[1] Wicke began in the entertainment world as early as August 1916, when he appeared on Broadway in The Big Show, produced by Charles Dillingham at the Hippodrome Theatre.
[5] He was a member of various harmony singing and comedy groups, including The Texas Four, which had broken up by 1926; The Westerners, which became active at around that time; and the Shanley Trio.
[9] When Fleischer Studios moved from New York City to Miami, Florida, in 1938, Wickie stayed behind and continued working in the entertainment industry.
[1] An oft-cited biographical error is that Wickie was a baritone, recordings of his voice indicate he was a bass singer according to his dark timbre and vocal range, which go down to at least low C,[10] as do published reports contemporary with his rediscovered later career according to research by David Gerstein.
[1] Wicke generally made up a quartet with Spike Harrison, Fred Bishop, and a fourth member who was not permanent.