Barbecue
Bob was born Robert Hicks in 1902 in Walnut Grove, GA. He was the most
heavily recorded Atlanta bluesman of the late 1920s. In his early years,
he moved to Newton County with his parents and his older brother Charlie.
It was here that he and his brother first began to show an interest in
music. They were soon taking guitar lessons from Savannah "Dip''
Weaver. The two Hicks brothers quickly became friends with the younger
Weaver boy, Curley, and often practiced together. Robert was an easy-going
man who enjoyed life and relied on his musicianship for most of his
living.
He soon started working at Tidwell's Barbecue in the Atlanta suburb of
Buckhead, cooking and playing for the patrons who would occasionally carry
him off to parties after work. Somehow he came across Columbia Records
scout Dan Hornsby, who was leading a recording team Down South to New
Orleans and was making recordings along the way, stopping off in Atlanta.
Hornsby decided to use Hicks's job at Tidwell's Barbecue as a gimmick,
photographing him in chef's whites and hat and dubbing him "Barbecue
Bob''. Using these hooks, Hicks's local reputation, and his infectious
rhythm, his "Barbecue Blues" was sure to be something of a hit,
ensuring Hicks a chance to record again. His name and reputation
established, Hicks recorded for Columbia every time they came through
Atlanta and was frequently brought to New York. His "Motherless Chile
Blues" (covered by Eric Clapton) was also quite popular. In addition
to being a big seller, Hicks was responsible for getting the company to
record his brother Charlie under the name "Laughing Charley
Lincoln." Robert also brought his old friends Curley Weaver and Eddie
Mapp, and a young talented harmonica player and guitarist named Buddy Moss
to the recording industry's attention. (These four, in various
combinations, recorded under the name The Georgia Cotton Pickers.) By
1930, however, the Depression was hitting the recording industry hard,
particularly in the blues and country fields. Robert Hicks made his last
recordings in December 1930, all the more of a shame since his guitar
playing was becoming more inventive and gaining a wider range. Sadly, he
died from pneumonia brought on by influenza on October 21, 1931, a year
after his wife had died and two years after his mother had passed away.
ALBUMS
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.[2] 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 (a/k/a Charlie Lincoln, or Laughing 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 guitarist Curley Weaver and harmonica player 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 October 21, 1931. His recording of "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues"(about the 1927 flood) was apparently played at his graveside before burial.
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