Barbecue Bob, the essential DOUBLE CD
Classic Blues is devoted to re-issuing the classic recordings of America's greatist blues artists. VERY LIMITED STOCK

Barbecue Bob Vol 1 1927 - 1928

Robert Hicks "Barbecue Bob", vocal, twelve-string guitar.

Genres; Country Blues, Atlanta Blues, Twelve-String Guitar, Bottleneck-slide Guitar.

Informative booklet notes by Chris Smith.

Detailed discography.

Robert Hicks was an extrovert young man of 24 when Columbia's Dan Hornsby arranged his first recording session in March 1927, and had only moved into Atlanta from the countryside a few years before. When he recorded He had learned guitar, along with their friend Curley Weaver, from Curley's mother; all three played in a similar style, favouring the big, booming sound of the 12-string guitar, and relishing the contrast of pulsing bass riffs with the whine of a bottleneck on the treble strings. Barbecue Blues was a good seller, but it was at his second session, in New York in June 1927, that Bob firmly established himself with black record buyers, and thus with Columbia; Mississippi Heavy Water Blues, inspired by the catastrophic floods that had occurred that very month, was a considerable seller, and as a result Robert became Atlanta's most-recorded blues singer of the 20s. It was probably his success that persuaded Columbia to record both his brother Charlie and, in 1928, Curley Weaver. Continued...

Barbecue Bob Vol 2 1928 - 1929

Barbecue Bob (Robert Hicks), vocal, twelve-string guitar

Nellie Florence, vocal; accompanied by Barbecue Bob, twelve-string guitar (two tracks)

Genre: Country blues from Atlanta, Georgia.

Informative booklet notes written by Chris Smith.

Detailed discography.

Think of the "rural blues" or "country blues" from Atlanta in the late 1920s and it is more than likely that the sound of the iconic twelve-string guitar comes to mind. One of the undisputable "Kings of the twelve-string" from the Atlanta area was Blind McTell (see Documents BDCD-6001, BDCD-6014 and the triple CD; DOCD-5677), yet, if there was such a thing as the guitar sound of Atlanta at the time, it was that of Robert Hicks, better known as Barbecue Bob and his brother Charlie also known as Laughing Charlie (see Document BDCD-6027).

Though Bob's guitar technique didn't have the same complexities and range as that of Willie Mctell, it was powerful, with the use of a hard, slapping, of the lower bass string, contrasted with the high ringing notes, produced, almost exclusively, on the high treble string. Usually, his accompaniments were delivered with a relentless, pulsating rhythm and this simple but winning formula was topped off by his dark, rich, captivating voice.

Barbecue Bob Vol 3 1929 - 1930

Barbecue Bob (Robert Hicks), vocal, twelve-string guitar.
Including: Charlie Lincoln (Charlie Hicks), vocal, twelve-string guitar; Curley Weaver, vocal, guitar; Buddy Moss, harmonica.

Genres: Country Blues, Georgia Blues, Bottleneck-slide Guitar, Country Blues Harmonica.
Informative booklet notes by Chris Smith.
Detailed discography.

Columbia’s field recording trips to the South took place twice a year from 1925 to 1930, in the spring and the late fall; having collected eight songs (of which they issued six) from Barbecue Bob in November 1929, they returned as usual in April 1930. On this occasion, Bob’s brother Charlie Lincoln made his only recorded appearance under his real name on the comic dialogues Darktown Gamblin’, which were credited to Robert & Charlie Hicks. Barbecue Bob was still a hot property as far as Columbia were concerned... Continued...

My Babe - Document Shortcuts Volume 3. Blues sampler
Following hot on the heals of the great success of Shortcuts Volume 1, Document are proud to present the double whammy release of Shortcuts Volume 2 and Shortcuts Volume 3.