Ed Hicks is a London based banjo player with fifteen years of experience performing, recording and teaching with the 5-string banjo.
Ed’s has played on gold selling and mercury nominated albums, composed award winning music for the Southpark series, toured the Uk and Europe extensively, played on The Voice three times and has taught hundreds of people the 5-string banjo.
Ed is a versatile musician and plays clawhammer and bluegrass (Scruggs style) banjo as well as plectrum jazz on the four string. Ed also plays guitar, mandolin, ukulele, fiddle and sings.
Music highlights:
- Playing live to 60,000 people at Rock Am Ring Germany with Rea Garvey.
- Playing on Mercury nominated and a Gold Records.
- Playing “Always look on the Bright side of Life” with Eric Idle at Hammersmith Apollo.
- Being chosen by the BBC as the banjo player to remember Earl Scruggs after his death in 2012.
- Composing the award winning Southpark trailer for seasons 19 and 20.
- Playing Love Cats live with Rob Smith from the Cure.
- Playing banjo music for audiences across the UK and Europe.
Teaching:
Ed has worked as a banjo teacher and folk music workshop leader for the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) for ten years and was a lead tutor on their Full English project. He has trained in music workshop leading with Spitalfields Music, EFDSS, Music for Change, Musicleader, Sing Up, Folk Arts England, Platform for Arts and the Discover Centre.
In 2012 Ed set up the Trad Academy, a folk music school based in London designed to help anyone and everyone make music. The Trad Academy has been a great success and is now set up as a community interest company and this year organised it’s first Folk Music Summer School for Kids!
