Barbecue Bob was born in Walnut Grove on the 11th September 1905 and died October 21, 1931 at  the age of just 29. He was a blues vocalist and guitarist and got his name from the fact he was a cook in a barbecue restaurant. He was tought to play guitar by Culey Weaver's mother, Savannah "Dip" Weaver, with his bother Charlie Hicks.

Bob moved to Atlanta in 1923 and became a prominent performer of the Atlanta blues style.  He was discovered by a scout from Columbia Records and they decided to use his chef's outfit as a gimmick for publicity photos.  In 1927 Bob recorded "Barbecue Blues" which became a best seller for Columbia records, selling 15,000 copies and when he recorded "Mississippi Heavy Water Blues" he firmly established himself gaining considerable popularity and outselling other local blues artists.  Although a blues musician, Bob also recorded a few traditional and spiritual songs.

In 1931 Barbecue Bob becameill with Influenza which brought on pneumonia and this combined with tuberculosis led to his untimely death.