First introduced to guitar by his cousin Lightnin' Hopkins, this Texas bluesman could put joviality into any familiar blues theme. The scamp of “I Ain't Drunk” and the hard-pressed narrator of “When the Welfare Turns Its Back On You” convey Collins' lightheartedness and sense of humor, which carried over into his live performances. By the time of his run on Alligator Records in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, his sharp Telecaster tone and crisp solo picking invited comparisons to icicles for a reason: His piercing and gleaming guitar could cut through any backing band's sound, as on “If You Love Me Like You Say.”