Catchgroove’s Hall Of Fame: Albert Collins, Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland – SHOWDOWN!

Inspired by a $1 duplicate that is part of the 🌵 Desert Sessions 🌵 2.0: Cheap Used Records series.

It is hard not to love the blues. I learned to love the blues in the late 70s and early 80s. That was a great time get to turned on to the blues. Young bucks like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray were attracting serious attention. Under appreciated acts, in their prime, like Albert Collins (the Ice Man) and Buddy Guy were finally getting their due. Titans like Muddy Waters (who past in 83) and Willie Dixon were still around. I was just hip enough to witness some of it first hand: saw Albert Collins a couple of times. Met Willie Dixon (that is another post). Witnessed Robert Cray when he was about as big a superstar as a bluesman can be – saw him move from clubs to theaters. Never did see Johnny Copeland.

This album was released in 1985 and I was ripe for it as I was already a big fan of the Ice Man and Cray. It was an amazing introduction to Johnny Copeland. What I like about the album is that despite three gunslingers, they found a way to share the ball.

This album was about midway in my exploration of the blues. It was a hell of a teacher. I have listened to this hundreds of times and it never gets old and it continues to reveal itself to me.

One of the great features of the album is the back cover identifies the soloists. This helped me learn each guitar soloist unique guitar voice.

This album is top shelf and on my top 25 of all time (I have not formalized that list – another post someday). It is playful sparring, yet each guy is seriously strutting. You will fall in love with each of these guys. Albert has a gentle bite, Robert is suave, and Johnny is a gruff sexy. If I had to pick the star of the show it is the Ice Man. It was his label after all and great musicians know how to be brilliant yet polite – Robert and Johnny are gentleman.

Trust me – listen to this album and if you don’t love it you should quit following me. This is a great album!

As for the dollar LP – it is in pretty good shape. Some surface noise, but not bad – nothing serious. The cover is a little bent on the corners. My estimate is that this album, in this condition, would go for about $8 in a respectable record shop.