Ray Hicks was a tall, lanky North Carolina native, a mountain man who lived off the land and had a unique accent that was as thick as molasses. He was fond of overalls and flannel shirts.
He also was an eighth-generation storyteller who went from sharing stories on the front porch of the family home on Beech Mountain, N.C., to taking the stage at the first National Storytelling Festival, and then on to becoming a “National Treasure,” receiving the Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1983.
He was known for his humor, his authenticity, and his Jack Tales.
Born in August of 1922, Ray Hicks passed away in 2003. A historical marker honoring him was recently dedicated near the Beech Mountain History Museum. The museum also honors Ray Hicks’ legacy with an audio exhibit featuring recordings of his tales, and a replica of his home.
Ray’s Appalachian folk tales are rooted in English, Scottish, and Irish fairy tales, and feature a hero trickster named Jack who gets in and out of trouble.
Connie Regan-Blake is one of the featured tellers at the upcoming Florida Storytelling Festival in Mount Dora (Jan. 25-28, 2024). During the festival, she will do “A Legend in Overhauls: Storytelling in the Footsteps of Ray Hicks.”
She recalls meeting the 6-foot-7 Hicks on Oct. 7, 1983, in Jonesborough, TN., at the first National Storytelling Festival. He would return many times over the next 30 years.
Storyteller Connie Regan-Blake, a longtime friend of Ray Hicks, served as host at the historical marker dedication. She also is curator of a website (Ray Hicks Appalachian Storyteller) that is devoted his memory.
Connie has said that the first meeting with Ray changed her life. It resulted in a lifelong friendship with Ray Hicks and many trips to visit him and his wife Rosa at their Beech Mountain cabin, a home that was hand-built by his father and grandfather.
When she met Ray, she was already telling stories at folk festivals and at the library in Chattanooga, TN. He gave her inspiration. She still shares stories that she learned from listening to Ray spinning yarns on his front porch.
Connie had grown up in the South where her family shared stories. After graduation from Loyola University, she went to Chattanooga where she joined her cousin Barbara Freeman in working at the public library. Connie became the library’s storyteller, known as “Ms Daisy,” as part of a childhood literacy program.
In 1975, Connie and Barbara hit the road as “The Folktellers,” performing their stories. They wrote and performed a two-woman play, “Mountain Sweet Talk,” which still holds the record as the longest running theatrical production in Asheville, NC.
She is a founding board member of the National Storytelling Association and frequent host and featured performer at the National Festival in Jonesborough, TN.
She has performed at the nation’s top folk music and storytelling festivals, including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C., the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival in Orem, Utah, as well as the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. (It is Connie’s unique honor to be the only performer invited onstage for every NSF since its conception in 1973).
The Library of Congress in Washington houses the Connie Regan-Blake collection, which consists of papers, sound recordings, videos, photographs, and artifacts, documenting her 50+ year career and role in the birth of the American Storytelling Revival.
It is an honor to have her as a featured storyteller at the 2024 Florida Storytelling Festival.
The Florida Storytelling Festival is a premier storytelling event, known nationally for its unique combination of workshops, concerts, youthful voices, and sense of community. People come from across the state of Florida and beyond to explore and savor the art of storytelling. We celebrate stories in the oral tradition.
Full Festival Pass $185, Full Festival Pass for Members $140 (all events, except banquet)
Listeners Pass $60 (all events, except workshops and banquet)
Banquet $35
Individual Concerts $10 – $20; Individual Workshops $35
Other scheduled tellers include Tim Tingle, Eva Abram, Chris Kastle, Mary Lou Williams.
Beautifully, thoughtfully written!
Connie has become a national treasure, as well, hasn’t she?
We are excited to hear her at the FAF, and to learn more about Ray Hicks.
Thanks for the inviting blog!
So looking forward to hearing Connie.