Robert Nighthawk
b. Robert McCollum, 30 November 1909, Helena, Arkansas, USA, d. 5 November 1967, Helena, Arkansas, USA. Having left home in his early teens, McCollum initially supported himself financially by playing harmonica, but by the 30s had switched to guitar under the tutelage of Houston Stackhouse. The two musicians, together with Robert's brother Percy, formed a string band that was a popular attraction at local parties and gatherings. Robert left the south during the middle of the decade, allegedly after a shooting incident, and settled in St. Louis. He took the name Robert McCoy, after his mother's maiden name, and made contact with several Mississippi-born bluesmen, including Big Joe Williams and John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson. McCoy accompanied both on sessions for the Bluebird Records label, who then recorded the skilled guitarist in his own right. His releases included "Tough Luck" and the evocative "Prowlin' Nighthawk", which in turn engendered the artist's best-known professional surname.
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Albums
- (1952) Bricks In My Pillow
Top Tracks
- Black Angel Blues
- Nighthawk Boogie
- Kansas City
- Bricks In My Pillow
- Crowing Rooster Blues
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