Showdown! is a three-guitar blues summit released by Alligator in 1985, pairing elder statesman Albert Collins with two younger players he had long championed — Texas-born Johnny Copeland and Pacific Northwest phenom Robert Cray. Produced by Bruce Iglauer and Dick Shurman, the album was, in their words, a collaboration "thirty years in the making," and it became one of the best-selling records Alligator ever issued. It paired mostly new writing with a few key covers — T-Bone Walker's "T-Bone Shuffle," Muddy Waters's "She's Into Something," and Ray Charles's "Blackjack" — giving each guitarist plenty of room to step forward.
The backing band is essentially Collins's road band: bassist Johnny B. Gayden, keyboardist Allen Batts, and Alligator house drummer Casey Jones. The conversation happens entirely in the front line, where three very different blues guitar personalities trade space with genuine affection.
Cool stuff:
- Won the 1987 Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording — a huge win for Alligator and a career lift for all three players, but especially Robert Cray, who was just about to break wide.
- Blues Hall of Fame album The record was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 2016.
- Peaked at #124 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 175,000 copies, which is blockbuster numbers for an independent blues label.
- Mentor meets protégés Collins had backed both Copeland and Cray at various points early in their careers; Showdown! is the overdue studio document of that relationship.
Spin it for: three distinct blues-guitar voices on one record, the album that made Robert Cray a star, and Alligator Records at peak powers.
Standouts: "T-Bone Shuffle" · "The Moon Is Full" · "Blackjack" · "She's Into Something"
Sources: Wikipedia — Showdown! · Alligator Records · Guitar World — Robert Cray interview · Rock and Blues Muse — 2024 deluxe reissue · Discogs release