Robert Wilkins

Robert Wilkins (born 1896 in Hernando, Mississippi; died 1987 in Memphis, Tennessee) was a highly sophisticated pre-war country blues guitarist and vocalist. Based in Memphis, he was a fixture of the Beale Street scene during the 1920s and 1930s. Recording for Brunswick and Vocalion, Wilkins favored complex, polished fingerpicking arrangements over the raw slide techniques of his Delta contemporaries. His secular recordings, such as "That's No Way to Get Along" and "Rolling Stone," showcased a thoughtful, introspective lyrical style. In 1936, Wilkins largely left secular music to become an ordained minister in the Church of God in Christ. During the 1960s folk revival, he returned to performing, famously recording a reworked gospel version of "That's No Way to Get Along" titled "Prodigal Son," which was later faithfully covered by The Rolling Stones.