Barbecue Bob

Barbecue Bob (Robert Hicks, Walnut Grove, Georgia, September 11, 1902 – Lithonia, Georgia, October 21, 1931) was an American Piedmont blues musician. 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.

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.