Barbecue Bob
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Barbecue Bob | |
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 Barbecue Bob (1927)
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robert Hicks |
| Also known as | Barbecue Bob |
| Born | September 11, 1902 |
| Origin | Walnut Grove, Georgia, United States |
| Died | October 31, 1931 (aged 29) |
| Genre(s) | Country blues |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Vocals |
| Years active | 1920s and 1930s |
| Associated acts | Curley Weaver |
| Notable instrument(s) | |
| Twelve string guitar | |
Robert Hicks, better known as Barbecue Bob (September 11, 1902 – October 21, 1931), was an early American country blues musician. His nickname came from the fact that he was a cook in a barbecue restaurant. One of the two extant photographs of Bob show him playing his guitar while wearing a full length white apron and cook's hat.
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[edit] Early life
He was born in Walnut Grove, Georgia. He and his brother, Charlie Hicks, together with Curley Weaver, were taught how to play the guitar by Curley's mother, Savannah "Dip" Weaver.[1] Bob began playing the 6-string guitar but picked up the 12-string guitar after moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1923-1924. He became one of the prominent performers of the newly developed Atlanta blues style.
In Atlanta, Hicks worked a variety of jobs, playing music on the side. While working at Tidwells' Barbecue in a north Atlanta suburb, Hicks came to the attention of Columbia Records talent scout Dan Hornsby. Hornsby recorded him and decided to use Hicks's job as a gimmick, having him pose in chef's whites and hat for publicity photos and dubbing him "Barbecue Bob".[1]
[edit] Career
During his short career he recorded 68 78-rpm sides. He recorded his first side, "Barbecue Blues", in March 1927. The record quickly sold 15,000 copies and made him the best selling artist for Columbia up to that date. Despite this initial success, it was not until his second recording session, in New York during June 1927, that he firmly established himself on the race market. At this session he recorded "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues", a song inspired by the major floods taking place in Mississippi at that time. This song, as well as his other blues releases, gained considerable popularity, and his records sold much better than those of other local blues musicians.[1]
The two part duet with crosstalk, "It Won't Be Long Now" was recorded with his brother Charlie in Atlanta on 5 November 1927. In April 1928 Bob recorded two sides with the female vocalist Nellie Florence, whom he had known since childhood, and also produced "Mississippi Low Levee Blues", a sequel to "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues". In April 1930, he recorded "We Sure Got Hard Times Now", which contains bleak references to the early effects of The Depression. Although Barbecue Bob remained predominantly a blues musician, he also recorded a few traditional and spiritual songs including "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Poor Boy, Long Ways from Home" and "Jesus' Blood Can Make Me Whole".
Barbecue Bob also recorded as a member of The Georgia Cotton Pickers in December 1930, a group that included Curley Weaver and Buddy Moss. As a group they recorded a handful of sides including their own adaptation of Blind Blake's "Diddie Wa Diddie" (recorded as "Diddle-Da-Diddle") and the Mississippi Sheiks' "Sitting on Top of the World" (recorded as "I'm On My Way Down Home"). These were the last recordings that Bob recorded.
He died in Lithonia, Georgia, of a combination of tuberculosis and pneumonia brought on by influenza, at the age of 29, on 21 October 1931.
[edit] Musical style
Bob developed a "flailing" style of playing guitar more often associated with the traditional clawhammer banjo. He used a bottleneck regularly, playing in an elemental style that relied on an open Spanish tuning reminiscent of Charley Patton. He had a strong voice that he embellished with growling and falsetto, and a percussive singing style.[1]
[edit] Influence
Bob had a substantial influence on Atlanta blues musicians such as Blind Willie McTell and, especially, Curley Weaver, as can be noted from Weaver's 1933 recording sessions. Barbecue Bob's "Motherless Child Blues" was recorded and performed on stage by Eric Clapton. Bob's elder brother, Charley, also played blues and was recorded by Columbia under the name "Laughing" Charley Lincoln. However, he never received the same acclaim as his brother.
[edit] See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of Country blues musicians
- List of Piedmont blues musicians
- List of guitarists
- List of people who died before the age of 30
- Yazoo Records
[edit] Recording sessions
- Atlanta, 25 March 1927
- New York City, 15 June 1927
- New York City, 16 June 1927
- Atlanta, 5 November 1927
- Atlanta, 9 November 1927
- Atlanta, 10 November 1927
- Atlanta, 13 April 1928
- Atlanta, 21 April 1928
- Atlanta, 26 October 1928
- Atlanta, 27 October 1928
- Atlanta, 2 November 1928
- Atlanta, 11 April 1929
- Atlanta, 17 April 1929
- Atlanta, 18 April 1929
- Atlanta, 30 October 1929
- Atlanta, 3 November 1929
- Atlanta, 6 November 1929
- Atlanta, 17 April 1930
- Atlanta, 18 April 1930
- Atlanta, 23 April 1930
- Atlanta, 5 December 1930
- Atlanta, 7 December 1930
- Atlanta, 8 December 1930
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Barlow, William. "Looking Up At Down": The Emergence of Blues Culture. Temple University Press (1989), pp. 195-96. ISBN 0-87722-583-4.
- Swinton, Paul. (2001). The Essential Barbecue Bob. Audio CD Liner notes. Classic Blues 200026.
- Document Records Volume 1, 2 & 3 sleeve notes on Barbecue Bob (Robert Hicks)
