His nickname came from the fact that he was a cook in a barbecue restaurant. One of the two extant photographs of Bob show him playing his guitar while wearing a full length white apron and cook's hat.
He and his brother, Charlie Hicks, together with Curley Weaver, were taught how to play the guitar by Curley's mother, Savannah "Dip" Weaver. Bob began playing the 6-string guitar but picked up the 12-string guitar after moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 1923–1924. He became one of the prominent performers of the newly developing early Atlanta blues style.
In Atlanta, Hicks worked a variety of jobs, playing music on the side. While working at Tidwells' Barbecue in a north Atlanta suburb, Hicks came to the attention of Columbia Records talent scout Dan Hornsby. Hornsby recorded him and decided to use Hicks's job as a gimmick, having him pose in chef's whites and hat for publicity photos and dubbing him "Barbecue Bob".
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. 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.
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 November 5, 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.
Bob developed a "flailing" or "frailing" style of playing guitar more often associated with the traditional clawhammer banjo (as did his brother, and, initially, Curley Weaver). He used a bottleneck regularly on his 12-string guitar, playing in an elemental style that relied on an open Spanish tuning reminiscent of Charley Patton. He had a strong voice that he embellished with growling and falsetto, and a percussive singing style.
Bob had some influence on Atlanta blues musicians such as the young Buddy Moss (who played harmonica with him on The Georgia Cotton Pickers recordings), but his way of playing was quickly overshadowed by the finger-picked Piedmont blues style that rose in popularity by the late 1920s/early 30s as can be heard in the development of the recordings of Curley Weaver.
Bob's elder brother, Charley, also played blues and was recorded by Columbia under the name "Laughing" Charley Lincoln. However, he never received the same acclaim as his brother.
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.
From the first, Barbecue Bob's music was instantly recognisable, both for the characteristic guitar style and for his warm, nasal singing voice. He could sound fiercely involved with his material, as on Barbecue Blues, ironically detached, as he did when performing Mama You Don't Suit Me!, or crushed by rejection, alike on Crooked Woman Blues and the traditionally based How Long Pretty Mama. The two-part It Won't Be Long Now, in crosstalk and duet with Charlie, is probably an example of the kind of material Robert performed on the medicine show with which he is known to have visited the small town of Waycross, in southwest Georgia, about which he made up a blues.
Barbecue Bob's lyrics are remarkable for their blending of traditional formulae with a wry originality that is all his own. He was well acquainted with traditional songs; the content of Barbecue Blues and Motherless Chile Blues is almost proverbial, and the session where he cut versions of two well-known gospel songs also produced Easy Rider Don't You Deny My Name and a stunning account of Poor Boy A Long Ways From Home. Barbecue Bob rapidly impressed himself on his fans' minds as sharp, clever and original.
Bad Time Blues
Barbecue Bob Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bad times are fallin' me, tell the world the panic is on
I feel so disgusted, all the good times done gone
Everybody is crying, they can't get a break
Everybody is crying, they can't get a break
Tell me, what's the matter, everything seems too late
When you hear me howlin', then you know something's wrong
Bad time has got me, 't's why I sing this song
I can't make a nickel, I'm flat as I can be
I can't make a nickel, I'm flat as I can be
Some people say money is talkin', but it won't say a word to me
I ain't had a paycheck since the devil was a boy
I ain't had a paycheck since the devil was a boy
And if I get a real job, I'd pass out with joy
Bad times are fallin' me, I can't get a gal
Bad times are fallin' me, I can't get a gal
You know gals cost money, when she'll be your pal
Bad times are fallin' me, baby needs some shoes
Bad times are fallin' me, baby needs some shoes
I've had enough hangin' around, keep me singin' Bad Time Blues
In "Bad Time Blues," Barbecue Bob expresses his disappointment and frustration with the economic difficulties he is facing. He believes that bad times are coming, and he feels as though he has lost all of the good times that he once had. As he looks around him, he sees that everyone else seems to be going through similar difficulties. He questions what has caused this seemingly collective bad luck and bemoans the fact that he can't seem to catch a break.
Throughout the song, Barbecue Bob highlights the various ways in which his financial troubles have affected his life. He is unable to make any money, and he hasn't had a paycheck in a long time. Without any money, he can't even attract a girlfriend, and he can't provide for his baby's needs. He feels frustrated and hopeless, singing that bad times have him howlin' and singing the blues.
Overall, this song is a poignant reflection on the economic struggles that many people face, and the impact that those struggles can have on every aspect of one's life. Through the blues, Barbecue Bob is expressing his pain and his hopelessness, but in doing so, he is also giving voice to the struggles of many others who have found themselves in similar situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Bad time are fallin' me, tell the world the panic is on
I am experiencing a series of unfortunate events, and it's getting worse. Let everyone know that I am going through tough times.
I feel so disgusted, all the good times done gone
I am feeling hopeless as things have become very difficult. Good times are long gone and now I am disgusted by my current situation.
Everybody is crying, they can't get a break
Everyone is struggling to cope with the difficulties around them. It seems like nobody is able to catch a break.
Tell me, what's the matter, everything seems too late
I am so confused and frustrated with everything happening to me right now. It feels like it's too late to fix everything.
When you hear me howlin', then you know something's going on wrong
My wails signify that there's something terribly wrong with me. Something is causing me immense distress.
Bad time has got me, 't's why I sing this song
My horrible time has completely overwhelmed me, and that's the reason I wrote this song for everyone to know what I'm going through.
I can't make a nickel, I'm flat as I can be
I am completely broke, with no money at all. I am at my lowest point financially.
Some people say money is talkin', but it won't say a word to me
People say that money speaks, but I can't seem to make any money work for me. There's no financial respite in sight.
I ain't had a paycheck since the devil was a boy
I haven't received a salary in ages, and it feels like it has been a lifetime since my last paycheck.
And if I get a real job, I'd pass out with joy
If I managed to get a proper job, I'd be overjoyed and couldn't believe my luck.
Bad times are fallin' me, I can't get a gal
I am not able to find a girl because my circumstances aren't favorable. Poor financial condition makes it impossible to pursue love.
You know gals cost money, when she'll be your pal
Having a girlfriend is an expensive affair as it requires money to offer gifts and other things to make her happy.
Bad times are fallin' me, baby needs some shoes
My financial struggles are preventing me from fulfilling basic needs like buying shoes for my little one.
I've had enough hangin' around, keep me singin' Bad Time Blues
My sad song is the only thing that makes sense, and I will keep singing it until things get better. I am tired of waiting around and doing nothing.
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.