Audio

Listen to Ray Hicks telling his beloved Jack Tales and stories of his joys and struggles growing up on Beech Mountain. You might notice Ray has a unique way with language.  Some folks need to attune their ears to catch his ancient Elizabethan dialect.  It is well worth the journey.

  1. Jack and the Three Steers
  2. Big Man Jack, Killed Seven At a Whack
  3. Jack and Old Fire Dragon
  4. Whickety-Whack, Into My Sack
Links take you to where you can stream this album on Spotify
  1. The Witch on Stone Mountain
  2. The Hen Cackle
  3. The Sign Was in the Knees
  4. The Vision of the Automobile
  5. Short Life in Trouble
  6. The Mountain Fortuneteller
  7. Meeting the Devil

Hear Ray Hicks on
Alan Lomax’s Digital Archive
Reuben
Ray Hicks on hunting with Jack (1982)
Ray and Stanley Hicks on the changing landscape of Beech Mountain (1982)
Stanley & Ray Hicks: Roving Gambler (1982)

The “Down the Road on the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina” podcast highlights bluegrass and old-time music stories, performers, and traditions across the mountain and foothills counties of Western North Carolina. Hosted by Laura Boosinger and produced by Corrie Askew and Joe Kendrick of WNCW-FM, the podcast is a joint effort of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, the North Carolina Arts Council, and WNCW-FM. Listen to the Podcast featuring Ray Hicks here:

Storytelling on the Blue Ridge Music Trails Hosted by Laura Boosinger 

Listen to others tell about Ray:

Enjoy Connie Regan-Blake’s telling of Ray’s Amazing Grace.

Listen to Bill Harley’s Tribute to Ray Hicks on National Public Radio.

Be sure to check out the Photo Gallery and Video sections as well!