After looking back through my blog posts, I realized I hadn’t yet featured the great Fender Telecaster man, Albert Collins.
Collins was one of the great blues guitarists that really seemed to understand that less is more when it comes to playing guitar, but he could certainly lay it down when the mood called for it.
One of his signature traits was his use of a capo… he played in open position for just about any key by simply moving the capo to whatever key he was in!
Albert Collins is featured in this video with a killer band that I felt could stand alone in this blog post. I hope you enjoy this great performance as much as I did!
Albert Collins, known as the Master of the Telecaster kills a slow blues in this performance with his band. Hear and see him sing the great song, “If Trouble Was Money” right here:
And here he is with none other than BB King doing a killer rendition of “Stormy Monday,” check it out…
Albert Collins was always seen playing his signature Telecaster guitar, typically through a Fender Quad Reverb “dimed” (turned up as loud as it would go.) So that tone is all “amp about to blow up” tone!
Here’s one of my favorites, “Too Many Dirty Dishes” from Albert playing live at the Montreax Jazz Festival:
As always I hope you dig it. I’ve been a big fan for most of my adult life but not everyone knows Albert Collins the way they should!
31 replies to "Master Of The Telecaster, Albert Collins"
The first 2 were superb, but on the 3rd it says “this video is not available” Anybody else got that??
I was incredibly fortunate to see Albert play several times in the eighties in Austin at Antones and in and around Houston, but most notably at Rockefellers. Seeing him play a small venue was incredible. His showmanship, his band and of course his playing were damn near a religious experience to witness up close and personal. I remember him stopping four lanes of traffic in Houston when he and his sax man wondered out the front door of the club with the audience in tow while still connected by what must have been 100 foot plus cord. He opened the door of one stopped car, sat in the passenger seat and kept playing. This was not the best part of town, but the woman driving the car was totally cool about it and he was just grinning ear-to-ear, hammering that one note solo of his. A great CD to pick up is “Ice Pickin'” – it covers a wide range of his styles and was what first hooked me on Albert. Griff, thank you so much for posting these videos!
I had the privilege of seeing Albert Collins play at Pluto’s Tavern in Bellingham, WA around 1970 or 71? One of the best shows I have seen….great blues player.. he could make that Tele talk… off the stage he went and kept playing all the way out the door and into the street with the longest guitar hookup I have seen!
DeWayne,
I remember it as The Iron Bull Tavern on Bay Street. He may have played at Pogo’s too but after catching him in L.A., I was back in Bellingham in 1970 and saw him at the Iron Bull. Myself and two friends had just seen Ike and Tina and the Revue play at Western Washington College (now WWU) and then went to the Iron Bull to catch Albert Collins. All three of us were under age so we sat up in a sort of balcony in the middle of the bar where we wouldn’t be noticed. There was a keg of beer there so we helped ourselves. We looked down on the main floor of the bar where there was a large table with lots of chairs but no one sitting in them. A few minutes into the set in walked Ike and Tina and a number of the Revue. Albert Collins slayed it, as always. He went out of the bar onto Bay Street where he continued to play but his band was back inside playing right with him. The entire bar emptied outside on Bay Street and we were dancing in the street. After everyone came back inside, my two friends and I returned to our perch, with the keg of beer. After some more beer and, with the urging of my two buddies, I approached Ike Turner and asked him if I might ask Tina to dance. So we danced while Albert Collins shook the house. BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! The next day we found out where Alber Collins and his band were staying in town. It was A very budget motel on Samish Way. I knocked on Mr. Collins door and when he answered invited he and his band to our place for a home cooked dinner. Regrettably, he declined but said we should ask his band if they would be interested. We did and they accepted. Later that day we picked them (three as I recall) up at their motel and drove them to our house on Agate Bay Lane. We had a large trestle table that we all sat together at and, thanks to my mother’s fine cooking and hospitality, had homemade chili and cornbread. What a great memory this is for me and the one other surviving friend from those two days in 1970.
Have you guys seen his part in Adventures of Babysitting – They run into the club on stage and He says no one leaves here without singing the blues – Love that seen!
this was an incredible lesson on the capo – and I loved music. Never heard Albert Collins before.
Neither have I heard this brilliant player slay
These licks. I am a beginner on acoustic guitar and haven’t connect with my music but now that I have heard this blues maybe
I have found my new niche. It really spoke to me deep down in my soul. Had my eyes closed the whole time. At the end of the song I opened my leaking eyes what an experience!!!!!!!!!
Hey Griff,
All great sounds and maybe a unique style of playing a Tele..but Albert Collins is a sure natural master of the blues in any language..
Great , thks for sharing such great blues with us.
I think you did a video lesson sometime ago about using a Capo, maybe that might be a good refresher for people here..
Michael-Sydney-Australia Oct 2016.
Hi Griff
I love the Stormy Monday video. Thank you for sharing this.
I would also like to hear more about Roy Buchannan. What an amazing guitarist.
Blues players – if you are into Tele check out guys like Bill Kirchen, Redd Volker, the “Telewackers for a good time!
Junior Brown in a class by himself with his GuitSteel, too.
I agree Albert King is awesome.
I am also a fan of another Telecaster player, Roy Buchanan. I know he has tragically been gone for some time. May I ask, Griff, what you think of Roy’so music. Not looking for conflict, just a valued opinion.
Awesome soloing and really top it with BBKing, Griff you know your stuff, and bother way I also dig that Gibson vintage sunbust you used on the last video, where did you getting and if you don’t want to say the price I understand but awesome guitar, well see you on your next video’s keep those blues going, later
Griff very seldom response to the comments! I won’t hold your breath about where he got that Guitar
I had always heard that the Master of the Telecaster was James Burton. Maybe the Telecaster has more than one master – one for blues, one for country and one for rock n roll.
I have been playing Albert Collins Guitar for about 20 years now. I have his video which I call the Albert Collins Bible. If you want to play just like him, that is probably the best place to start. He shows you what he is doing. Tune to Fm, and capo (nice hard capo or the strings will bend but remain bent by the capo – I recommend a Pickers Pal Capo). Need a tele of course with nice neck humbucker. Don’t mess around with lipstick pickups at the neck. I have some video of me playing AC but don’t know if I can post here. Write me for more info if you like. Thank you Giff. I have a couple of your instructional blues DVDs’. Great Stuff! Love your style!
Happy Birthday Albert Collins……………..
Hi Griff I noticed one of the other students is asking about Albert Collins use of a CAPO. Maybe you could tell us about that?
I’ll tell you what I see in case Griff doesn’t have time to respond.
Looking at the first video, Collins has the capo on the 7th fret, but they are playing in the key of C. That leaves none of the “open” strings on the 7th fret in the key of C. So Collins might have tuned his guitar one half step higher, which puts all the open strings in the key of C.
And in the third video, they are in C again and Collins again has the capo on the 7th fret.
That’s my best guess as to what Collins is doing.
You can play any key in the open position using the E shape & A shapes by using the capo. It is easier then making a bar cords with your index finger. If you put the capo across the 3rd fret, you get G,C & D. The I IV V. You also get G minor & Eb minor
Griff,
Please explain what is going on with the capo.
Best
Bill
Danny Gatton
Even for the great, it can be a battle to get heard.
~ In his early days Collins worked as a paint mixer and truck driver to make ends meet. In 1971, when he was 39 years old, he worked in construction, since he couldn’t make a proper living from his music. One of his construction jobs was a remodeling for Neil Diamond. He continued with this type of work until the late 1970s, when his wife, Gwen, talked him into returning to a career in music.
I love Albert Collins because of what he brings to his music but how can you call him the “Master of the Telecaster”? His guitar is a Telecaster looking body but it has a humbucking pickup on it and he plays with a capo, and depending on the key he is playing in can lose almost half of the fretboard. His guitar tone doesn’t sound anything close to a classic Tele or else he would be in a country western band and not be playing the blues. Albert may be a blues master but he certainly is not the “Master of the Telecaster”. You might want to listen to Brad Paisley play his real Tele if you want to hear what the instrument really sounds like with a master playing it. If it ain’t got the “twang” it ain’t the real “thang”!
Saying Albert is not the master of the Telecaster because he used a Humbucker is an rediculous observation.
You know what they say about opinions. What makes a telecaster a telecaster is all that can be done with it. Albert is the master!
I agree with you about Albert. Someone once said “Simplicity is the essence of soul” and I agree with that. I take no pleasure from guys who try to impress me with how many notes they can cram into one measure. But I would like to comment on one of the other musicians in this clip. The pianist must have been a great fan of Ray Charles whom I consider the best blues pianist of all time. He excels in the little single note runs that just bring chills. His runs are not difficult and yet they speak to you very clearly. Mr King uses his guitar in the same way
Super, très bon vidéo…puisque j`en ai une télécaster. american standard.
Great Read! Awesome video! Thanks Griff!
Agree with everything you say Griff. His timing is also bang on the button! Question, was he born with that or did it come from 1 and 2 and 3 and practise, practise. practise?
Most people of color were issued “bang on the button” clocks internally when they were born. The rest of us were born with the “standard metronome” that likes to skip beats or play out of time clicks. This is relevant even when we talk. Whichever clock you have you are stuck with it. You either have the beat or you will never have it.
Hi Griff,
Albert really enjoys his telecaster all right..cool dude. You can tell he is born and raised with a six string in his cradle.
Thanks for posting that performance griff,i really enjoyed it.