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<\/p>\nBlues guitarist and songwriter Solomon Hicks has a simple and straightforward perspective on music. \u201cI like songs and music that make people feel good,\u201d he says. \u201cAnything that has strong beats, a good firm groove\u2026 and lots of guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n
A key part of Hicks\u2019 unique take on the blues is his upbringing; unlike some of today\u2019s blues stars, he didn\u2019t come up immersed in an exclusively blues culture. \u201cPeople like [Christone] Kingfish [Ingram], Jontavious Willis, players born in Clarksdale or Georgia, they grew up with that sound,\u201d he points out. Born and raised in New York City\u2019s Harlem neighborhood, Hicks developed a different sensibility.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt all started with my parents,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cThey put me around different musical scenarios. My Mom showed me [artists] from Nas to Nina Simone to B.B. King.\u201d He says that he grew up hearing those as well as mainstream pop acts like Coldplay. And when the subject turns to guitarists, Hicks rattles off a list that includes Grant Green and Chuck Berry as inspirations. His wide-encompassing, eclectic musical worldview is a key to his appeal and creative successes.<\/p>\n
A prodigy, Hicks would attend the Harlem School of Arts and Talent Unlimited High School, and work as part of the New Amsterdam Musical Association. From an early age, he landed gigs at the Apollo Theater, the Cotton Club and other storied venues. His career as a recording artist began with 2010\u2019s Embryonic<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Hicks explains that his years at Harlem School of the Arts found him focusing on classical music. \u201cI learned how to read music and study charts,\u201d he says. \u201cI learned different jazz and classical studies that helped with my playing style later on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gregarious and engaging in person, Hicks has always been very serious about his music. He recalls his high school days: \u201cI had a lot of good friends. I had a high school sweetheart. But I knew I was going to be a musician,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen all my friends were going to parties, they were like, \u2018Hey, Solomon! Do you want to come and hang out?\u2019 I was like, \u2018Nah, man.\u2019\u201d He says that he\u2019d see all his friends dressed in shorts and t-shirts. \u201cAnd I’m in my tuxedo and bow tie! I\u2019m like, \u2018I’ve got to go [to my gig], man! It’s getting late.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Hicks\u2019 music appeals both to blues purists as well as fans of more popular, more commercial styles. \u201cWe put together my new album, Harlem<\/i>, and then next thing you know, I ended up getting the Blues Music Award [for Best Emerging Artist Album, 2021],\u201d he says. Yet at the same time, he notes that he played on the Kiss Cruise alongside Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.<\/p>\n
His own approach to the blues seamlessly combines those radically different sides of his musical personality. Hicks recalls making a decision early on: \u201cI want to do blues; I’m going to have that part of me. But there are different sounds \u2013 like TR-808s [Roland\u2019s early \u201880s drum machine] \u2013 that I like to incorporate.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he\u2019s still rooted in tradition; Hicks\u2019 list of guitar inspirations leans in an old-school direction. \u201cWhen I hear people like Freddie King and B.B. King and Peter Green,\u201d he says, \u201cit’s all about feeling, about people getting up and dancing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Solomon Hicks has been a professional player for nearly half of his 27 years, and he knows who he is. \u201cThere are great guitar players who go for the shredding and the great speed, which is cool,\u201d he offers. But that\u2019s not his way.<\/p>\n
Hicks\u2019 schedule of late has been packed with solo dates as well as opening spots for artists as diverse as Ringo Starr, Jeff Beck, Ally Venable and Samantha Fish. He\u2019s currently working on a project with drummer Steve Holley, best known as the drummer in Paul McCartney and Wings.<\/p>\n
Solomon Hicks is clearly thrilled to be playing in support of the well-received Harlem<\/i> LP. \u201cAfter so many years on the road, now I\u2019m really living<\/i> those songs,\u201d he says. And the endlessly inquisitive nature of his musical sensibility means that he\u2019s up for more than just playing in front of audiences. \u201cThis will be my first time in Colorado Springs,\u201d he says. \u201cIf there are any jams afterwards, I\u2019m looking forward to that. In every state I go to, there\u2019s always something special.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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