Bobby Hicks (born July 21, 1933) is a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

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American bluegrass fiddler and a professional musician with more than fifty years of experience.

Career

Hicks was born in

Newton, North Carolina Newton is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12,968. It is the county seat of Catawba County. Newton is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical ...

and learned to play the fiddle before he was 9 years old. He attended several fiddlers conventions and at the age of eleven, he won the "

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

State Championship" playing the tune "Black Mountain Rag". He joined Jim Eanes band in the early fifties. In 1953, he was, through the bluegrass festivals arranger

Carlton Haney Lawrence Carlton Haney (September 19, 1928 – March 16, 2011) was an American booking agent, festival promoter, and songwriter primarily active in bluegrass music. Once dubbed “The P.T. Barnum of Country Music” for his large personality, Ha ...

, hired as a bass player in

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

's Bluegrass Boys. He did not record with the Bluegrass Boys until December 31, 1954, by then he had switched to fiddle. During this period, he learned to play "Nashville swing" by the session fiddler Dale Potter, a style Hicks often used when playing with

on the road. Monroe dubbed Hicks ''"the truest fiddler he had ever heard"''. He recorded seven tunes with Monroe but had to quit in 1956 to join the army. In 1958, after his discharge, he rejoined the Bluegrass Boys, recording ten more songs. He left in 1959 to join

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

. Later in 1963, he moved to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

and became a fixture on the Judy Lynn Show for the next seven years. In 1981, he joined

Ricky Skaggs Rickie Lee Skaggs (born July 18, 1954), known professionally as Ricky Skaggs, is an American neotraditional country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, ...

, a stint that would last for 23 years. In the mid and late 1980s, he frequently performed with

on stage and on records. He was inducted into the "Fiddlers Hall of Fame" in 2002. He appeared as a member of "

Jesse McReynolds Jesse Lester McReynolds (born July 9, 1929) is an American bluegrass musician. He is best known for his innovative crosspicking and split-string styles of mandolin playing. Biography McReynolds was born in Coeburn, Virginia. He and his brothe ...

and the Virginia Boys" in 2003. The next year, he performed with "Hazel Creek". In 2004, he celebrated 50 years at the Grand Ole Opry. Bobby Hicks is a 10 time Grammy winner. His discography includes over 50 albums.

References

* ''Neil V.Rosenberg, Charles K. Wolfe, Bluegrass, Bill Monroe, Bear Family Publication, 1989.

External links

Bobby Hicks Teaches Fiddling, Vol. 1
1933 births Living people People from Newton, North Carolina American bluegrass fiddlers Country musicians from North Carolina 21st-century violinists Bluegrass Album Band members Kentucky Thunder members {{violinist-stub