This is Hickey’s one and only recording,  released in 2003 by the WI singer-songwriter who was killed last summer in a one-car accident after falling asleep late at night.  It came to my attention via his friend and prolific folk musician Harvey Reid,  who sent out an appeal for supporters to buy the CD to help Hickey’s family.  Never having heard of him,  I wasn’t expecting much of the CD,  but I was pleasantly surprised.  The only disappointment was that Hickey’s early death took his talents from us too soon.

Every cut features his skillful and musical solo guitar,  and 8 of the 12 include Hickey’s strong and distinctive voice presenting his original lyrics (exc one trad song,  a very nice minor key version of Columbus Stockade).  The songs range from a true life ballad of a 1984 murder spree (Alton Coleman),  to social commentary on a past financial downturn (Robbie’s Cadillac), to political commentary on Bush #1(Bad News) to introspective comments on the transitory nature of existence (Long Beach Birthday Blues). 

A strong sense of the man comes through on this CD, and it’s easy to see why Reid wrote so movingly of his friend:

I knew Jeff Hickey for over 30 years, and worked very closely with him for most of that time, and he was one of my very favorite people.

...he lived his unique life with great passion and dedication to his own set of ideals, and he did a great many things very well. He didn’t golf at the country club or lunch with the power brokers, but he had an unusually large number of circles of friends scattered widely, who loved and appreciated him.

  The full tribute can be found at http://magazine.localsounds.org/2009/08/15/harvey-reid-remembers-jeff-hickey/

I’m glad we can add Hickey’s CD to the WPSU broadcast library,  and I look forward to introducing Folk Show listeners to this talented performer.