Albert Collins
‘Master of the Telecaster’
opens University blues fest
Albert Collins
He's been called "The Master of the
Telecaster,'' The Houston Twister,” and "The
Razor Blade " Well known tn Europe, he's been
playing electric blues for over 25 years His latest
album. Frozen Alive," has been nominated for a
Grammy And he's coming to the University
Thursday to headline the opening of the Sixth
Annual Oregon Blues Festival
The Thursday night performance with The
Icebreakers is one of the first stops on a 45-day
tour that will take him around the U S. and
through Canada Collins usually tours ten months
out of the year, and his electric stage presence
has been called "one of the most exciting visual
acts in the blues.”
"I like this area," Collins said last week from
Los Angeles One reason, he says, is that he
usually has the Robert Cray band back him up "I
call them all my kids "
Collins says he enjoys the music of Charlie
Musslewhite, Johnny Winters, and Eric Clapton,
who he would "love to do an album with."
Originally from Texas, Collins grew up
listening to blues players like Clarence ‘ Ga
temouth Brown (who will appear Friday at the
Festival), BB King. T-Bone Walker, John Lee
Hooker, and Collins' distant cousin, Lightnin"
Hopkins, who died last week
Collins says Hopkins left a great legacy to the
blues world "He lived his life through I mean,
when a man lives his life the way he wants to, he
leaves something behind him ”
For Collins, the blues are changing. Rock and
roll has influenced the blues greatly, and now his
brand of electric blues is accepted by rock and
rollers as well as traditional blues fans. Collins
plans to incorporate even more rock into his
music in the future.
“On the next LP, we'll be trying to do it mostly
like a rock group We ll go in to the studio and
bring in other musicians who can really rock. In
this next tour, I’ll be playing in four or five strictly
rock and roll clubs That makes me feel real good,
'cause I'll be at places that won't even play
blues "
In spite of his increased acceptance, Collins
says America's interest in the blues is "real up
and down The Europeans have been standing by
the blues for a long time. Hopefully it’ll stay that
way."
Also on the bill for Thursday night’s concert
are The Mighty Flyers with Rod Piazza and the
Paul DeLay Band Clarence “Gatemouth" Brown,
Pee Wee Crayton and Little Charlie and the
Nightcats will perform Friday evening.
In addition, the festival will feature a sale of
blues paraphernalia and a Les Blank film about
Lightnin Hopkins
Evening tickets are $6 for University students,
$7.50 for general admission, or festival tickets for
$10 (students) and $13 (general). Tickets are
available at the EMU Main Desk, Earth River
Records and Everybody's Records. The doors
open at 7:30 both nights.
by mark pynes and matt meyer
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