Son of James Franklin & Florence (Hutsell) Brickell.

Married Marian Nelson Weller, who was Miss Chattanooga and Miss Tennessee in 1944. They had four children.

Served in the Navy during WWII (Pacific Theater) and Korea. National soloist for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Sang with the Chattanooga Opera, Horn of the West in Boone, NC, and The Stephen Foster Story, Bardstown, Ky.

Baseball and Basketball coach at Birchwood High School, where he taught.