- Jon Hicks
Jon Hicks, born in
North East England in 1971, is a folkmusician . He playsjig s and reels on acoustic guitar, utilizing various alternate tunings — particularlyDADGAD . He is a notable flatpicker and fingerstyle guitarist, as well as being an interesting songwriter.Jon had an unusually nomadic early childhood, living as he did in
Cumbria ,Africa andPortsmouth . He left home at age 15 and spent his teenage yearsbusking throughout Europe in the company of musicians, clowns, street performers and travellers.Jon was a member of the '
The Big Geraniums ', a band that formed inCovent Garden , London in 1989, and that then set off on an impromptu tour of theLake District before settling inIreland in the early 90's. It was in the west of Ireland that Jon met up and recorded two albums with 'Gan Ainm' aGalway -based traditional Irish group featuringDerek O'Shea on flute,Declan Corey onmandolin andbouzouki andFrank Ryan onbodhran . The albums are called: 'Over the Boundary' (1992) and 'Wilds of the World' (1993) both of which feature his own songs.Jon's first solo recording began in late 1993 with 'The Tales They Told' a Homegrown records production in Galway City, Ireland.
After being invited to record a solo album in San Francisco by record label TallTree Records he recorded 'Chasing the Bear' in 1995 featuring
Paddy Keenan on uillean pipes andNiamh Parsons on harmony vocals.Jon moved back to
Ireland in 1996 and became a member of 'Lia Luachra ' theDublin based quartet featuringTrisha Hutton on fiddle,Shane Bracken onconcertina and Declan Corey on mandolin. Lia Luachra were a short lived but well received quartet who made two albums of traditional and original material: 'Lia Luachra' and 'Traffic'.External links
* [http://www.celticguitar.com/jonhicks/ Celtic Guitar]
* [http://downfolk.tripod.com/lia_luachra.htm Lia Luachra]
* [http://www.tradmusic.com/artistinfo.asp?artistID=669 Trad Music - Jon Hicks]
* [http://www.wexlive.com/strawberry/highlights04.html Festival Review]
* [http://www.jonhicks.net Official Website]
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