The Fred Wickham Caravan blends country, soul and rock and roll into a sound that can only be called pure Americana. Comprised of some of Kansas City’s finest roots musicians, the Caravan originally formed to support Wickham’s 2017 solo release Mariosa Delta. Produced and recorded by the late, great Lou Whitney in Springfield, Missouri, the album received widespread critical acclaim both nationally and abroad. No Depression called Mariosa Delta “a sparkling gem of an album…a great record, part document, part tragedy, all heartbreak,” while PopMatters said the album was “reminiscent of rambling folk and country legends like Dylan and Cash.”
Mariosa Delta featured Wickham’s longtime musical cohort Richard Burgess on upright and electric bass. In the late 90s and early 2000s Wickham and Burgess made up half of the Kansas City roots rock outfit, Hadacol, who, along with Wickham’s brother Greg, recorded two critically acclaimed albums and toured extensively across the nation. Greil Marcus, writing for Salon, once called the band’s brand of country “so tough they don’t have to prove it.”
For the Caravan, Wickham and Burgess have recruited some of their favorite musicians and best friends to form a six-piece band capable of jumping from one musical style to the next while maintaining a sound that is all their own. Guitar oddity Marco Pascolini lends his unmistakable stylings on electric and pedal steel guitar. Matt Brahl, one of KC’s finest drummers and an old friend who played with Wickham and Burgess during the final days of Hadacol, jumped right in after original drummer Sam Platt departed. Recent addition, keyboardist and vocalist, Lin Buck mans the keys/Hammond organ after Cowboy Bart Colliver rotated out of the line up. Rounding out the ensemble is Wickham’s son, Fred Jr., who had become an accomplished mandolin player while no one was watching.
