James Richard (Rick) Sikes was born smack in the middle of the great depression. His family, although dirt-poor, were a proud people. At a young age, his father taught him to fire a rifle. He hunted meat for the family by the time he was twelve, along with his faithful collie, Fireball. How he loved the country and roaming through the hills and valleys of central west Texas. He discovered music, or maybe music discovered him at the age of fourteen. By the time he entered his senior year in high school, he had formed a weekend band, along with his childhood friend, Dean Beard. His music career took him down the roads of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and out to California until, in 1971, he was arrested, found guilty and sentenced to seventy-five years in prison for two bank robberies. Being convicted of a crime he had not committed, he arrived at the gates of Leavenworth Penitentiary, angry, bitter and rebellious. But, time has a way of smoothing out the rough edges of a man's soul. He spent every spare minute doing something creative with his hands and mind. He discovered who he really was and saw how he'd gotten lost along the journey down so many roads. In this poetry and art book, you will find a sampling of the creative genius who lived inside Rick Sikes. You'll see his distorted sense of humor, feel the loneliness that permeated his being and get a glimpse of the world around him through his eyes. These poems are literal breaths of life from within a prison cell. In 2013, Rick Sikes was listed in the Texas State Historical Association Handbook as a pioneer in Texas Music. In 2004, he was inducted into the Central West Texas Music Hall of Fame under the Rockabilly category. Rick finished his earth journey on May1, 2009. His widow, Jan Sikes, has written his entire story through a series of four books. If you enjoy these poems and art, please take a closer look at the books depicting his life.
