Steve Wickham

Steve Wickham
Steve Wickham, 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Steve Wickham
Born	Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Genres	Rock, folk, folk rock, Soul, country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, Fiddle Violin, Mandolin Tin Whistle Concertina Saxophone Piano Guitar
Associated acts	The Waterboys

Steve Wickham is an Irish musician. Originally from Marino, Dublin, but calling Sligo home, Wickham played violin on the classic U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday", as well as recordings by Elvis Costello, the Hothouse Flowers, Sinéad O'Connor, and World Party. He is a long-standing member of The Waterboys. Wickham plays both rock and roll and traditional Irish music, and has developed a rock music technique for violin he calls the "fuzz fiddle".

Wickham is also accomplished with the mandolin, tin whistle, concertina, saxophone, piano, guitar and bones. He identifies Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Toni Marcus, and Mozart as musical influences, amongst others, and Mick Ronson. He is described by Mike Scott as "the world's greatest rock fiddle player" and by New Musical Express as a "fiddling legend."

Scott invited Wickham to participate in The Waterboys after hearing his work on an O'Connor demo tape at Wallinger's studio. Wickham contributed his fiddle to the song "The Pan Within" on The Waterboys' This Is the Sea. After the album was released, Wallinger left The Waterboys and Wickham joined the group officially. Wickham invited Scott to move The Waterboys to Dublin, Ireland in 1986. Wickham's influence and the new environment resulted in the traditional Irish music and traditional Scottish music sound of Fisherman's Blues (1988). In 1990, Wickham, preferring an acoustic sound over rock, disagreed with Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite over the direction of The Waterboys, and the group disbanded. Scott reformed the band seven years later. Wickham appeared as a guest at some Waterboys concerts in Dublin in 2000, and, according to Scott "it felt so good he re-joined the band". The Waterboys now continue to record music and tour, with Wickham as a prominent member. While some of the band's recent releases have been dominated by a rock sound, such as the album A Rock in the Weary Land, Wickham's musical preferences can be seen in Universal Hall and in his own side-projects. Wickham also regularly performs with the Sligo Early Music Ensemble.