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BIOGRAPHY

ROBERT HICKS - BIOGRAPHY Robert Hicks was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He began playing piano at the age of five, teaching himself to play by ear from the 78 rpm recordings of Tommy Dorsey and Stan Kenton he had dug out of his grandmother's attic. His phonograph and records were his toys. In lieu of a teddy bear he slept with an album of rhumbas. He began singing jazz at the age of eight and began classical and jazz piano study with Gene Confer at age nine. At sixteen he began performing professionally around Portland. His first gig was at the old Delevan's restaurant where he entertained regularly. From early childhood, Robert's thoughts were mostly filled with jazz. He had memorized the tunes, the arrangements and the artists who made jazz and the big band era great. It was natural for him to want to work in the entertainment capitol so, at age 20, he moved to Hollywood, California to continue his career. He started getting work immediately. He performed as a single act in countless clubs in the Los Angeles area and sang with Tom, Dick & Jane, a jazz vocal trio reminiscent of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross; His composition, "That Was The End Of Me" was featured in the Columbia Pictures release "Miracle Beach" and he started his own publishing company through BMI, Jobobal Music. In 1989 he took a six month hiatus from performing in LA to play in clubs throughout Japan. When asked how it felt to be alone in a big city with no contacts he said, "I never thought of it that way. It was new and extremely exciting. I started working right away. Childhood dreams were being realized. For instance after being in LA for only six weeks, I saw my name in lights on Sunset Boulevard, when I played the Silver Screen jazz club. This was a major thrill for a young musician who had just left home. And l was meeting people whose names I had previously only seen on record albums. There were rewards everywhere. A particularly pleasant occasion was sharing the stage with Anita O'Day at the Vine Street Bar and Grill". Over a seven year period, he sang and played the piano regularly in many of LA's top hotels but one of his favorite venues was the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena where he led a quintet four nights a week. It was there that he met Pete Rugolo, one of his childhood role models. Robert was in the midst of recording his first compact disc entitled "New Standards" and Pete Rugolo agreed to do the liner notes. Notable guests artists on the project include guitarist AI Viola and trombone player George Bohanon. The disc received rave reviews in such national trades as CD Review, Cadence and Pulse!. In the fall of 1992, Robert decided to return to Portland, lured by the vibrant jazz scene and his love of the great outdoors. His seven piece ensemble, Robert Hicks and Six Other Great Guys includes Lee Wuthenow, Paul Mazzio, Dan Faehnle, Mike Horsf

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