Robert Lee McCollum (November 30, 1909 – November 5, 1967) was an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

musician who played and recorded under the pseudonyms Robert Lee McCoy and Robert Nighthawk. He was the father of the blues musician Sam Carr. Nighthawk was inducted into the

Blues Hall of Fame The Blues Hall of Fame is a music museum operated by the Blues Foundation at 421 S. Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee. Initially, the "Blues Hall of Fame" was not a physical building, but a listing of people who have significantly contributed to b ...

in 1983.

Life and career

McCollum was born in

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phil ...

on November 30, 1909. He left home at an early age and became a busking musician. After a period traveling through southern

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

, he settled for a time in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

, where he played with local orchestras and musicians, such as the Memphis Jug Band. A particular influence during this period was Houston Stackhouse, from whom he learned to play

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

and with whom he performed on the radio in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city sits on the Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana), Pearl River and is locate ...

. After further travels through Mississippi, he found it advisable to take his mother's name. As Robert Lee McCoy, he moved to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, in the mid-1930s. Local musicians with whom he played included Henry Townsend,

Big Joe Williams Joseph Lee Williams (October 16, 1903 – December 17, 1982) was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar. Performing over five decades, he recorded the songs "Baby, Pl ...

, and Sonny Boy Williamson. This led to two recording dates in 1938, the four musicians recording together at the

Victor Records The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer, incorporated in 1901. Victor was an independent enterprise until 1929 when it was purchased by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and became ...

studio in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River west of Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, second-most populous city in Illinois, with a popul ...

. He also recorded under his own name, including "Prowling Night-Hawk" (recorded 5 May 1937), from which he took his later pseudonym. These sessions led to the other musicians pursuing

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...

careers. But McCoy continued his rambling life, playing and recording (for Victor/

Bluebird Records Bluebird Records is an American record label best known for its low-cost releases, primarily of children's music, blues, jazz and swing in the 1930s and 1940s. Bluebird was founded in 1932 as a lower-priced subsidiary label of RCA Victor. Bluebi ...

and

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

) solo and with various other musicians, under various names. Kansas City Red was his drummer from the early 1940s to around 1946. He recorded Kansas City Red's song "The Moon Is Rising". McCoy became a familiar voice on local radio stations, including WROX. A teenaged

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

joined his band as a roadie in

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19t ...

. Robert Lee McCoy disappeared in the mid-1940s. Within a few years, he resurfaced in 1948 as the electric

ist Robert Nighthawk and began recording for

Aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

and

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock an ...

. The latter was also

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

' label. In 1949 and 1950, Nighthawk and Waters' styles were close enough that they competed for promotional activity. Waters was more marketable, as he was more reliable and a more confident stage performer, gaining him the attention. In 1949, Nighthawk released the single "Annie Lee Blues"/" Black Angel Blues" on Aristocrat. The single was released under the name 'The Nighthawks', who were Nighthawk, pianist Ernest Lane, and bassist

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

. "Annie Lee Blues" reached #13 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart on December 31, 1949. Nighthawk recorded his final session for Chess (formerly Aristocrat) in 1950. He continued to perform and record, taking up with United Records and States Records 1951 and 1952, but did not achieve great commercial success. In 1963, Nighthawk was rediscovered busking in Chicago. This led to further recording sessions and club dates and to his return to Arkansas, where he performed on the radio program '' King Biscuit Time'', on KFFA. He also continued giving live performances on Chicago's

Maxwell Street Maxwell Street is an east–west street in Chicago, Illinois, that intersects with Halsted Street just south of Roosevelt Road. It runs at 1330 South in the numbering system running from 500 West to 1126 West.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee (1988). ...

until 1964. He had a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

followed by a heart attack and died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

at his home in

on November 5, 1967, aged 57. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery, in Helena.

Legacy

Nighthawk was elected into the

in 1983. In 2007, The Mississippi Blues Commission honored Nighthawk with a historical marker in Friars Point, Mississippi, on the

Mississippi Blues Trail The Mississippi Blues Trail was created by the Mississippi Blues Commission in 2006 to place interpretive markers at the most notable historical sites related to the birth, growth, and influence of the blues throughout (and in some cases beyond) t ...

.
The marker was placed at Friars Point because Nighthawk called the town his home at various times in his itinerant career. He recorded the song "Friars Point Blues" in 1940.

Recordings

* ''Bricks in My Pillow'', 1977 (Delmark) reissue of 1951 and 1952 United recordings * ''Prowling with the Nighthawk'' (Document), 26 sides recorded for Bluebird, Decca, Aristocrat, and United from 1937 to 1952, including "My Sweet Lovin' Woman" (which he wrote under his given name, Robert McCollum) * ''Ramblin' Bob'' (Saga), 24 tracks recorded for Victor, Decca, Chess, and United from 1937 to 1952 * ''Live on Maxwell Street (1964)'', as Robert Nighthawk and His Flames of Rhythm (reissued by Rounder Records, 1980, 1991; some versions include an extended interview with Nighthawk) * ''The Aristocrat of the Blues'', MCA/Chess CHD2-9387 * ''Sweet Black Angel (And More Chicago Blues)'', Jasmine JASMCD-3164

References

Sources and external links

"Bricks in My Pillow"
– The Robert Nighthawk Story *Jean Buzelin, liner notes to ''Ramblin' Bob'' (Saga Blues, 2004) *Joel Snow,

nighthawk.sundayblues.org. Accessed November 17, 2022. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nighthawk, Robert 1909 births 1967 deaths American blues singers American blues harmonica players American blues guitarists American male guitarists American street performers Mississippi Blues Trail St. Louis blues musicians United Records artists Decca Records artists RCA Victor artists Bluebird Records artists Chess Records artists Country blues musicians Juke Joint blues musicians Delmark Records artists Blues musicians from Arkansas 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers Singers from Arkansas Guitarists from Arkansas People from Helena, Arkansas People from Friars Point, Mississippi 20th-century American male musicians