Clifton Hicks is a banjo player, songwriter, and anthropologist known for his work in American folk music. He was raised in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas before settling in Tennessee. His musical performances and teaching often emphasize the colonial American origins of the banjo.

Clifton is an accomplished folk artist, having built dozens of banjos based on historical examples. His builds are entirely handmade, using only locally sourced hardwood, bone, and other materials.

Hicks enlisted in the U.S. Amy in 2002 at the age of seventeen, serving as a tank driver and machine gunner in Germany and Iraq. After two combat deployments, he applied for and was granted full conscientious objector status. He was honorably discharged in 2005.

In 2013, Hicks graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor's degree in anthropology. His academic studies were concentrated in the archaeology and history of the southeastern United States, which remains his chief area of interest.