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Born in Newton, North Carolina, Hicks took up the fiddle after being dropped as the mandolin player in his brother's band. Self-taught, Hicks' perseverance paid off when he was brought into <a href="spotify:artist:64vAECmFoB6mi7n1zTRwR8">Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys</a> in 1954, earning Monroe's deep respect. In 1960, he moved on from Monroe to join <a href="spotify:artist:4PcLkq6IefIYiRWLXOfwKA">Porter Wagoner</a> for three years, after which he settled in Las Vegas as the bandleader for the <a href="spotify:artist:5Uj9cgCvpYJ7owzJGOCv8d">Judy Lynn</a> show, a position that kept him occupied until 1970.
On the road until 1975, Hicks finally chose to return to North Carolina, where he developed a friendship with <a href="spotify:artist:0uNC9XuH437fKCCMuzvSks">Ricky Skaggs</a> and released the well-regarded Texas Crapshooter in 1977 (reissued in 1994 by County Records). Darkness on the Delta, a twin fiddle set with <a href="spotify:artist:2hdWa1ITLNBBtU5CM0m2Jg">Kenny Baker</a>, followed in 1980, as did <a href="spotify:artist:0n0pcmxYdOHk1fl5gvWGiU">the Bluegrass Album Band</a>, a traditional bluegrass project that saw Hicks joining guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:6N9hyojoLChEhlsS8vYnyr">Tony Rice</a> and others. Hicks left the informal band in the four years between the production of The Bluegrass Album, Vol. 4 and The Bluegrass Album, Vol. 5, but returned for 1996's The Bluegrass Album, Vol. 6.
In 1981, Hicks was drafted into the Ricky Skaggs Band, which evolved into <a href="spotify:artist:7wYEs2F2dHz3VuIJdYqn7K">Kentucky Thunder</a> over the years, with Hicks being the only original member left. While remaining a member of the <a href="spotify:artist:0uNC9XuH437fKCCMuzvSks">Skaggs</a> recording and touring unit, Hicks continued to play on sessions, as well as recording and releasing the star-studded 1998 solo set Fiddle Patch, on which he used his then-standard five-string fiddle, a 1976 custom creation of the late Harvey Keck. Bobby Hicks died on August 16, 2024, at the age of 91. ~ Steven McDonald, Rovi
On the road until 1975, Hicks finally chose to return to North Carolina, where he developed a friendship with <a href="spotify:artist:0uNC9XuH437fKCCMuzvSks">Ricky Skaggs</a> and released the well-regarded Texas Crapshooter in 1977 (reissued in 1994 by County Records). Darkness on the Delta, a twin fiddle set with <a href="spotify:artist:2hdWa1ITLNBBtU5CM0m2Jg">Kenny Baker</a>, followed in 1980, as did <a href="spotify:artist:0n0pcmxYdOHk1fl5gvWGiU">the Bluegrass Album Band</a>, a traditional bluegrass project that saw Hicks joining guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:6N9hyojoLChEhlsS8vYnyr">Tony Rice</a> and others. Hicks left the informal band in the four years between the production of The Bluegrass Album, Vol. 4 and The Bluegrass Album, Vol. 5, but returned for 1996's The Bluegrass Album, Vol. 6.
In 1981, Hicks was drafted into the Ricky Skaggs Band, which evolved into <a href="spotify:artist:7wYEs2F2dHz3VuIJdYqn7K">Kentucky Thunder</a> over the years, with Hicks being the only original member left. While remaining a member of the <a href="spotify:artist:0uNC9XuH437fKCCMuzvSks">Skaggs</a> recording and touring unit, Hicks continued to play on sessions, as well as recording and releasing the star-studded 1998 solo set Fiddle Patch, on which he used his then-standard five-string fiddle, a 1976 custom creation of the late Harvey Keck. Bobby Hicks died on August 16, 2024, at the age of 91. ~ Steven McDonald, Rovi
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