Albert Collins with the Allman Brothers

Foto By Kirk West – www.kirkwestphotography.com

The great bluesman Albert “Iceman” Collins’ final US tour was opening for the Allman Brothers on a Midwestern swing. Every night he would come out and play with the Brothers.

On 7/1/93 at Deer Creek in Indiana, he joined them for their version of Willie Dixon’s “The Same Thing.” I think Betts sounds a little rough in spots here. By the end of the month, he would leave the band for the rest of the summer after being arrested for assaulting two police officers responding to a call that he had been drunk and abusive with his wife in a Saratoga, NY hotel room. Point being, he probably wasn’t in the greatest shape, but there are still some really nice moments with him and Albert toe to toe.

And Warren and Albert kill it, as does the band. I really loved Albert as a musician and as a man, and I miss both. He has an extra special place in my heart because I saw him at the Lone Star in NYC the night I got hired at Guitar World in 1991. I was there celebrating with some friends, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill and most of the black Crowes were there,  and we had a hell of a time.

Enjoy Albert and the Allmans: