The music we call the blues has many forms, and was fed by many influences. For my taste, the genre reached its peak in the 1960s when some of the old guard, who had been playing for decades by that time, were revitalized by a new audience of young white kids. Albert King, BB King, Freddie King, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy and my favorite – Albert Collins – became legendary during this time.
The electric blues poured its vitality and humanity into fledgling rock 'n roll. Perhaps its most fundamental trait was the guitar solo, which capitalized on sharp and soft picking attack, bent notes, intentional slurring, percussive sounds, and partial chords to deliver music that was analogous to human vocalization... including conversing, beckoning, ranting, weeping and wailing... the whole vocal gamut.
Although each of the amazing musicians I named had a personal guitar "voice," that of Albert Collins was perhaps the most distinctive. His method was different, using minor tunings and a capo high on the neck of the guitar, but his playing stood alone on the basis of its incredible intensity. When he soloed, he commanded the audience, the band, and any other guitarist on the stage to stand down. His flurries of excitement and discord expressed more than words alone could manage.
As I began working on this piece, I watched videos of him playing, hoping to capture references from which to build a portrait. It was a worthy goal, and I may revisit it at some point... but this painting was more about his pithy playing style than the structure of his face; more about the music than the man, perhaps. It doesn't look too much like him, but that is okay because that goal was abandoned less than halfway through the painting.
It does, however, sound like him. A lot.
Pictured: "Blue Man" 30"x24" acrylics on canvas. SOLD.
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