The Tricky Dicks, like their namesake, have a long and sordid history. Born out of the frustration of guitarist/songwriter J.D. Vernier's inability to play in a band that didn't break up within a month, the Dicks ended up lasting far longer than ever imagined possible.

J.D. and bassist D Denizen met shortly after J.D. began working at Ford back in 1994. At this time, J.D. was just beginning to write songs and to be frank, he sucked at it. Denizen heard some of J.D.'s early demos at the time and while he thought they sucked, a friendship was formed over their shared craft and mutual love of obscure music. Meanwhile, drummer Todd Caldwell joined D Denizen and J.D. at Ford in 1997 and quickly became friends with both. J.D. and Todd were natural friends as both their fathers were close friends and co-workers as well while Denizen and Todd became fast friends working together in the same area and both sharing a love of music.

In the spring of 2001, Todd and J.D. began jamming in J.D.'s new home studio to hash out new originals to record and to just have fun. Before long, J.D. and Todd realized that the world didn't need another White Stripes and decided to find a bass player. Not surprisingly, they both thought of D Denizen and the Dicks were born. At first the guys just got together to drink beer and make noise, but before long a funny thing happened: they learned enough songs to begin playing in front of people. The band spent the summer and autumn of 2001 playing small gigs in the metro Detroit area before going on hiatus.

In the next three years, the Dicks would sporadically appear together in the same place and when the moon and stars were lined up just right would pull out the instruments and make some noise. The Dicks reunited for a one-time show for J.D.'s 2003 Fall Party, playing a full set for the first time in two years. For the most part, however, the challenges of working different shifts, starting families, and real life in general prevented the band from playing often during this time.

D Denizen and J.D. formed a band called FN9 with former members of Subject to Change (Nick, Mike and Dave) in the spring of 2004. FN9 played a few gigs around town but disbanded after Nick, Mike and Dave reformed Subject to Change. Not long after, the Dicks reunited to play a set in December 2004, opening for Subject to Change at Boulders in Plymouth, MI. Again, this reunion was short lived due to work schedules and the like.

In early 2009, the Dicks reunited when all three members found themselves on the same shift with time on their hands. The band began rehearsals in January 2009 to shake off the rust from the last hiatus and to work on new songs for an upcoming album and gigs.