Albert Collins
b. 3 October 1932, Leona, Texas, USA, d. 24 November 1993, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Collins was the embodiment of the Texas blues guitar sytle, slashing out blocked chords and sharp flurries of treble notes (played without a plectrum) to produce an ‘ice-cold’ sound from his Fender Telecaster. He used non-standard tuning on his guitar and a capo to locate a songs’ key up and down the neck. As a youth he developed his style by listening to fellow-Texan Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and to his own cousin Willow Young. His first singles, released from 1958 onwards on small local labels, were exciting shuffle instrumentals, of which The Freeze and Frosty became blues standards, but it was not until the late '60s that he was confident enough to use his laconic, understated singing voice with any regularity. A series of splendid studio and live albums over the following years, extended his basic Texas style over the boundaries of jazz and funk, and established him as a major international blues attraction. His stage shows, which often included a walk through the audience as he played his guitar on its 100-foot lead, were memorable events. Collins heavily influenced the style of Robert Cray, with whom he both played and furthered his career. For the 1993 album release Collins chose his favourite past cuts and, with his band, re-recorded them with the help of musicians such as Branford Marsalis and B.B. King.