H-Bomb Ferguson
| H-Bomb Ferguson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Robert Percell Ferguson |
| Also known as | Bob Ferguson |
| Born |
May 9, 1929 Torest, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | November 26, 2006 (aged 77) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | Rhythm and blues, jump blues |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, bandleader |
| Years active | 1948–2006 |
| Labels | Derby, Savoy, Federal, others |
Robert Percell "Bob" Ferguson (May 9, 1929 – November 26, 2006), who performed as H-Bomb Ferguson, was an American jump blues singer. He was an early pioneer of the rock and roll style of the mid-1950s, featuring driving rhythm, intensely shouted vocals, honking tenor saxophone solos, and outlandish personal appearance. Ferguson sang and played piano in a flamboyant style, wearing colorful wigs.
Born in Torest, Charleston County, South Carolina, he was the eleventh of twelve children. His father was a Baptist preacher who paid for piano lessons for his son, on condition he learned sacred melodies. But Ferguson had other ideas. "After church was over, while the people was all standing outside talking, me and my friends would run back inside and I'd play the blues on the piano." At the age of 19, he was on the road with Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers. They moved to New York, where Ferguson branched off on his own, getting a gig at the nightclub Baby Grand Club in Harlem, billed as "The Cobra Kid."
A blues shouter, he first recorded as Bob Ferguson in New York in 1950, for Derby Records, whose drummer Jack "The Bear" Parker (according to most sources) gave him the nickname "H-Bomb" and became his manager. His debut was followed by releases on Atlas and Prestige, before he signed a recording contract with Savoy Records in 1951. Several saxophone-driven singles followed, in the style of Wynonie Harris, and "Good Lovin'" was at least regionally successful though it failed to reached the national charts.
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