Some years ago (30-ish) I had the good fortune to release
two albums by a band called The Skeletons. A combo that is as good or likely
better than your favourite act could ever hope to be. They achieved the
seemingly impossible but never became a household name because the “industry”
didn’t have a clue what to do with them. The band’s drummer was a fella by the
name of Bobby Lloyd Hicks and he passed away during the early hours of Sunday
morning.
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| Yours truly on location Photo by Bobby Lloyd Hicks |
In musical terms, he was a drummer’s drummer.
A humble,
quiet gent that laid down an understated beat that was never beat. I was lucky
enough to find myself in his company a number of times during these three
decades and when I finally made the pilgrimage to Springfield, Mo. – the buckle
on the bible belt – Lloyd showed me around. He even took me to the site where
Kay took the shot that became the cover of “In The Flesh” and snapped me in
front of that famous (on my planet) wall.
I recall a particularly convivial
evening over at his house. From there we went on a wee road trip up to the
Chicago city limits that was quite an adventure. I remember vividly sitting
outside the back of the hotel in Dekalb with him beside some railroad tracks
that conjured up an image of the old (mid) west. Later that same year, I caught
up with them in Malmo on a bill that boasted a Skele set then they backed Scott
Kempner and Dave Alvin. Uncle Tupelo were in attendance at the Heartbreak
Hotel, the name of the venue.
There was also the legendary Glesga Grand Old Opry show
with Dave and The Guilty Men. I brought them from London by train which was
quite the logistical nightmare but they took it in good spirits. We’d sold
(lucky) 13 tickets in advance and it looked like a bath might be taken but
nope, more than 200+ walked up and we paid the band and the bills. Dave sung a
couple of verses of “Trans Am” (after one particularly noisy wee bugger shouted
for it) with two actual Skele-alumni in the crew and well, we all had a ball. You
can probably guess who the shouter was.
Lloyd would often wear an NRBQ t shirt. He did that so
often that he joined the actual band for a while. Amy Rigby was thrilled to
catch them at a friend’s wedding not too long ago. I guess that was his last
gig before he had to give up for health reasons. The last time I met up with
him was when he was in Glasgow with Steve Forbert. We traipsed around town
before he had to fulfil his stint in the band.
As you may have read in Rich
Nesin’s heartbreaking remembrance, it was The Skeletons association with
Forbert that provided the portal for so many of us to discover this Midwestern
Wrecking Crew. It all came full circle when
Andy Shernoff had them sit in for his "Not Fade Away" EP. Listen to them swing on
“Let’s Get The Band Back Together” and weep because that can never happen again
in real terms.
Lloyd’s regular sign off was “Fins Up” and he wouldn’t
want us to be sad. This geezer was a solid example of how success should never be
measured by what you’ve got. Like the Sonny Bono song them Skeletons interpreted
suggests “it’s what you are” that counts and Mr Hicks is one damn hard act to
follow on that score.
My condolences to his family and friends scattered
worldwide.
From that 1992 road trip, I think the place was called Shades, somewhere
outside of Chicago, pretty sure I have a flyer someplace.