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THE BLUES-ROCK MASTERS
The Way They Play
This book explores the secrets of nine players who have shaped the legacy of blues-rock guitar: Duane Allman, Roy Buchanan, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It offers biographical portraits highlighting each guitarist's position and influence in blues-rock history; details on gear including setup and tone; descriptive analysis of playing techniques; and several annotated music examples. Helping readers emulate the stylings of the masters, the accompanying CD contains examples from the book, played with each artist's preferred equipment.
Inventory #HL 331011
Book/CD Pack $19.95 (US)
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Albert Collins
They called him The Iceman, The Razor Blade, and The Master of
the Telecaster®. Albert Collins earned a slew of nicknames
for his sharp, cool guitar playing, and the Texas bluesman lived
up to every one of them.
Exposed to the blues at an early age, he started on organ and
piano, and the organ feel would remain with him even when he switched
to guitar. His cousin was guitarist Lightnin’ Hopkins, and
another cousin taught him the open tunings that would be a major
part of his style; he was also greatly influenced by John Lee
Hooker’s records.
By the late ‘40s he was friends with blues musicians like Johnny Copeland and James "Widemouth"
Brown, brother of Gatemouth, and in 1952 he got his first Fender Esquire – the birth of his signature
sound.
His first regional hit came in 1958 with "Freeze," an
instrumental which wasn’t followed up until 1962’s "Frosty,"
which came to be one of his signature pieces. During the ‘60s
he played for a variety of artists, and then returned to Texas,
playing gigs with his 150-foot guitar cable to let him walk into
the crowd. The blues revival of the time helped him get a record
deal, but by the early ‘70s he was fed up with the music
business and actually quit playing for a while.
Encouraged by his wife and pop star Neil Diamond, he got back
into touring, but it wasn’t until he signed with Alligator
Records in 1977 that he finally hit his stride, creating some
of the best music of his career. In 1985 he won a Grammy along
with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland for the Showdown album,
and he also won a Handy award.
In 1987 he switched labels to Point Blank and recorded two more
albums, but Albert Collins died of lung cancer in 1993, leaving
a legacy of icy cool blues.
Click below for full biography:
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