Chicago Bob

The story of Chicago Bob and the Shadows begins on July 4, 1944, with the birth of Robert Lee Nelson – the man soon to be known as “Chicago Bob” – in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Bob’s father, Versie Nelson, was an upright bassist and harmonica player, and encouraged Bob to pick up the harmonica while also regularly bringing him to clubs, outdoor parties, fish fries, and other events that generally had some form of music. Bob would then spend most of his childhood studying the instrument, including with bluesmen such as Lazy Lester and Slim Harpo.

Bob would eventually move to Chicago in the 1960’s, though he had often spent his summers there prior to this move. Here he would play regular gigs, and was even able to play with names such as Muddy Waters, Earl Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, and more. Waters would even be the one to give him the nickname “Chicago Bob” due to how frequently he could be found sitting in at blues gigs throughout the city. Despite this frequency of playing, Bob would eventually leave Chicago, first for Boston then Cincinnati, then later for Atlanta

It is in Atlanta that we see the formation of the Shadows, though at this time it is with a band called Dry Ice, which had later Shadows guitarist and bassist J.T. Speed and El Rog. Bob would gig with Dry Ice, as well as several other bands before finally deciding he needed a band to really accentuate his own unique sound. At this, he would contact Speed and Rog, and found the Shadows in 1985. They proved to be a popular group, and by 1986 they had become the house band at Blind Willie’s in Atlanta.

Following their 1987 recording with High Water, the Shadows recorded CD’s with multiple other labels, including Ichiban, Planisphere, and Kingsnake. On top of this, they would tour the US and Europe extensively, as well as visit Australia and the Caribbean. Despite the success, however, Chicago Bob and the Shadows would split, though each would continue to have successful careers for years to come.