Robert Nighthawk

Robert Lee McCollum (November 30, 1909 – November 5, 1967) was an American blues 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 in 1983.

Life and career McCollum was born in Helena, Arkansas on November 30, 1909. He left home at an early age and became a busking musician. After a period traveling through southern Mississippi, he settled for a time in Memphis, Tennessee, 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 and with whom he performed on the radio in Jackson, Mississippi.

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, in the mid-1930s. This led to two recording dates in 1938, the four musicians recording together at the Victor Records studio in Aurora, Illinois. He also recorded under his own name, including "Prowling Night-Hawk" (recorded May 5, 1937), from which he took his later pseudonym. 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 joined his band as a roadie in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Robert Lee McCoy disappeared in the mid-1940s.

Within a few years, he resurfaced in 1948 as the electric slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk and began recording for Aristocrat and Chess Records. The latter was also Muddy Waters' 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. Nighthawk recorded his final session for Chess (formerly Aristocrat) in 1950. He also continued giving live performances on Chicago's Maxwell Street until 1964.

He had a stroke followed by a heart attack and died of heart failure 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