Today we’ve got another badass artist spotlight on another badass Oklahoma-based artist by the name of Charlie Hickman. If you aren’t familiar with Charlie, I highly suggest you go check him and his band out. But before you do that, stick around and find out who he is behind the music, because really, who is Charlie Hickman?
Charlie Hickman is an artist based out of Cushing, Oklahoma. Charlie got his musical start at a young age, saying, “I started singing around 4 years old in church where my parents were the worship leaders. I started playing guitar and writing songs at 14 years old.” Now, not all artists fit into one particular genre or label. As for Charlie, he said, “I find it hard to put a genre label on my music. I would probably describe it as southern alternative rock in most cases.” People get inspired to start making music in many ways. As for Charlie, he said, “I have a lot of different musical inspirations, but I’d say my parents really guided me towards wanting to play.”
Now, his parents inspired him to start making music, but who are some artists that have influenced him the most? “Hank Williams Sr., Switchfoot, Incubus, Randy Rogers, Cross Canadian Ragweed, U2, Bob Wills, Chris Cornell, and Big Wreck,” just to name a few. There are a lot of badass venues around the country, so artists’ favorite venues differ a lot, but in Oklahoma, there are two venues that most artists from the state want to check off their bucket list. Charlie has played one of those, saying, “My favorite venue to play at is the Tumbleweed in Stillwater, Oklahoma. My favorite show would have to be Calf Fry 2023 when we played the main stage.” And the other venue? Well, he says it’s his dream venue, saying, “My dream venue to play is the legendary Cain’s Ballroom.”
Major turning points can be multiple different things; it really depends on what the artist thinks it’s been. For Charlie, he said, “The major turning points in my career have just been the development and evolution of my songwriting.” Everyone has something about them their fans wouldn’t expect. For Charlie, his is a love, he said, “I currently lead worship at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Cushing, Oklahoma, on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. I really enjoy getting to use the gifts the Lord has given me in that aspect.”
What does Charlie hope people feel when they hear his music? He said, “I hope people feel the sounds that lead to the feeling of nostalgia in their lives. Whether it’s remembering a good moment or remembering a bad moment that allows them to see how far they have come from where they started.” Success looks different for everyone, but what does success look like for Charlie in music? “Success to me in music is the ability to continue writing, recording, and making connections with people at shows.”
Balancing life with a career can be challenging on its own, but balancing life with a career in music and somewhere else has to be tougher. How does Charlie do it? He said, “I have a pretty busy schedule outside of music. I have a beautiful wife and 2 awesome kids, and I also work 2 jobs throughout the week. So balancing things is hard sometimes, but I have a great support system, and they keep me going. You just spend time where you can, when you can, and don’t take a single minute of any of it for granted.”
What’s one piece of advice Charlie would give to someone just starting out in music? He said, “Practice, practice, practice. Whatever it is you’re doing, be relentless. Practice as much as you possibly can. Try to find other people who are in a similar spot to you and jam. Iron sharpens iron.”
What’s in the future for new music from Charlie and the band? He told us, “We’ve been working on a new 5-song EP that I hope will be out in the next 3–4 months. Very excited about the new music and hope it connects with people on a deeper level.” Now, all their music that is currently out is on major streaming platforms. So go check ‘em out!
Thank you for reading this week’s artist spotlight! I hope you enjoyed getting to know who Charlie Hickman is behind his music. Go check him out, and go catch him at a show. As always, be good to yourself, stay western, and stay tuned.
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