The latest installment in my The Atlanta Bluesmen series tells the bittersweet story of Barbecue Bob and his brother Laughing Charley Lincoln, whose real names were Robert and Charlie Hicks. The two grew up in rural Georgia near Curley Weaver, whose mother taught them all how to play guitar. Moving to Atlanta in the 1920s, Robert and Charlie began playing 12-string guitars and making 78s for Columbia Records. A fine singer and slide player, Barbecue Bob became Columbia?s best-selling bluesman. At his last session, in 1930, he recorded the beloved Georgia Cotton Pickers 78s. A year later, he died at age 29. Laughing Charley also made 78s, but had a wicked temper and much darker personality. He died in prison after murdering a man. Luckily, their records live on and provide us some of the finest examples of prewar Georgia blues. Samuel Charters, one of the first great blues writers, allowed me to use his research for this article, which is posted here:
http://jasobrecht.com/atlanta-bluesmen-barbecue-bob-laughing-charley-lincoln/
