At the age of 10,
country music artist James Dean Hicks began making the trip from his home on a
farm near Bardstown, Kentucky, to the big-city streets of Nashville. There he
appeared regularly on the "WSM Midnight Jamboree" with the Grand Ole
Opry greats, including
Ernest Tubb and
Hank Snow. By the time he was 13, James
had opened concerts for
Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, George Jones and
Tammy Wynette.
From this almost
legendary beginning, James has traveled on to success as one of America's
premier songwriter/artist!
Two of James' compositions --
"It Takes a Little Rain (To Make Love Grow)" and
"This
Crazy Love" -- became
#1 hits for the
Oak Ridge Boys. Then came
"Goodbye Time" for
Conway Twitty, and
"Jesus and Mama",
recorded by
Confederate Railroad which became James' third
#1 hit,
followed closely by
Sammy Kershaw's chart-topper
"National Working Woman's
Holiday." James' song
"Grandpa Told Me So" soared up
the charts for
Kenny Chesney,
"The
Hole" was a hit by
Randy Travis and
"God Gave Me You" was a recent hit for
Bryan White. He also has written the title cut
"Sweet Kisses" for new pop
sensation,
Jessica Simpson, as well as,
"Life is a
Party" by the new teen heartthrob,
Aaron Carter.
The list of artists who
have recorded James Dean Hicks' songs is long. It includes
Crystal Gayle,
Charlie Daniels, Linda Davis, and Conway Twitty. Some of country's hottest
young performers are also well-represented on that list --
John Michael
Montgomery, Neal McCoy, Collin Raye, Lorrie Morgan, Bryan White, Skip Ewing,
and pop superstars, Aaron Neville and Tony Rich. (See the
Discography
page for the all-inclusive list.)
James was named after the actor James Dean. "It was always kind of hard living up to that
name," James says. "One of my brothers is named after John Wayne,
another one is named after Ernest Tubb. So I guess it could have been worse.
They could have named me after Doris Day."
"I always wanted to
sing and write songs," James recalls. "I used to sit on my swing on
the farm, and make up songs. Daddy gave me a guitar and I learned to play by
ear and from a chord book."
From age 10 until he was
16, James performed regularly at weekend jamborees. Then he decided he was
missing out on a regular childhood, so he laid his music performance career
aside to enjoy a normal teenage life. "One night some of my high school
buddies tossed me in the back seat of their car and started blasting AC/DC on
the radio. I had never heard that kind of music before. I really got into
Journey, AC/DC and Bob Seger, and those artists have influenced my music. I
literally went from Conway Twitty to AC/DC overnight. It was the best shock my
music career could have had."
After earning a music degree in college, the next
logical step for James was to move to Nashville to pursue his childhood dream
of becoming a professional artist/songwriter. "Staff writing
helped me learn my craft," James explains. "It helped me learn the
basics and how to knock the rough edges off, and taught me how to write from the heart about real life. The good thing is now I know how to put
those rough edges back on."
But there are no rough edges
in James Dean Hicks' music. His voice is as smooth as the fine Kentucky bourbon
distilled in his hometown. His songs recall the purity of sound and emotion
found in the best recordings of Dan Fogelburg, the down-home simplicity of
Merle Haggard and the creative edge of Don Henley. His live concerts are both captivating and riveting, as he takes
the listener on a musical journey through heartfelt ballads, traditional
country themes, and rocking anthems. "If anyone had to pick one word to describe my music, I hope it
would be 'honesty'. I want my work to have integrity."
This honesty shines
through James' compositions and touches universal emotions: lost love,
religious faith, single parenthood, straying children, enduring love. His
lyrics are complex and witty, poetic, yet simple.
James performs over 200
shows each year opening for many diverse acts, from Merle Haggard to Bryan
White, from the Romantics to the Keith Urban. He has a new video and single that
are both moving up the charts in Australia on a duet with New Sensation
Natalie Howard. The song is called "The Long Night."
"To me, the hope of
creating a classic is why I write and sing. It's the chance to create something that will out last your days on this earth. Finishing a great
song is the biggest thrill of all and then to see the emotion of that song
mirrored in the face of an audience brings it full circle."
