Walter “Buddy Boy” Hawkins was an American country blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. While his exact origin is unconfirmed, historians suggest Alabama or the northern Mississippi Delta. In 1927, he was discovered singing in Birmingham by Harry Charles of Paramount Records. Hawkins recorded 12 tracks between 1927 and 1929, including his debut single “Number Three Blues” backed with “Snatch It Back Blues”. His technique featured open A tuning and sophisticated fingerpicking, with some scholars suggesting Flamenco influences from his time in Europe during World War I. Many of his lyrics focused on railroads and hobo life. In 1929, he recorded “Snatch It and Grab It” with Charley Patton in Jackson, Mississippi. His records sold poorly, and his life after 1929 is undocumented. His work was compiled on Buddy Boy Hawkins and His Buddies (1968) and Complete Recorded Works 1927–1929 (1991).
