The set had already been advertised as an all-star tribute to 2014 North Carolina Heritage Award winner Bobby Hicks, featuring long-time collaborators Tony Williamson, Terry Baucom and Ron Shuffler. But shortly before the performance, the unmistakable white pompadour of Del McCoury moved through the Convention Center Ballroom and toward the backstage area.
Indeed, McCoury joined his fellow former Bluegrass Boy and Masters of Bluegrass collaborator on-stage, but this program was all about Hicks. Speaking briefly near the end of the set, Hicks discussed receiving the Heritage and how it was more of an honor and prized possession than his 10 Grammys. A faint “ohh” reaction came from a crowd unfamiliar with the honor.
The group worked through a number of well-known Bill Monroe tunes, which Hicks had originally recorded and for which McCoury took the lead vocal duties—”My Cabin in Caroline,” “No One But My Darlin’” and “My Rose of Old Kentucky,” to name a few.
Hicks stepped to the mic to sing the Boudleaux Bryant-written croon, “Take Me As I Am (Or Let Me Go).” Receiving a standing ovation, Hicks’ revealed his wide grin as a packed audience lauded a key Carolina figure in the history of bluegrass music.
Bobby Hicks and Friends, “My Cabin in Caroline,” “No One But My Darlin’,”
“My Rose of Old Kentucky” and “Take Me As I Am”
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