A Clarksdale, Friars Point, Lula, Helena-regular... Slide guitar playing Robert Nighthawk's voice was just as memorable as his six-string. (He also fathered legendary Delta drummer Sam Carr.)
 
Something of a missing link between Delta and Chicago blues, Robert Nighthawk never garnered as much attention as his followers, who included Earl Hooker and Muddy Waters. That's a shame, partly rectified by this reissue from Delmark Records, though the guitarist's rambling way of life meant that his sessions were few and far between. That makes the material on this collection all the more precious; the tracks on Bricks in My Pillow include some of the best slide guitar ever recorded. Listen to Nighthawk's guitar wailing on "Crying Won't Help You" or" The Moon Is Rising" (two takes, one previously unissued, are included here), coupled with a rich, resonant voice that sounds equally at home on ballads and uptempo rockers. Though Nighthawk's name isn't often uttered in the same sentence as those of other blues greats, it indubitably should be.  -- Genevieve Williams