The heart and soul of Cracker: David Lowery [left] and Johnny Hickman
NOT COUNTING ITS two founding members — guitarist-frontman Dave Lowery and guitarist-singer Johnny Hickman — 18 various musicians have logged time in Cracker since the band formed in 1990. “It’s called the ‘Steely Dan model,’” Hickman says, “where you have two singer-songwriter guitar players who are the core of the operation. Cracker Incorporated is David and me. We’ve been friends since we were teenagers, and we’ve been writing songs together for 35 years.” He laughs. “Wow, that’s longer than some of our fans have been alive.”
Hickman admits that he and Lowery have butted heads over the years, but the two have figured out that the best way to keep the peace is to maintain a safe distance. “David and I live across the country from each other,” he says. “The only times we connect are when we’re in a rehearsal room or we walk out on stage. It keeps things healthy. We have something of a sibling relationship with a little bit of competition. That kind of thing always existed with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Tom Petty and Mike Campbell had it. The guys in Oasis — that’s their whole thing. David and I have that same spark of competition.”