{{Short description|Musical artist (1886-1930)}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Arthur George Hickman | image = Art Hickman Smile.jpg | caption = Hickman c. 1919 | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1886|6|13}} | birth_place = Oakland, California, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1930|1|16 |1886|6|13 |mf=yes}} | death_place = San Francisco, California | genre = [[Jazz]], big band | occupation = Musician | instrument = Piano, drums | years_active = 1913–1920s | label = [[Columbia Graphophone Company|Columbia]], [[Victor Talking Machine Company|Victor]] }}
'''Arthur George Hickman''' (June 13, 1886 – January 16, 1930) was a drummer, pianist, and bandleader of one of the first big bands.
==Career== Hickman founded a sextet in San Francisco in 1913. The band's first job was playing at training camp for the baseball team the San Francisco Seals. Next it was hired to perform at the St. Francis Hotel. Popularity allowed Hickman to expand his sextet and hire [[Ben Black (composer)|Ben Black]], [[Earl Burtnett]], Fred Coffman, Clyde Doerr, Steve Douglas, Frank Ellis, Dick Noolan, Ed Fitzpatrick, Jess Fitzpatrick, Roy Fox, Ray Hoback, Vic King, Lou Marcasie, Hank Miller, Mark Moica, Bert Ralton, Juan Ramos, Forrest Ray, Walt Rosener, Bela Spiller, Dick Winfree.<ref name="AM">{{cite web|title=Art Hickman|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/art-hickman-mn0000601258/biography|website=AllMusic|accessdate=4 September 2017}}</ref>
In 1915, they performed at the [[world's fair]] in San Francisco. Four years later they were hired by [[Florenz Ziegfeld Jr.]] to play at his nightclub on the roof of the [[New Amsterdam Theatre]] in New York City. During the next year, they accompanied the [[Ziegfeld Follies]]. Hickman's orchestra went back to California and played again at the St. Francis Hotel and the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Ambassador Hotel]] in Los Angeles. After Hickman retired, the band was led by Frank Ellis. Hickman's "[[Rose Room]]" became a big band standard.<ref name="AM" />
==Influence== [[File:Hickman Orch Action Shot.jpg|left|thumb|Art Hickman and His Orchestra, c. 1919]] Before [[Paul Whiteman]], Hickman's dance orchestra was one of the first to use elements of jazz and one of the first to use a saxophone section. The bands instruments also included violin, trumpet, trombone, reeds (2), banjo (2), double bass, and piano, with Hickman on second piano and drums.<ref name="Yanow">{{cite web|last1=Yanow|first1=Scott|title=The San Francisco Sound|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-san-francisco-sound-mw0000248829|website=AllMusic|accessdate=4 September 2017}}</ref>{{Listen | filename = "The Japanese Sandman" (Hickman 1920).oga | title = The Japanese Sandman | description = ''[[The Japanese Sandman]]'', performed by Art Hickman and His Orchestra on September 30th, 1920 | start = 0:01 }}
In 2004, [[Archeophone Records]] released ''The San Francisco Sound'', an album that contains nearly all of Hickman's recordings from Sept. 15, 1919 to July 8, 1920. Clyde Doerr plays alto and baritone saxophone. Bert Ralton plays soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, oboe, and English horn.
==Death== For 3 years prior to his death in 1930, Arthur had been suffering from [[Banti's syndrome|Benti's syndrome]], a chronic enlargement to the spleen. On January 15th, 1930, he suffered a [[relapse]], and had an operation planned for the next day. It failed, however, and even after 3 [[Blood transfusion|blood transfusions]], Arthur Hickman died on January 16th, 1930, at the [[UCSF Health Saint Francis Hospital|Saint Francis Hospital]], in San Francisco, California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jan 17, 1930, page 2 - The Los Angeles Times at Los Angeles Times |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/image/385532635/ |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Inside facts of stage and screen [January 25, 1930] {{!}} Media History Digital Library |url=https://mediahistoryproject.org/reader.php?id=insidefacts11-1930-01-25 |access-date=2025-10-10 |website=mediahistoryproject.org}}</ref>
==Discography== * ''The San Francisco Sound'' ([[Archeophone Records|Archeophone]], 2004)
== References == {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Art Hickman}} * [https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/112033 Art Hickman recordings] at the [[Discography of American Historical Recordings]]. * [https://www.gracyk.com/hickman.shtml Article by Bruce Vermazen] * [https://syncopatedtimes.com/art-hickman-and-his-orchestra/ Art Hickman and his Orchestra] Red Hot Jazz Archive
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickman, Art}} [[Category:1886 births]] [[Category:1930 deaths]] [[Category:Drummers from Oakland, California]] [[Category:American jazz bandleaders]] [[Category:American jazz pianists]] [[Category:American jazz drummers]] [[Category:American big band bandleaders]] [[Category:American vaudeville performers]] [[Category:American male drummers]] [[Category:20th-century American people]]