Sara Hickman was born on March 1, 1963, in Jacksonville, NC, but was raised in Houston, TX. She launched her professional career at age 14 at a Houston Oilers party with just her guitar and voice. Through the remainder of her teenage years, Hickman performed at bank openings, weddings, and even psychiatric units. Following her graduation from the High School for Performing Arts in Houston, she went on to receive a bachelor of arts degree in painting from the University of North Texas. Hickman released her debut, Equal Scary People, in 1988, originally on the independent label Four Dots. Due to overwhelming positive response to the record, Hickman was signed to Elektra in 1989, and they reissued the album. In 1990 Hickman released her follow-up disc on Elektra, Shortstop, which yielded the adult contemporary hit "I Couldn't Help Myself." In 1994, after touring with Dan Fogelberg and Nanci Griffith, a third disc was delivered to Elektra called Necessary Angels. Unfortunately, Elektra refused to issue it. A dedicated group of Hickman fans raised the money so she could buy the tapes back from Elektra. She did, and it was eventually released on the indie label Discovery. By 1997, Hickman had released three discs on Shanachie Records: Misfits, a collection of odds and ends, the Adrian Belew-produced Two Kinds of Laughter in 1998, and Spiritual Appliances in 2000. Hickman has also released numerous limited-edition discs and cassettes on her own Sleeveless label, including This Christmas Wish, Faithful Heart, an official bootleg (Ready to Pop, recorded when she was seven months pregnant), and her children's albums Newborn (1999), the award-winning Toddler (2001), and Big Kid (2003). Another important aspect of Hickman's work is her concerts dedicated to numerous charities, addressing issues such as (but not limited to) abused and neglected children, breast cancer research, AIDS, women's issues, illiteracy, and the homeless. In 2006 the singer released Motherlode on Mesa/Blue Moon. ~ Al Campbell