March 7-8 Ballyhoo Fest fiddle competition will be dedicated to Winky Hicks; The late Wilmer native won the fest’s fiddle competition every single year
March 7-8 Ballyhoo Fest fiddle competition will be dedicated to Winky Hicks; The late Wilmer native won the fest’s fiddle competition every single year
The fiddle and banjo competition at this spring’s Ballyhoo Festival, slated March 7-8 on the shores of Lake Shelby in Gulf Shores, will be dedicated to Winky Hicks, the first place winner in each year of the festival’s fiddle competitions while playing his 50 year old banjo.
According to the Clarke County Journal, Winky passed away of a heart attack on Dec. 6. Hicks and his wife, Cindy, lived in a log cabin Winky built in Wilmer near the home where he grew up.
The son of a fiddler, Winky learned from his father and from listening to the Grand Ole Opry. A mainstay on stage and on the sidelines at the fest’s popular fiddle and banjo competition for all of the event’s eight years, Winky also crafted more than 200 banjos, guitars, mandolins and fiddles during his 20 years also working as a craftsman.
“The sound of Winky’s instruments are on every recording I’ve done for decades from Bon Jovi to Tammy Wynette,” said Nashville session player Jonathan Yudkin.
A wit as well as a music icon, Winky’s memorable quips included:
• “I was hatched at 53 and I’ve been a bad egg most of my life.”
• “My favorite cord is F because I made so many of them in school.”
Back in 2019, Winky built a guitar to commemorate the University of Alabama’s 2018 national football championship. The guitar was auctioned for $3,500, which was given to the Nick’s Kids Foundation.
“Winky will be missed at the Ballyhoo Festival and by all who ever met him,’’ said the festival’s Eloise Thomley. “He was a mentor to our young banjo and fiddle players at Ballyhoo, often seen with them gathered around him while they all played familiar tunes. A legend, a kind and gentle man who never met a stranger, Winky Hicks was one of a kind.’’
Ballyhoo Fest is unique in its focus on fine art combined with cultural charm and the fun-loving spirit of residents of Coastal Alabama. For more festival info, visit ballyhoofestival.com.
