Barbecue Bob – 'Chocolate to the Bone'

 

In 1926 Robert Hicks a.k.a. "Barbecue Bob" (1902–1931) was working at Tidwell's Barbecue Place in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a top-notch barbecue cook, and entertained the patrons, by singing and playing his guitar.

Being somewhat of a local sensation, he caught the attention of Columbia Record's Dan Hornsby.  "Barbecue Bob" would go on to recorded over sixty sides for Columbia Records and became one of the best-selling artists on their 'race series', outsold only by Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters and Blind Willie Johnson.

Sadly, Barbecue Bob died in Lithonia, Georgia on October 21, 1931, from a combination of tuberculosis and pneumonia brought on by influenza.  He was just 29 years old...

"Barbecue Bob" played in the style of what ethnomusicologist, folklorist and record producer Peter B. Lowry termed "Piedmont Blues".

Bob's twelve-string guitar is instantly recognizable from the first few notes characterized by a heavy percussive style, using a frailing technique that is more often associated with the "claw hammer" style of banjo playing.  Often, Bob also used a bottleneck slide

Bob's warm and expressive voice, is immediately accessible, almost 'pop' sounding and created a vibe which was jaunty and upbeat in comparison to the morbid and foreboding songs of the Delta blues singers of the time.

The material on 'Chocolate to the Bone' covers everything from topical songs about local events/disasters, blues/gospel standards, to his experiences with women, zoological analogies and moral tales.

"Barbecue Bob" was a true innovator in his time, and this compilation gives proof that his music is certainly some of the most engaging early blues that you are likely to hear.

The source '78s are from the collections of blues historian Don Kent and Nick Perls who's an audio engineer, the founder and owner of Yazoo Records and also Blue Goose Records.

Yazoo's remastering by Robert Vosgien is nicely done, with judicious use of noise reduction and de-clicking left to a minimum.  Thankfully, there's no CEDAR (noise reduction software) logo anywhere on the packaging.  CEDAR and other noise reduction can, and usually does, reduce the dynamic range of the source material.  Actually, I like seeing on the CEDAR logo on the back of a CD, as it tells me "Don't buy this CD".

Even if you've never heard Bob, you'll already know some of the songs, Rock fans will know, "Motherless Chile Blues" and "Going Up The Country".

'Chocolate to the Bone' is absolutely the real deal. 

For the freeload, tell us what was your favorite candy or chocolate bar, when you were a child.