Artist:Robert Nighthawk
Song:Goin' Down to Eli's
Album:Live on Maxwell Street 1964
Robert Nighthawk was a Mississippi Delta bluesman who started out in the 30s and was part of the 60s blues revival. He was born Robert Lee McCollum Nov. 30, 1908 in Helena, AR. He usually performed and recorded as Robert Nighthawk. But sometimes he used his real name or Robert Lee McCoy. Nighthawk left home at an early age and became a busker. So he travelled all over the south. He lived in Memphis for a while where he was in the Memphis Jug Band. He learned to play slide guitar from Houston Stackhouse and those two performed together on the radio. In the 30s he moved to St. Louis and called himself Robert Lee McCoy (his mother's maiden name). He played with Henry Townsend, Big Joe Williams and Sonny Boy Williamson. They recorded for RCA Victor in 1938. Nighthawk continued to travel around and in the 40s he recorded for Bluebird and Decca. Nighthawk moved to Chicago in 1948 and recorded for Aristocrat and Chess. But he was too similar to Muddy Waters and Nighthawk never got the same promotional push. So he left Chess but Nighthawk never had commercial success. He continued to perform and in 1964 he recorded an album called Live on Maxwell Street. Goin' Down to Eli's is from that album. Musicians are Johnny Young on guitar and Robert Whitehead on drums. This album was released by Bullseye Blues in 2000 and it's available as a digital download. Robert Nighthawk returned to Arkansas and after a stroke and a heart attack, he died on Nov. 5, 1967 at age 57. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1983. Here's Robert Nighthawk performing Goin' Down to Eli's on Maxwell Street in Chicago 1964.
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