Edward Isaac Bickert, also known as Ed Bickert, was born on November 29, 1932, in Hochfeld, Manitoba, Canada, and was a Canadian guitarist. He began playing guitar at age ten and moved to Toronto in 1952 to pursue a music career. In the mid-1950s, he joined Jimmy Amaro Sr.'s band and later played with Moe Koffman's group, contributing to the hit record "Swinging Shepherd Blues", which reached number 23 on Billboard's Top 40 chart in 1958. Bickert worked as a studio musician throughout the 1960s and collaborated with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass big band until 1998. He gained international recognition in the mid-1970s by touring and recording with Paul Desmond, including the album Pure Desmond. Bickert released his first solo album in 1975 and continued performing and recording throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. He passed away on February 28, 2019.
