Steve Wickham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Steve Wickham
Wickham with The Waterboys in 2012
Background information
Birth name	Steve Wickham
Born	Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Genres	Rock, folk, folk rock, country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Violin vocals mandolin keyboards guitar
Associated acts	The Waterboys

Steve Wickham is a talented Irish musician. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, but now calls Sligo home. Steve was one of the first members of a band called In Tua Nua. He also played the violin on the famous U2 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Steve has played music with many other well-known artists. These include Elvis Costello, the Hothouse Flowers, Sinéad O'Connor, and World Party. He is also a long-time member of the band The Waterboys.

Steve Wickham plays both rock and roll and traditional Irish music. He even created his own rock music style for the violin, which he calls the "fuzz fiddle." Besides the violin, Steve is great at playing the mandolin, tin whistle, concertina, saxophone, piano, guitar, and bones.

He gets his musical ideas from artists like Lou Reed, Van Morrison, and even the classical composer Mozart. Mike Scott, who leads The Waterboys, has called Steve "the world's greatest rock fiddle player." The music magazine New Musical Express also called him a "fiddling legend."

Steve Wickham's Journey with The Waterboys

Steve Wickham joined The Waterboys after Mike Scott heard him play on a demo tape. Steve first played the fiddle on their song "The Pan Within" from the album This Is the Sea. After that album came out, Steve officially became a member of the band.

In 1986, Steve asked Mike Scott to move The Waterboys to Dublin, Ireland. This move and Steve's musical style helped create the traditional Irish and Scottish sound heard on their album Fisherman's Blues (released in 1988).

In 1990, Steve left The Waterboys for a while. He preferred acoustic music, which was different from the rock sound the band was moving towards. However, he returned to the band in 2000. Mike Scott said it "felt so good" when Steve rejoined. The Waterboys continued to make music and tour with Steve as a key member until he left again in 2021.

Even though some of The Waterboys' recent albums have a rock sound, Steve's love for acoustic music can be heard on albums like Universal Hall. Steve also often performs with the Sligo Early Music Ensemble.

What is the Fuzz Fiddle?

Steve Wickham created a special way of playing the violin called "fuzz fiddle." He got some ideas from another rock fiddler named Warren Ellis and from grunge music.

Steve first tried to make a distorted rock sound with his fiddle in a band called Juggler, back in the late 1970s. He put his fiddle through a guitar distortion pedal. But he didn't like how much noise it made and how hard it was to control.

Later, Steve saw Warren Ellis use a fiddle with a fuzz pedal at a concert. This inspired him to try again. After trying different setups, Steve found the right combination of an amplifier, his fiddle, and a pedal. That's when the "fuzz-fiddle was reborn."

Steve has used this unique technique in The Waterboys' song "Is She Conscious?". He also used it when covering Bruce Springsteen's "Independence Day." In a special tribute to Jimi Hendrix's famous guitar version of "The Star-Spangled Banner," Steve even played the Irish national anthem, "Amhrán na bhFiann," using his fuzz fiddle.

Steve Wickham's Music Albums

Steve Wickham has played on many albums, both as a band member and as a guest musician. His first solo album, Geronimo, came out in 2004. He named the album after his favorite violin.

Solo Albums

• Geronimo (2004)
• Beekeeper (2017)

Albums with The Waterboys

• This Is the Sea (1985)
• Fisherman's Blues (1988)
• Room to Roam (1990)
• The Best of the Waterboys 81–90 (1991)
• The Secret Life of the Waterboys 81–85 (1994)
• The Live Adventures of the Waterboys (1998)
• The Whole of the Moon: the Music of Mike Scott and the Waterboys (1998)
• Too Close to Heaven (2001)
  • Also known as Fisherman's Blues, Part 2 (2002) in the United States
• Universal Hall (2003)
• Karma to Burn (2005)
• Book of Lightning (2007)
• An Appointment with Mr Yeats (2011)

Albums as a Featured Musician

• Rafa Bocero:
  • The Fiddler Of Dooney (2019)
• Declan O'Rourke:
  • Since Kyabram (2004)
• Cali:
  • Menteur (2005)
• Elvis Costello:
  • Spike (1989)
• Hothouse Flowers:
  • Home (1990)
• Sinéad O'Connor:
  • The Lion and the Cobra (1987)
  • I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990)
  • Sean-Nós Nua (2002)
• U2:
  • War (1983)
• World Party:
  • Private Revolution (1986)
  • Goodbye Jumbo (1990)

Geronimo Track List

Here are the songs on Steve Wickham's solo album, Geronimo:

• "Lazy Days"
• "Mouth of the Shannon"
• "Fado"
• "The Hunter"
• "One of these Days"
• "A Snow Year"
• "Midnight Boy"
• "Lament for Pearl"
• "The Livestock Polka"
• "Polka Art O Leary"
• "Point to Point"
• "The Eclipse"