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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZHICKS, Dan(b 9 December 1941, Little Rock AR; d 6 February 2016) Vocalist, songwriter; played guitar and drums. Moved to Santa Rosa CA in his teens, influenced by big-band jazz during high school years; joined the Charlatans, one of the first of the San Francisco rock groups. Under the influence of Django Reinhardt he formed the Hot Licks, signed to Epic as Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks, with female vocal backing group the Lickettes. Original Recordings '70 was followed by an unreleased LP; he switched to Blue Thumb for live Where's The Money '71, Striking It Rich '72 and Last Train To Hicksville '73. The first two of these included sparkling versions of 'Canned Music' and 'I Scare Myself' (about being afraid to fall in love), the latter a tour de force for violinist 'Symphony' Sid Page, who was also featured on the Epic LP. These albums explored swing and vocal jazz in a rock context similar to later work by Manhattan Transfer and the Pointer Sisters but in a gutsier way; he came to call his music 'folk swing', having acoustic integrity at a time when other bands were getting louder. 'Walkin' One And Only' from Striking It Rich had been covered by Maria Muldaur on her hit eponymous LP on Reprise '70. It Happened One Bite '78 on WB was an intended soundtrack for a film never released. Hicks worked as a cartoonist (e.g. on California's B.A.M. magazine). Page's session work included an Ute Lemper album Crimes Of The Heart '89; Hicks, Page and Lickette Naomi Ruth Eisenberg reunited to re-record 'Canned Music' and a new Hicks song for the soundtrack of Class Action '90. Meanwhile Hicks had formed a new group '86: Dan Hicks and the Acoustic Warriors made Shootin' Straight '94 on On the Spot, recorded live at McCabe's Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, with his usual rich mix of stylistic references; then he revived the Hot Licks name. He was admired by other musicians: Beatin' The Heat 2000 included guests Bette Midler, Elvis Costello and Tom Waits; Selected Shorts 2004 had Willie Nelson and Jimmy Buffett. |