool

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1983
8. 8
   Lights Are On But Nobody's Home

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1986
9. 9
   Iceman

   Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1991
10. 10
    Cold, Cold Feeling

    Albert Collins · solo by Albert Collins · 1978

The sound

Collins played a Telecaster in an open F minor tuning with a capo placed high up the neck, attacking the strings with his thumb and index finger, often snapping them so hard they cracked against the frets. The result was a piercing, trebly, stinging tone, sometimes called the 'cool sound', delivered with a clean amp turned up loud. His phrasing favoured short, jabbing bursts and long sustained notes, sharp silences and sudden explosions, with a strong sense of horn-section rhythm and plenty of wit. He sounded like nobody else in the blues.

• Fender Telecaster (guitar) His lifelong main guitar; his favourite had a humbucker added in the neck position.
• Fender Albert Collins Telecaster (guitar) A signature model based on his modified instrument.
• Fender Quad Reverb (amp) A powerful clean Fender he turned up loud for his piercing tone.
• Capo (effect) Placed high on the neck to raise his open F minor tuning to the key of the song.
• Extra-long guitar cable (effect) Let him wander deep into audiences, and sometimes outside the venue, while still playing.

Covers

• T-Bone Shuffle, originally by T-Bone Walker A joyful nod to a Texas forefather, shared with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland.
• Too Tired, originally by Johnny 'Guitar' Watson He sharpens the song into a showcase for his jagged attack.
• When the Welfare Turns Its Back on You, originally by Freddie King A tough reading that honours a fellow Texas guitar hero.
• Honey Hush, originally by Big Joe Turner He turns the jump-blues classic into a stinging guitar feature.
• I Ain't Drunk, originally by Jimmy Liggins A humorous, horn-backed romp he delivers with deadpan charm.

Timeline

• 1932 Born in Leona, Texas
• 1958 Releases his first single, The Freeze
• 1962 Frosty becomes a hit
• 1968 Signs with Imperial Records with help from Canned Heat
• 1978 Releases Ice Pickin' on Alligator Records
• 1985 Records Showdown! and plays Live Aid
• 1987 Showdown! wins a Grammy; appears in Adventures in Babysitting
• 1990 Guests on Gary Moore's Still Got the Blues
• 1991 Releases Iceman on Pointblank
• 1993 Dies of cancer in Las Vegas

Facts

1. He was a relative of the Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins.
2. He played with his fingers rather than a pick.
3. He used an open F minor tuning with a capo placed high on the neck.
4. Many of his song titles, such as Frosty and Sno-Cone, carry an icy theme.
5. He often walked out into the audience, and sometimes out of the club, trailing a very long cable.
6. Showdown!, with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland, won a Grammy.
7. He appeared on screen in the 1987 comedy Adventures in Babysitting.
8. He performed at Live Aid in 1985 with George Thorogood.
9. He guested on Gary Moore's 1990 album Still Got the Blues.
10. For many years he held day jobs alongside music before his late-1970s breakthrough.