Cleveland-born Wilcox was inspired to play guitar after watching a fellow student play in a stairwell at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. Transferring to Warren Wilson College in Asheville, NC, in 1981, Wilcox began taking music seriously. Although he took four lessons with a classical guitarist, Wilcox developed most of his playing technique on his own. In addition to being inspired by Joni Mitchell to play in a variety of tunings, he designed a capo that produced an unusual sound by leaving one or more strings unaltered.