Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks (?)

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 22 Apr 2005 2:58 am

Anybody ever hear of this group? I have an album by them,that was given to me,& they seem to be kinda "folk-country". Kind of a "sittin' around the campfire jam". A "violin",but no steel or Dobro. Comments??

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Jim Phelps · Post by **Jim Phelps** » 22 Apr 2005 3:01 am

I remember seeing them on TV, in the '70's, I think. Seems to me I thought they were decent at the time. Don't know whatever happened to them.

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 22 Apr 2005 3:28 am

Fun band, I always thought! Great three part harmonies (One voice of which was future Asleep At The Wheel singer, Marianne Price.), great humor (Gotta love background singers caled "The Lickettes".) and some clever writing. What's not to love about a song called "How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?"! I always like Sid Paige's playing too. Pretty inventive to my untrained ears back then...

I seem to recall that Dan was originally in a so-so rock band called the Charlatans who put out an album in the early 60s sometime. Last I knew, he was still kicking around with a band called the Acoustic Warriers.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 22 Apr 2005 3:29 am

They were a great group, really different form what you normally see out there. I don't remember her name but on the Asleep at the Wheel 25th anniversary show which was on Austin City Limits there was a girl singer who'd been with AATW who sang "I'm an Old Cowhand"..... I don't remember her name but Ray Benson stated that when he hired her she was singing with Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks. Another great group out there is "The ClusterPluckers"........JH in Va.

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Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 22 Apr 2005 3:49 am

Okay,here's the "lineup" from the album:

Dan Hicks-vocal,rhy. gtr.harmonica,drums
Jon Weber-lead gtr.
Sid Page-violin
Sherry Snow-vocal
Christina Viola Gancher-vocal,celeste,piano
Jaime Leopold-bull fiddle

Any familiar names to y'all?
This is on an Epic label.No year of release listed.

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Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 22 Apr 2005 4:06 am

Sure, west coast acoustic swing, played to the hilt, offbeat, and funny as blazes to boot. They were big in the 70s, saw them back then several times. The early 70s lineup, on Blue Thumb Records, was John Girton - lead guitar (archtop acoustic); Sid Page - violin, mandolin; Maryann Price - vocals; Dan - rhythm guitar; Jaime Leopard - string bass; Naomi Ruth Eisenberg - vocals and 2nd fiddle. Dan came through here about 10 years ago with a rippin' swing band - very Djangoesque. I believe the lineup was different, but they were clever as ever and swung hard.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 22 Apr 2005 4:32 am

Smiley,

I remember them around the time of the 'Great San Francisco Hippie Music Explosion' with New Riders Of The Purple Sage, The Greatful Dead, The Jefferson Airplane etc.

I have one of their 1st albums buried somewhere around here.

I got into them mainly cuz I dug their version of "I'm An Old Cowhand", complete with out-of-tune, but kinda OK, steel guitar.

Caught the song one late night on old underground FM radio [when it was really underground].

They just played up here in Northampton not too long ago. As Dave mentioned, wry, witty, clever and funny, as well as excellent musicians. Off beat to say the least.

Chip[This message was edited by CHIP FOSSA on 22 April 2005 at 05:35 AM.]

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 22 Apr 2005 5:04 am

I'd forgotten about John Girton who's a great swing player.

Wayne Carver · Post by **Wayne Carver** » 22 Apr 2005 5:15 am

Some of their songs are quite comical. They sort remind me of the "Austin Lounge Lizards". My kids favorite was "The Euphonius Whale" where all the animals on the farm would get euphonius in their harmonies.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 22 Apr 2005 5:27 am

awesome group..

t

Bill McCloskey · Post by **Bill McCloskey** » 22 Apr 2005 5:50 am

When I was a freshman at the University of Colorado back in 1972, the guy in the room next to me was a Dan Hicks fanatic. He usd to play their live album blasting literally 24 hours a day. Over and Over and Over again.

I've not been able to listen to them since. I can still recite every line of their patter from that record and I haven't heard it in over 30 years.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 22 Apr 2005 5:53 am

Great group, and fun for sure.
I would love to see the version Dan does Django, right up my alley.
I used to do "How can I miss You If You Won't Go Away."
Fun tune.

John Rosett · Post by **John Rosett** » 22 Apr 2005 7:29 am

dan hicks is one of my all time favorite musicians. i first heard him in '73 when i was really into bluegrass. hearing him led me to big band swing, django, charlie christian, bob wills, you name it. i got to open for dan and the acoustic warriors in seattle about 1990. we sat in the basement of the ballard firehouse and played hot club tunes for a couple of hours-one of the high points of my career. dan continues to put out great albums with great musicians on them. i just got his 60th birthday bash on dvd, and it's great!

Pete Burak · Post by **Pete Burak** » 22 Apr 2005 8:10 am

He plays here in Portland a few times a year.
I've seen him live several times in recent years.
There is steel on a few tunes here and there on the records, but I've never seen a steel with the band live.

Alvin Blaine · Post by **Alvin Blaine** » 22 Apr 2005 8:48 am

His "Jug Band" Christmas records have some of the funniest Christmas songs you've ever heard.

HowardR · Post by **HowardR** » 22 Apr 2005 9:18 am

I remember Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks when I was in college in L.A. in the 70s also. That was an early introduction for me to the swing genre.

"I Scare Myself" was also an ethereal kind of tune that Thomas Dolby made famous in the 80s.

I saw Dan Hicks this past February at BB Kings here in NY. Great show, music, funny, quirky, odd, sarcastic, dreamy......opening for them was Hot Club of Cowtown......WOW!! Can they cook....ouch!

A fine evening of fine music....the vodka wasn't too bad either...

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 22 Apr 2005 10:08 am

The original Hot Licks included a fiddler/singer named Naomi Eisenberg. She and I formed a short-lived band in San Francisco in 1975 or '76, and I remember that Dan came to see us once. It's all a blur to me now, though - I was drinking a lot back then.

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Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 22 Apr 2005 10:32 am

Dan Hicks. Great act. MaryAnne Price on background vocaals. Superb. I bought one of his first albums "Where's The Money" when I was a kid. Great stuff like"Milk Shak'n Mama". He is playing this summer outside of Buffalo at a large Bluegrass festival. I'll be there.

Mike Winter · Post by **Mike Winter** » 22 Apr 2005 11:07 am

Dan is a great musician and has always had a good band of players. He was part of the seminal San Francisco band, The Charlatans back in 1965. The moved to Virginia City, Nevada, where they were the house band at the Red Dog Saloon. http://www.reddogenterprises.com/history.html

Here is a link that talks about Dan and the Hot Licks, as well as his later band, The Acoustic Warriors. http://www.surfdog.com/danhicks.html

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 22 Apr 2005 11:28 am

Yep Loved 'em back then. I knew he had put together a new band and toured not long ago. Glad to hear he's still doing good stuff. Where's the Money? I'm So In Love. That's right--I Scare Myself...fantastic. Good stuff.

Dave Giegerich · Post by **Dave Giegerich** » 22 Apr 2005 12:00 pm

Around 1992 I got a call from Bill Kirchen, who lived in DC but knew Dan from San Francisco, and Dan was looking for a couple of players for some gigs out here. I told Bill I was a big fan and would love to do it. Bill recommended Tom Mitchell, who co-founded the Hula Monsters (the East coast version) on guitar and me on dobro. Unfortunately, Dan was not interested in having a dobro, but Tom wound up working a lot with him over the next 10 years. I got Tom to get him to autograph a T-shirt with "Dear Dave, #*$% a damn dobro!"
According to Bill, Dan was listed in the Sausalito yellow pages under "Bar Fixtures".

Larry Robbins · Post by **Larry Robbins** » 22 Apr 2005 12:07 pm

Dan has a new Album out Im told, called
" Selected Shorts" always enjoyed Dan and I understand he is sober....(again)

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Mark Metdker · Post by **Mark Metdker** » 22 Apr 2005 12:17 pm

Yep, one of my favorite bands of the seventies. Very talented and funny.
"I scare Myself" was also one of my favorites.

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 22 Apr 2005 1:37 pm

"I always like Sid Paige's playing too. "

He was also in Sly and the Family Stone, he was the white guy with the violin. Now he's first chair in the Hollywood orchestra that plays on all of the film scores. I got to work with him on The Horse Whisperer. He can play anything.

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 22 Apr 2005 2:08 pm

The first three "Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks" albums were great. The third one, "Last train to Hicksville" is my favorite one, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes acoustic music with a jazz feel to it. Maryanne Price's version of "Sweetheart" is outstanding.[This message was edited by Bob Watson on 22 April 2005 at 03:11 PM.]