Chilling With The Iceman

I'm not sure when I first heard Albert Collins, but once I did, I couldn't get enough. His style is unmistakable - the stinging notes ripped out of his guitar to hang in the ear like icicles - so hot they're COLD - hence the nickname Iceman. Born outside Houston in October, 1932, Collins' career spanned session work (He replaced Jimi Hendrix in Little Richard's back up band) and years of patiently waiting for his turn to step into the spotlight. It took so long that Collins had to keep working construction jobs to make ends meet.


Could be that's why the Iceman's songs are so down to earth. "The Lights Are On But Nobody's Home" deals with mundane marital issues - his mother-in-law, infidelity, money - showcased by some of the best, sharpest "chicken picking" leads contemporary blues has to offer. "Too Many Dirty Dishes" not only features Albert actually "washing" pots and pans by sliding his fingers up and down the guitar's neck - as well as the sound of water filling a glass - but also depicts the suspicious husband getting home to find dirty dishes in the sink, his wife's infidelity also evidenced by the residue of steak and caviar and other delicacies that she never serves him. Despite Collins' musical musings on infidelity, he was married to the same woman for most of his life.

Besides love, Albert Collins' best tunes deal with another familiar topic - money. Songs like "Master Charge", in which the Iceman makes fun of his wife for constantly overloading the credit card (The refrain simply repeats "Master Charge - Bank Americard" over and over), "When the Welfare Turns Its Back on You ", or "Travellin' South" , the lyrics pointing out that the singer "has no money for the telephone", heading "back down to Texas" on the shoeleather express. "If Trouble Was Money" features one of the best refrains in blues in my opinion, pointing out that: "If trouble was money / I'd be a millionaire". Last but not least, Collins first came to prominence with his instrumental tunes - "Frostbite", "Don't Lose Your Cool", and "Meltdown" , just to name a few.

Albert Collins died in Las Vegas of lung cancer , way too soon. Fortunately, he left behind some of the coldest blues tunes ever recorded - too bad it was just the tip of the iceberg.