John Arthur Hickman (born September 10, 1959) is an American

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

best known as the

lead guitarist Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featured ...

and co-founder of the rock band

Cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...

Biography

Early years

Hickman is a native of Redlands in

San Bernardino County San Bernardino County (), officially the County of San Bernardino, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 2,181, ...

in California's

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County to the west. It includes the cities o ...

. Prior to his tenure in Cracker, Hickman had stints in various California bands including The Unforgiven and The Dangers. In the early 1990s, he co-founded Cracker with childhood friend, David Lowery. His often imitated signature sound, influenced by punk rock, surf guitar and "Bakersfield Country" sound, is played on a 1977 Les Paul guitar. In addition to his role with Cracker, Hickman engages in solo work and various side projects such as the Hickman-Dalton Gang (a collaboration with Jim Dalton of

Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers is an American rock band from Tempe, Arizona. History Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers formed after a lineup shift of The Refreshments, a rock band active in the 1990s known for their top radio hit, " Banditos, ...

and

The Railbenders The Railbenders are an American country band formed in Denver, Colorado in 2000 by Jim Dalton and Tyson Murray. Westword Music Showcase named The Railbenders to be Denver's Top Country/Roots act in 2002 and 2003, they were also named "Best of the ...

), All Thumbs Trio (with

Chuck Garvey Chuck Garvey is one of two guitarists for the American rock band moe. His playing has been influenced by Frank Zappa, Mick Ronson, David Bowie, Pete Townshend, Andy Summers, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He lives in the Cincinnati, Ohio ar ...

and Gibb Droll) and Crazysloth, an Arizona-based band. He has one full film score to his credit (''River Red'' (1998)), and several of the songs that he has co-written with David Lowery have been used in films. In 2005, Hickman released his first solo album, ''Palmhenge''. On July 3, 2012 he released his second solo album, ''Tilting''.

Filmography

*1994 ''The Cowboy Way'' - writer: "Blue Danube Blues" *1995 ''White Man's Burden'' - writer: "How Can I Live Without You" *1996 ''The Cable Guy'' - writer: "Get Outta My Head" *1998 ''Origin of the Species'' - writer: "I Hate My Generation" *1998 ''River Red'' - composer

References

External links

*
Johnny Hickman's official siteJohnny Hickman's "Road" BlogCracker's official siteRiver Red (1998)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickman, Johnny American rock guitarists American male guitarists Guitarists from California 1956 births Living people People from Greater Los Angeles 20th-century American guitarists Cracker (band) members 20th-century American male musicians