Hicks battled cancer for two years. He is survived by his wife, Clare Hicks, as well as his step-daughter Sara Wasserman. His family made the official announcement on his homepage. “My darling darling husband left this earth early this morning,” they posted, prior to saying he was one of a kind.
The legendary musician began his career as a drummer in the 60s rock band The Charlatans, prior to forming his own group, Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. His sound encompasses elements of such musical genres as proto-psychedelia to jazz and western swing. His original band released five records that charted on the Billboard charts, and they were released on such record labels as Columbia, Blue Thumb and Warner Bros. Dan Hicks and Hot Licks toured the world, and he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine three times.
After inking a deal with Surfdog Records in 1999, he re-assembled his band, and they subsequently released an album that included duets with such esteemed musicians as Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Bette Midler, Rickie Lee Jones and Brian Setzer.
In October of 2010, he released his first Christmas album, Crazy For Christmas, which was hailed by a wide range of media outlets from The New York Times, to the Los Angeles Times to the Washington Post and the Village Voice.
For his 70th birthday celebration, several all-star musicians gathered on stage to celebrate the special occasion. These included Rickie Lee Jones, Harry Shearer, Van Dyke Parks and David Grisman, among others.
