Barry Wickens
| Barry Wickens | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born |
23 May 1956 Croydon, Surrey |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Violin, guitar |
| Associated acts | Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Immaculate Fools, Clann na Mara, The MacNamaras |
| Website | barrywickens.com |
Barry Wickens is a British musician, multi-instrumentalist and composer. Primarily a violinist and guitarist, he also plays mandolin, viola, Appalachian dulcimer (psaltery), dobro and keyboards. He is best known for being one of the longest-serving members of Steve Harley's rock group Cockney Rebel, and for being a former member of the pop group Immaculate Fools. He is also a violin teacher for Brighton & Hove Music & Arts.
Outside of Cockney Rebel and Immaculate Fools, Wickens has been involved in recording sessions for a number of artists, including John Martyn, Lick the Tins, Howard Jones, The River Detectives, Thrashing Doves, Martin Grech, along with TV and radio recordings of the Americana musicians The Milroys, and Folk Alliance Award nominee Diana Jones. He has also performed with Nick Pynn at a number of live events.
Wickens was taught piano by his father at the age of seven, and became a member of Worcester Cathedral choir two years later. At the age of 10, Wickens moved to the Isle of Wight where he began learning the violin, and self-taught guitar. During his teenage years he explored various violin styles, and in 1972 received an Isle of Wight LEA Scholarship for funded violin studies. He went on to study violin, piano and composition at the Trinity College of Music in London. Between 1974-78, he completed the violin performers course with piano and composition second studies at the college. In 1978 he became a Licentiate, as well as a Fellow of Trinity College of Music, and completed a composition course and basic film technique at London International Film School.
In 1977 he achieved a Leonard Smith Prize for Violin and Piano Duo. The following year, 1978, Wickens gained an Arved Kurtz Prize for Violin Playing, the Beethoven Violin Prize, another Leonard Smith Prize for Violin and Piano Duo, as well as the Kantrovitch Prize for Solo Strings. Following his education Wickens began playing around small venues in London, and worked with a number of acts including Steve Knightly's band, Short Stories, and the English acoustic roots and folk duo Show of Hands.
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