Sam Carr's father was Robert Nighthawk, a 1930s blues guitarist and vocalist who made the song "Sweet Black Angel" famous. Early in his career Mr. Carr often played with his father.
23 track selection of sides Nighthawk recorded for Chess, United and States between 1948 and 1952. Across the tracks presented here are top blues musicians such as Roosevelt Sykes, Sunnyland Slim, Willie Dixon, Brownie McGhee and Pinetop Perkins.
Ernest Lane passed away on July 8, 2012. He was first contacted close to ten years prior when writing the notes to the CD Prowling With The Nighthawk, a collection of classic sides by Robert Nighthawk, a few of which featured Ernest. In 2004 Ernest issued his belated debut, The Blues Is Back!, and was interviewed on the Bad Dog Blues radio show, with a return studio visit in 2008. In 2010 Steve Grills put out the excellent After Hours featuring Ernest. Last year Ernest was the cover story for a Juke Blues profile and was featured soon after in Living Blues.
Ernest has had his own bands throughout the years although he's probably best known for his work with folks like Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker and his lifelong pal Ike Turner. He cut his first record under his own name for Blues & Rhythm in 1952, "What's Wrong Baby" b/w "Little Girl, Little Girl." As for his session work, Ernest appears on the July 1949 Robert Nighthawk session and it was either him or Sunnyland Slim on the September 1948 session. Ernest also recalls playing on Earl Hooker's 1969 album Sweet Black Angel. In 1969 he did some studio work with Canned Heat. More recently he appeared on records by Eddie Clearwater and Ike Turner.
During a trip to Toronto in 1965, Nighthawk recorded five songs in a small Toronto studio. One of these sides, "Kansas City", was first issued in 2006 on Canada's Stony Plain label on "30 Years of Stony Plain." In 2011 Stony Plain issued "35 Years of Stony Plain" with four more sides from this session. These sides were previously unknown and do not appear in blues discographies. Richard Flohil, one of the folks responsible for bringing Nighthawk to Canada, described how he received the tapes as a birthday present from Beverly Lewis decades later and passed them to Stony Plain, where restoration engineer Peter Moore salvaged five tracks from the damaged recordings.
The 2009 Chicago Blues Festival paid tribute to Robert Nighthawk on his 100th Anniversary. Among those who performed were Ernest Lane, who recorded with Robert Nighthawk on "Anna Lee Blues" and "Black Angel Blues" in 1949 for Aristocrat Records. Backing Lane was Steve Grills on guitar with the Kings of Rhythm Band.
2009 Chicago Blues Festival Flyer (Click to Enlarge)
Sam Carr's headstone in Dundee, Mississippi
From the NY Times obituary: Sam Carr, a drummer who was considered an anchor of the Delta blues scene, died Monday. He was 83. The cause was congestive heart failure. Mr. Carr had a reputation as one of the best blues drummers in the country, but he made his living in the Mississippi Delta where he was raised. At various times, he had backed major performers like Sonny Boy Williamson II and Buddy Guy. Mr. Carr's father was Robert Nighthawk, a 1930s blues guitarist and vocalist who made the song "Sweet Black Angel" famous. Early in his career Mr. Carr often played with his father. Mr. Carr was born Samuel Lee McCollum in 1926 near Marvell, Ark. His name was changed after he was adopted as a toddler by a Mississippi family with a farm near Dundee. He returned to Mississippi in the early 1960s and formed the Jellyroll Kings.
This DVD and CD set includes the classic 1964 documentary, AND THIS IS FREE, an intimate slice of life portrait capturing all the characters and flavor of Maxwell Street. It also includes the film MAXWELL STREET — A LIVING MEMORY, a captivating look at the area's early days. The bonus CD features Maxwell Street blues fixtures including Robert Nighthawk, Baby Face Leroy, Floyd Jones, J.B. Hutto, and many more. Read a review.
On Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 2:00 PM, the Mississippi Blues Commission and the Clarksdale/Coahoma Tourism Commission honored blues legend Robert Lee "Nighthawk" McCollum. The ceremony took place at the Hirsberg Drug Store located at 649 2nd Street in Friars Point, MS.
During Nighthawk's time, blues musicians (including the legendary Robert Johnson) played at juke joints and house parties in Friars Point as well as in front of stores, such as Hirsberg's on Second Street. Sometimes merchants hired musicians to attract crowds of potential customers; other times performers would just set up on the sidewalks and play for tips. According to drug store owner Robert Hirsberg, the merchants sometimes complained when the crowds were so thick that no one could get into or out of the stores — especially in the 1940s when Friars Point was a bustling center of river commerce and a weekend shopping mecca for residents of the countryside.