Bluesmasters Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland
Texas-born Albert Collins, a/k/a ‘The Ice Man,’ was the old head in the studio, the guitarist making his bones by playing juke-joints and dive bars in the rough ‘n’ tumble Southeastern region of the Lone Star State while still a teenager with his band the Rhythm Rockers. After a few years of banging around Houston, Collins – then only 22 – was joined in the Rhythm Rockers by 17-year-old Johnny Copeland, who soon split out on his own to record singles for labels like Duke, Mercury, and Golden Eagle Records. Many of Copeland’s early releases, regional hits like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Lily” and “Down On Bending Knees,” spotlighted his soulful vocals above his fiery guitarplay. It wasn’t until Copeland signed with Rounder Records and released albums like 1981’s Copeland Special and 1985’s Bringin’ It All Back Home, that Copeland’s six-string skills really came to be appreciated by blues fans.
Collins released his own first single, “Freeze,” in 1958 for the regional indie Kangaroo Records, but it was his 1964 recording of “Frosty” that would become the guitarist’s signature song. Collins’ various singles were collected on his first album, 1965’s The Cool Sound of Albert Collins. A friendship with boogie-rockers Canned Heat led to the guitarist’s relocation to California, where he found a modicum of success in the rock ‘n’ roll world, touring with bands like the Grateful Dead and contributing his fretwork to albums by artists like Ike & Tina Turner. It was his association with Alligator Records that propelled him to blues stardom, however, albums like 1978’s Ice Pickin’ and 1980’s Frostbite placing Collins squarely in the center of the ‘80s blues revival.
Robert Cray, the youngest of our three six-string wizards, was a good two decades behind his mentors when he launched his own individual voyage into the blues. Inspired by seeing Collins perform at his high school graduation party, Cray formed his namesake band in the late ‘70s with fellow legend Curtis Salgado. Cray appeared in as the uncredited bass player with the fictional Otis Day & the Knights band in the 1978 movie National Lampoon’s Animal House and released his debut album, Who’s Been Talkin’, in 1980 for the soon-to-be-bankrupt Tomato Records label. A subsequent deal with the far more stable Hightone Records label resulted in 1983’s critically-acclaimed Bad Influence album, which announced Cray’s talents to the blues world, followed by 1985’s False Accusations, which edged the guitarist into the mainstream.
Showdown!
All three artists have since been honored with induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, among their many other accolades, so getting talents of this caliber together in the studio to record together was a significant move. In a 2011 interview, Alligator founder Bruce Iglauer chose Showdown! as his favorite release, telling this writer that “it’s won every kind of blues award, but musically speaking, it was a record by three men that really loved each other and really loved making music together. I think that a lot of that love, and some of the competitiveness, and some of the father-son relationship that Albert had with both Johnny and Robert, was captured in the musical performances. The guys came in, they knew they were doing something special, and for myself and Dick Shurman, my co-producer, a lot of our job was to get out of the way and let it happen.”
Showdown! does not disappoint – the three guitarists’ talents mesh well together on the album’s ten tracks. The chosen material is largely comprised of blues and R&B covers – albeit relatively obscure ones – with a handful of original songs (two by Copeland, one each from Collins and Cray) thrown in to spice up the gumbo pot somewhat. The classic “T-Bone Shuffle” kicks off the festivities, the signature song of Texas guitarist T-Bone Walker who influenced, really, all three men. It’s a jaunty, smooth-as-silk performance with all three artists sharing the microphone and ripping off terrific solos – Copeland’s a sharp, stinging flurry of notes; Collins’ his typical natural-bred cool; and Cray’s a jazzy flourish to finish up the song. Copeland’s “Lion’s Den” is a real roadrunner, his larger-than-life vox matched by his over-the-top solo; by contrast, Collins veers closer to rock ‘n’ roll turf with his razor-sharp licks incorporating a rockabilly vibe.
The other Copeland original on Showdown!, “Bring Your Fine Self Home,” is a moody blues torch-song that showcases the enormous talents of all three musicians. With Collins blowing a mournful harp and adding scraps of emotional lead guitar, both Copeland and Cray provide texture with flowing rhythm guitarplay; Johnny provides the song’s heartbreak vocals. The trio’s take on Houston bluesman Hop Wilson’s voodoo vamp “Black Cat Bone” opens with verbal interplay between Copeland and Collins and launching into a deep groove (courtesy of drummer Casey Jones and bassist Johnny B. Gayden) before turning into an exciting guitar battle between the two bluesmen. Cray’s “The Dream” is a slow-burning blues heavy on atmospherics and featuring Cray’s soulful voice with Collins’ guitar underlining the lyrics. “Albert’s Alley” is a swinging, up-tempo instrumental while a cover of Ray Charles’ “Blackjack,” which closed the original 1985 LP, allows each guitarist to stretch out and strut their stuff.
The Reverend’s Bottom Line
There’s not a duff track to be found on Showdown!, the album’s light-handed production allowing the three guitarists the freedom to cut loose and just revel in the joy of music-making. This clear vinyl deluxe reissue, with a gatefold cover featuring unpublished photos and Alligator head honcho Bruce Iglauer’s memories of the sessions, is even ten percent better than the original, as it includes a bonus track in the form of a fiery cover of Eddie “Guitar Slim” Jones’ “Something To Remember You By,” a performance every bit as red-hot as the first nine tracks. If you’re a fan of blues guitar, you owe it to yourself to track down this Showdown! reissue. Honestly, it just doesn’t get any better than this, a super-session featuring three of the genre’s greatest talents. Grade: A+ (Alligator Records, released November 29th, 2024)
Buy the vinyl from Amazon: Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland’s Showdown!
