Robert Hicks was born on January 30, 1951, in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 1974, he made a significant move to Williamson County, Tennessee, where he became deeply involved in the preservation and restoration of the historic Carnton plantation. Hicks' passion for history, particularly the role that Carrie McGavock played during and after the Battle of Franklin, led him to write "The Widow of the South" and "A Separate Country."\n \n Hicks has had a successful career in the music industry in Nashville for twenty years, working as both a music publisher and artist manager. He is also a partner in BB King's Blues Clubs in Nashville, Memphis, and Los Angeles, serving as the 'Curator of Vibe' of the corporation. Hicks is a lifelong collector with a focus on Outsider Art, Tennesseana, and Southern Material Culture. He served as co-curator of the exhibition, "Art of Tennessee," at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, and he was co-editor of the exhibition's award-winning catalog.\n \n Hicks has been actively involved in historic preservation, serving on the Boards of Historic Carnton Plantation, the Tennessee State Museum, The Williamson County Historical Society, and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. His contributions to the preservation of Carnton Plantation were recognized in 1997 when he was named the driving force in the restoration and preservation of the plantation. Hicks has also headed up Franklin's Charge: A Vision and Campaign for the Preservation of Historic Open Space in the fight to secure and preserve both battlefield and other historic open space in Williamson County.\n \n "The Widow of the South" was born out of Hicks' many years of work at Carnton and his passion for preserving the remaining fragments of the battlefield. Through his writing, Hicks aims to bring national attention back to the Battle of Franklin and its impact on our nation's history. His essays on regional history, southern material culture, and music have appeared in numerous publications, and he is currently working on his next novel. In his spare time, Hicks enjoys gardening, although he knows he should be jogging.