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Robert Hokum/ Bob Salmons

1951-2024

Robert Hokum (a stage name) was the alter-ego of Bob Salmons
the founder of the Ealing Blues Festival and the Director of

The Ealing Club Community Interest Company.

Born and raised in Ealing, he lived in Twickenham with

his wife and two daughters and played with the band The
Great West Groove.

A versatile musician, he performed all styles of blues from the 1920’s

to the present day and was even known on occasion, to do some rapping .

He played blues music with musicians

from all corners of the earth. Along the
way he flirted with just about every
musical interpretation of the blues on

the face of the earth.

In addition to founding the Ealing Blues
Festival, he helped raise heritage

plaques to Brit Blues heroes and in so
doing contributed to Ealing's long
overdue recognition as 'The Cradle of
British Rock'.

Always up for ‘different’ he even
appeared on the Ivor Biggun album

“Partners in Grime” along with
Screaming Lord Sutch, Judge Dread and
Captain Sensible.

One consequence of that was that Blues
In Britain described his music as
‘schizophrenic’ and more recently the

March issue of Classic Rock Blues
Magazine described his current band
(Devil Drives) as being ‘forward thinking’.

As Bob put it on his website, “I play the blues, but my definition of ‘the blues’ may be
a lot different to other people’s definition of ‘the blues”

For a number years Bob struggled valiantly with Motor Neuron Disease. According
to his family in a Facebook post “He passed away peacefully in his sleep”.

Ian K McKenzie