Winky Hicks

James "Winky" Hicks (born c. 1953)[1] is a bluegrass musician and instrument maker from Grove Hill, Alabama.[1]

Hicks started playing guitar at the age of 7.[2] He learned to play bluegrass by watching his father play and picked up techniques by listening to Earl Scruggs and others on the Grand Ole Opry.[2] An uncle gave him the "Winky" nickname.[1]

Hicks is a regular at fiddlers festivals, where he plays the banjo[3] with his band, the Frontier Bluegrass.[4]

He started making bluegrass string instruments in 2000.[5] By 2019 he had constructed more than 200 mandolins, banjos, fiddles, and guitars.[6] In 2011, he was named a "Black Belt Treasured Artist" by the Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center, a non-profit from Camden, Alabama.[7] In 2019, he built a guitar, painted by a local artist, to commemorate Alabama's 2018 national championship; the guitar, signed by Nick Saban, fetched $3,500 in an auction with proceeds going to Saban's charity, Nick's Kids.[8]

He also makes turkey yelpers.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Tolkkinen, Karen (2004-02-01). "Grove Hill Music Maker: Winky Hicks builds other instruments, too, but those are his exquisite mandolins you hear on albums by some of Nashville's biggest stars". Press-Register. Archived from the original on 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  2. ^ a b Herod, Jim (25 April 2019). "In the beginning, there was Winky". The Clarke County Democrat. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Winky wins". Clarke County Democrat. July 24, 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  4. ^ Rainer, David (1997-03-16). "Hicks uses banjo, turkey call to make music". Press-Register. Archived from the original on 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  5. ^ Drinkard, Carolyn (2022-06-02). "A Treasure Forever. Young musician makes long drive for Hicks-made mandolin". The Clarke County Democrat. Archived from the original on 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  6. ^ Herod, Jim (25 April 2019). "In the beginning, there was Winky". The Clarke County Democrat. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Winky Hicks named a Black Belt Treasured Artist". Thomasville Times. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  8. ^ "A guitar for Coach Saban". Clarke County Democrat. June 13, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "Celebrating art in the heart of Alabama's Black Belt". AL.com. January 29, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  10. ^ "James "Winky" Hicks". Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
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