**Take advantage of advance ticket prices, as they go up the day of the show!** ADV: $18/$15 MEM; D/S: $21/$18 MEM
Sara Hickman grew up in Houston, Tex., as the daughter of artistic parents—a mother who was a fiber artist, a father who was a painting professor. Her household was full of interactive creativity and there was never a dull moment. She started to play the guitar at age seven, and it became her best friend. She wrote her first song at eight, performed it on stage, and won an award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was hooked as a singer/songwriter from that point on.
Her first album, Equal Scary People, won awards from the Dallas Observer and landed her a deal with Elektra Records. She released her next album in 1990, Shortstop, which she produced with David Kershenbaum (Tracey Chapman, Joe Jackson). After touring, performing on VH1 (as a countdown host and in music videos), and appearances on the Tonight Show, Sara recorded Necessary Angels. At this point, Elektra decided to shelve the project and drop the album. Sara’s fans rallied together to help her raise almost $50,000 to buy the album back. It was a moving testimony to the loyal support she had earned from her performances.
During this time in Sara's life, she started to become very involved in community issues, from helping to raise more than $43,000 as chair of the Dallas Dance for Life to visiting Romania to deliver clothing and supplies to orphans. She was actively involved in music and art therapy with ARTS (Artistic and Recreational Therapies), visiting children, AIDS patients, stroke victims, and other hospital patients, to use her talents to help the healing process.
During 1995, she toured the United States with Nanci Griffith and Dan Fogelberg. In the following years, she released several more albums and by 2000, she began recording music for children, starting with Newborn, a CD of songs for parents to sing to their children. These children’s albums have won many awards, including Creative Child’s Top Creative Toy Award 2005, Parents Choice Recommended 2004, Parents Choice Gold 2001 (Toddler), and Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Toys 2001.
Returning to the world of adult music after five years of creating award-winning music for children, Sara released her two-disc CD set of 20 songs, Motherlode, in June 2006. Disc One contains songs of universal woe and quiet lament in conjunction with womankind: from depression, addiction, domestic violence, murder, insomnia, Sara's family ties to President John and Abigail Adams, a mother's hands, and finding faith in one's own song. Disc Two is a woman's heart, bright and sparkling, with undercurrents of frustration and wanting: returning to the joys of love, sex, hope, saints, children, little birds and the garden. This project includes guest artists such as Shawn Colvin, Kelly Willis, Ruthie Foster, Adrian Belew, Jimmy La Fave and more.
Not only is Sara musically and artistically gifted, she has a heart of gold. She has been awarded the prestigious Humana Women Helping Women award for her generous time and contributions to such organizations as Safe Place, Habitat for Humanity, House the Homeless, the SPCA, the Race for the Cure, and many other animal and human rights organizations. She was also made an honorary member of the National Association of Music Therapy for her music therapy work.
She has helped to raise funds and awareness of the need for breast milk for premature infants through the Mothers' Milk Bank, and has organized the talent for their annual Rockin' the Cradle benefit.
With all that Sara is involved in, she spends the majority of her time with her children. She can be found at home having a picnic in the backyard with her girls or helping them to paint a wall mural in their room. She attends field trips with her children and occasionally teaches art and music.
