Russell Edward “Eldorado” Hicks (March 13, 1942 – December 11, 2023), a renowned steel guitarist, was born in the Beckley area. He attended Beckley Junior High and Woodrow Wilson High School, where he played trumpet in both the band and orchestra.

Hicks received his first guitar during the rise of rock ‘n’ roll and quickly learned to play. With the encouragement of his family, he pursued music seriously. In February 1958, at just 15, Hicks and several local friends formed the Teen Tones, practicing in a soundproof room at a bandmate’s home. The group played at venues such as Teen Town in Beckley, spring formals at area high schools, local television programs in Oak Hill and Bluefield, and even at the Beckley Veterans Administration Hospital.

That fall, Hicks left the Teen Tones to join the King Teens. In March 1959, the band traveled to California and recorded three singles before relocating to Las Vegas, where they enrolled in high school and rebranded as The Keenos. They recorded “Catwalk” and “Keeno Boogie” for Lark Records and performed at the Showboat Hotel.

Following his time in Vegas, Hicks spent two years performing in Chicago clubs before securing a spot on the televised Slim Mims Show in South Carolina. During this period, he flew from South Carolina to West Virginia on weekends to play locally with the Versitones. He also performed briefly with The Impellas, an R&B group in Houston.

In 1967, Hicks auditioned in Nashville for a steel guitar position with country star Connie Smith and was hired immediately. Soon after, he joined Ray Price’s group and then became a member of the TV country music variety show Hee Haw’s house band. Due to his mastery of the pedal steel guitar, he performed on the show for 13 years. He also was a sought-after session musician, recording with major artists, touring internationally with Jerry Lee Lewis and the Charlie Daniels Band, and contributing to film soundtracks such as Clint Eastwood’s Every Which Way but Loose.

Hicks also collaborated with fellow West Virginia musicians Wayne Moss and Charlie McCoy in their band Barefoot Jerry before later performing with the Nashville Super Pickers and the Country Showdown Band. In 2011, he launched his own line of pedal steel guitars, The Russler, which featured his custom-designed “Hicks” pedal.

He is considered one of the finest steel guitarists in history. Hicks was inducted into the International Steel Guitar Hall of Fame in 2011 and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame in 2015.