Albert Collins

Vocation

American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. Collins was noted for his powerful playing and his use of altered tunings and capo. His long association with the Fender Telecaster led to the title "The Master of the Telecaster.” By the mid 1950s he had established his reputation as a local Houston guitarist of note, recording his debut single "The Freeze" b/w "Collins Shuffle" in the spring of 1958 with Henry Hayes on saxophone. In 1964 he recorded "Frosty" and in 1965 his debut album The Cool Sounds of Albert Collins. Collins relocated to Palo Alto, California in November 1968, establishing himself as a regular act on the West Coast circuit. The album There's Gotta Be A Change was released in November 1971. On 13 July 1985, Collins performed with George Thorogood and the Destroyers at Live Aid as guest soloist on "Madison Blues" at the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia before a television audience of 1.5 billion. In 1986, he won a Grammy Award with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland for their album Showdown! In mid August 1993, he was diagnosed with lung cancer which had metastasized to his liver. Collins died on 24 November 1993 at the age of 61. Link to Wikipedia biography