Fun Facts about Sara Hickman
Sara was raised in Houston, Texas, and launched her professional career at age 14 at a Houston Oilers party with just her guitar and voice. This led to performances at bank openings, psychiatric units and weddings. She graduated from the High School for Performing Arts in Houston, and received a B.A. in painting from the University of North Texas.
Her independently-released debut, 
Equal Scary People, was picked up in 1989 by Elektra. This was followed in 1990 by the album Shortstop, which yielded the #3 adult contemporary hit "I Couldn't Help Myself."
Sara has twice been a guest of NBC's Tonight Show, hosted her own VH1 special, and produced an independent video, Joy, which won first place in the USA Film Festival.
With the help of fans, she raised $50,000 and bought back her third album, Necessary Angels, from Elektra. It was released on Discovery. She has since released three discs on Shanachie: Misfits (a collection of musical odds and ends from throughout her life and career), Two Kinds of Laughter (produced by Adrian Belew), and Spiritual Appliances, produced by Sara herself. Faithful Heart, her seventh album, was released in the spring of 2002 on Sleeveless, her own label, and has received airplay worldwide. Her latest work, Motherlode, is a double album exploring all the facets of womanhood.
Through her self-released children's album Newborn, she has donated more than $50,000 to the Hill Country Youth Ranch (which aids abused and neglected children) and for the Mautner Project in Washington, DC (which helps lesbians with cancer). She is extremely involved in many humanitarian issues and has served on the Board of Directors for the Mothers' Milk Bank/Austin, NARAS (the Grammies) and the advisory Board of Arts for People (Dallas). She has been honorary chair for the Humana Women in Health initiative, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden Party, Walk for Life, and the 2001 Austin Race For the Cure, which raises monies for breast cancer research.
Her entire Spiritual Appliances booklet is dedicated to fighting the homeless problem, and she has visited Romania to work on behalf of the orphans. Spring 2001, Sara released TODDLER, the follow up to NEWBORN, and is now the proud mama of BIG KID, the third in a series of five children's CDs. BIG KID showcases 26 hilarious and thought-provoking songs, stories and poems, following in the footsteps of the zany and educational songs of the first two CDs.
With her husband, Lance, photographer Todd Wolfson and designer Neil Ferguson, Sara started STINGRAY, a design group that produces album covers, posters and other media-related products for musicians. Their clients have included Tish Hinojosa, Ian Moore, Christine Albert and Chris Gage, Tequila Mockingbird and many others.
Awards:
The National Association of Music Therapists, Austin Under Forty (2002-Entertainment ), the Kerrville Folk Festival (community service ), the Speaking of Women's Health Initiative (community service ), Austin Music Awards (1999-2000-one of the top three songwriters, one of the top five female vocalists, top five singer-songwriters, in top three folk artists, top ten musicians) and the Dallas Observer Awards (Best Musician, Best Producer, Best Indie Release, Best Major Label Release, Best Female Vocalist ).
Awards for Children's Albums:
Parents' Choice (Gold-Toddler/2001), NAPPA (Newborn-2001), Dr. Toy's Top 10 Audio Tapes of 2001 (Toddler) and Dr. Toy's 100 Best Toys of 2001 (Toddler), Best Classic Recording 2003 Children's Web Media (Newborn & Toddler), 2003 New Beginning Center Award (for being a strong role model for women). She has also served as the National Ambassador for Half Price Books, helping to promote literacy throughout the United States by visiting hospitals and schools where she performs for and reads to children.
