McCollum was born in
Helena, Arkansas on November 30, 1909. He left home at an early age and became a busking musician. After a period traveling through southern
Mississippi, he settled for a time in
Memphis, Tennessee, where he played with local orchestras and musicians, such as the
Memphis Jug Band. A particular influence during this period was
Houston Stackhouse, from whom he learned to play
slide guitar and with whom he performed on the radio in
Jackson, Mississippi. After further travels through Mississippi, he found it advisable to take his mother's name. As Robert Lee McCoy, he moved to
St. Louis, Missouri, in the mid-1930s. This led to two recording dates in 1938, the four musicians recording together at the
Victor Records studio in
Aurora, Illinois. He also recorded under his own name, including "Prowling Night-Hawk" (recorded May 5, 1937), from which he took his later pseudonym. He recorded Kansas City Red's song "The Moon Is Rising". McCoy became a familiar voice on local radio stations, including
WROX. A teenaged
Ike Turner joined his band as a
roadie in
Clarksdale, Mississippi. Robert Lee McCoy disappeared in the mid-1940s. Within a few years, he resurfaced in 1948 as the electric
slide guitarist Robert Nighthawk and began recording for
Aristocrat and
Chess Records. The latter was also
Muddy Waters' label. In 1949 and 1950, Nighthawk and Waters' styles were close enough that they competed for promotional activity. Waters was more marketable, as he was more reliable and a more confident stage performer, gaining him the attention. In 1949, Nighthawk released the single "Annie Lee Blues"/"
Black Angel Blues" on Aristocrat. The single was released under the name 'The Nighthawks', who were Nighthawk, pianist Ernest Lane, and bassist
Willie Dixon. Nighthawk recorded his final session for Chess (formerly Aristocrat) in 1950. He also continued giving live performances on Chicago's
Maxwell Street until 1964.{{cite book He had a
stroke followed by a heart attack and died of
heart failure at his home in
Helena, Arkansas on November 5, 1967, aged 57. He is buried in Magnolia Cemetery, in Helena. ==Legacy==