Under the Hood: Barbecue Bob’s Birthday!

In 1994, Eric Clapton made his twelfth studio album, called FROM THE CRADLE. And it was his first attempt at an all blues record. Some of the songs were standards, like “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “How Long Blues,” and “It Hurts Me Too.” But he also reached way back into the blues catalog for a number from Barbecue Bob Hicks, first recorded in 1927.
Bob got his nickname because he was a cook in a barbecue joint in Georgia. Clapton was probably attracted to Barbecue Bob’s unusual flailing 12 string guitar playing, a style he emulates to good effect. Here is Eric Clapton and “Motherless Child.”