Ray was drafted into the army, but was rejected because he had broken his arm. The family got by selling carpets handwoven by Rena and dulcimers crafted by Nathan as well as other work. The Hicks family lived in conditions of extreme poverty in the relatively isolated mountains of North Carolina near Banner Elk. Ray's cousin, Frank Proffitt, was also a talented musician, known for his performance of the ballad 'Tom Dooley' among others. Nathan played banjo and dulcimer and encouraged Ray to sing along with him. Ray was in the eighth generation of family storytellers.

Storytelling and ballad-singing were a big part of life with the Hicks family. He had Cherokee ancestry, traced through his great-grandmother. He was the fourth of 11 children of Nathan and Rena Hicks. Ray Hicks was born on Augin Banner Elk, North Carolina. He was a recipient of a 1983 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. He was particularly known for the telling of Jack Tales. Her book, Southern Appalachian Storytellers: Interviews with Sixteen Keepers of the Oral Tradition may be purchased for $35.00 plus tax, either through McFarland Publishers or, or directly from her at *protected email* Legends of the Wild: Tales of North Florida, a CD, is available for $15.00 plus tax through Kelley.Lenard Ray Hicks (Aug– April 20, 2003) was an Appalachian storyteller who lived his entire life on Beech Mountain, North Carolina. About SaundraĪ storyteller and writer, Saundra Kelley lectures, and performs her many original stories throughout the southeast, and anyplace she can find an audience. Caught in the violent storm while herding the cattle, struck by strange blue lightning, landing unconscious in a sunken grave, he was awakened by a mysterious voice- and saved by the dog, which got a new name-Blue Lightning. The hurricane season after my grandfather’s death could have been a disaster if not for that young boy, and a dog named ‘ole Joe. Left with two sons, three daughters, an overworked farm and a herd of Spanish cattle, the family worked hard to survive. My dad was 10-years-old when his father died. Join or Renew Organizational Membership.Youth, Educators and Storytellers (YES).

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