This original creator of "folk jazz" brings his own brand of western swing revival music to The Barns stage.

Country-rock icons Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks started performing in the late ’60s, with witty, lively concoctions of folk, country, western bluegrass, call-and-response vocals, swing, and even gypsy jazz. Their innovation shaped music from progressive country to western swing revival and cemented them as an offbeat icon to millions.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but raised in Santa Rosa, California, Hicks developed an interest in music at an early age. He started out as a drummer, playing gigs with local dance bands by the age of 14. Radio broadcasting piqued his interest when he snagged a spot on a daily local radio program, “Time Out for Teens.” Hicks followed this interest to San Francisco State College in 1959, where he pursued a degree in broadcasting. It was here that he first picked up a guitar, proving a natural and becoming part of the San Francisco folk music scene performing at local coffee houses.

Hicks joined the Charlatans, a San Francisco folk-rock group, and moved to Nevada to perform as a drummer with them at the Red Dog Saloon. He began writing songs and designed an acoustic combo, which included two female backup singers, dubbed “Lickettes.” Billed as Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks, they recorded the 1969 debut, Original Recordings, on Epic.

Hicks released three commercially successful albums—Where’s the Money? (1971), Striking It Rich (1972), and Last Train to Hicksville (1973)—before breaking up the band under pressure at the height of their popularity. He pursued low-key solo acoustic performances and formed The Acoustic Warriors in the ’80s, releasing the live album Shootin’ Straight (1994) on the Private Music Label.

Hicks returned to the Hot Licks in 1998, signing with Surfdog Records for the album Beatin’ the Heat, which featured guest artists Elvis Costello, Rickie Lee Jones, Bette Midler, Tom Waites, Stray Cat, and Brian Setzer. Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks have recorded 13 albums to date, including Selected Shorts (2004), a dynamic and critically acclaimed collection with musical guests Jimmy Buffet, Jim Keltner, Gibby Haynes, Van Dyke Parks, and Willie Nelson. The band’s 2005 release, Live, features the hits “Sweet Loraine” and “When I Was a Cowboy.” Commenting on his diverse and innovative repertoire, the San Francisco Chronicle says, “So few truly original figures exist in pop music that Dan Hicks should be a national treasure.”

—Alissa Bourbonnais