Albert Collins: The 1993 Guitar Player Interview and Lesson (Audio)
One-on-One With the Master of the Telecaster
When met at a San Francisco rehearsal space on January 23, 1993, none of us realized Albert would be giving one of his final interviews. That Friday afternoon he seemed bright, upbeat, and full of energy. He enjoyed being asked about his roots, heroes, Texas blues, and, especially, his guitar. Midway through, he picked up his unplugged Telecaster and gave my co-editor Andy Ellis and me an impromptu performance. (If you’re tempted to play along to this or other recordings of Collins, he tuned his strings F, C, F, Ab, C, F, from low to high. He often played out of the first position, using a battered capo wrapped in electrician’s tape to change keys.)
As I watched Albert perform the night after our interview, I jotted down my thoughts for the opening paragraph of his July 1993 cover story: “Spine-chilling tracks like ‘Frosty’ and ‘The Freeze’ have earned him the nickname Iceman. His sheer control of the instrument has brought him the title ‘The Master of the Telecaster.’ In Albert’s hands, that old blonde plank can turn into a nagging wife, a screaming desire, a sucker punch, Gatling gun, squawking chicken, or graveyard howl. Collins’ stinging attack is second to none, and if you could run a wire off of him, you’d probably find he generates enough energy onstage to light up Las Vegas, where he now makes his home.”
As you’ll hear, Albert jumpstarts the conversation by explaining why some Texas blues guitarists put rattlesnake rattles or pennies in their acoustic guitars. He describes his first homemade guitar and his encounters with T-Bone Walker, Gatemouth Brown, Lil Son Jackson, B.B. King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and other bluesmen. He explores why many postwar Texas blues guitarists played with a horn section. Naturally, Collins goes into detail about his trademark Telecaster and how he dials-in his razor-sharp, treble-heavy tone. He also covers how he writes blues songs, his current recording projects, and his favorites among his own record releases. I hope you enjoy it!
Coda: On November 24, 1993, Albert Collins passed away from lung cancer.
Guitar Player cover photo and promo photo by Bill Reitzel.
Thanks to engineer/producer Nik Hunt for filming the intro and enhancing the sound of the 32-year-old master tape.
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