Albert Collins was born on October 3,1932 in Leona, Texas. He moved to Houston in 1941 and began playing piano and organ. After his piano was stolen he picked up the guitar. He began to listen to the music of T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Guitar Slim, B.B. King, and Freddy King. Also his cousin, Lightnin' Hopkins, and John Lee Hooker were influences. In 1952 he picked up a Fender Esquire and began to develop the "cool" sound. Collins became friends with the Third Ward Blues musicians, Joe Hughes, Johnny Copeland, and James "Widemouth" Brown. He began gigging in clubs with his band.
In 1958, Albert put out his first album, "Freeze." Collins toured all over the U.S. and Japan. He would always work while on tour to earn extra cash. At one point he became disgusted with the guitar and quit to work construction for Neil Diamond. Collins was featured chillin' and killin' on his Telecaster in the popular 80s movie "Adventures in Babysitting." From 1977 to 1987 were the best years of his career. Collins played with everyone from Eric Clapton to David Bowie to Stevie Ray Vaughn, and received every major award the blues world had to offer. Collins always called himself "no big thing" and he said that his music "ain't nothin' but the blues". In fact, Albert Collins was the baddest, coolest, blackest, blusiest, guitar-slinger the blues world ever saw. On November 23, 1993, Albert Collins passed away due to lung cancer....but it's alright because he proved his point.