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Gary Nicholson (singer)

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Gary Nicholson
File:Gary Nashville Photo.jpg
Background information
BornGarland, Texas, United States[1]
OriginNashville, Tennessee, United States
GenresCountry
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1970s-present

Gary Nicholson is a number one hit songwriter, two time Grammy winning producer, recording artist, world traveling performer, and session guitarist.[2]

Nicholson's songs have been recorded by numerous country artists, including Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr, Reba McEntire, the Dixie Chicks, George Jones, Montgomery Gentry, the Mavericks, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Waylon Jennings, Patty Loveless, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty, Keith Whitley, and many more. His songs have also been recorded by pop, R&B, and blues artists such as Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Neil Diamond and B.B. King.[3]

In addition to his Grammy winning records with Delbert McClinton, who has recorded over fifty of his songs, he has produced records for The Judds, Wynonna, Pam Tillis, Billy Joe Shaver, T Graham Brown, Chris Knight, Taylor Hicks, Seth Walker and others.[2]

His work has been included in many major motion pictures and television, the song “Falling and Flying “ is featured in the Oscar winning film “Crazy Heart” performed by Jeff Bridges.[2]

In 2006 he was nominated to the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame and in 2011 he was inducted into the Texas Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.[2]

Biography

Nicholson grew up in Garland, Texas in the mid 1950's. He took up the guitar and started playing folk and country music, making his public debut in his school’s eighth grade talent show and winning it. Then along came the Ventures and Nicholson took up electric guitar. As a teen he played in British Invasion-inspired bands as the Valiants, the Catalinas and the Untouchables.[4]

While studying at North Texas State University in nearby Denton, Nicholson fell in with such other musical students as soon-to-be Eagle Don Henley and pianist/producer/arranger Jim Ed Norman, later president of the Warner Bros. Nashville label. Nicholson worked at night in club bands, and was also recruited to tour with the Nazz after Todd Rundgren left the group. Following a night in 1970 hanging out with Gram Parsons, Nicholson left college and, urged on by Parsons, moved with his band to Los Angeles.[5]

Their first night in Los Angeles, Gram Parsons met Nicholson's band at The Palomino, country music’s California headquarters. Nicholson’s band won the club’s talent contest that night and met Delaney Bramlett, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Red Rhodes and Tony Booth. Parsons found the band a place to stay and Red Rhodes introduced them to Linda Ronstadt and her producer, John Boylan. Known as The White Horse Brothers, the group soon attracted attention by performing Nicholson’s original songs with bluegrass harmonies. Nicholson’s college classmates Don Henley and Jim Ed Norman joined him in L.A. Henley played drums with Nicholson’s band for its record-label showcase at The Troubadour, as well as on the demos that landed the group its recording contract.[6]

Now renamed Uncle Jim’s Music, Nicholson’s band enlisted Boylan to produce its 1971 debut LP. Keyboardist Norman joined the band in time for its second album in 1972.[7]

In 1973, Gary Nicholson married his college sweetheart Barbara and moved back to Texas. [8]

Nicholson worked as a guitarist in Delbert McClinton’s band throughout the rest of the 1970's. He also started a group called Hot Sauce that melded country-rock and blues and were sometimes joined by his guitar hero Freddie King at their weekly Sunday residency at Mother Blues in Dallas.[9]

Nicholson's breakthrough came in 1980 when he sent Norman, who was becoming an in-demand record producer in Nashville, a song called “Jukebox Argument,” which Norman recorded with singer Mickey Gilley for the movie Urban Cowboy.[10]

Nicholson's breakthrough came in 1980 when Mickey Gilley sang his song 'Jukebox Argument' in the movie Urban Cowboy.[11] Jim Ed Norman then invited him to relocate to Nashville to write for his publishing company in 1980. [12]

Nicholson relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 1980.[13] During this period he continued picking up gigs as a hired guitar, playing for such artists as Billy Joe Shaver and Guy Clark.

In 1983 Nicholson signed a publishing contract with Tree Publishing (now Sony/ATV Music Publishing).[14][15] He achieved his first number 1 hit in 1984 with the song "That's the Thing About Love", recorded by Don Williams. Dozens more country hits followed including "One More Last Chance" by Vince Gill, "The Trouble With The Truth" by Patty Loveless, "She Couldn't Change Me" by Montgomery Gentry, and "When Love Get's A Hold Of You" by Reba McEntire.[16]

His songs have been heard in the movies Crazy Heart, Major League, City of Hope, Message in a Bottle and Where the Heart Is.[17]

Nicholson was nominated to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 and inducted into Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. He has also won several ASCAP songwriting awards.[18]

Songwriting Discography

Further information on songs recorded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_written_by_Gary_Nicholson

For full discography: http://www.garynicholson.com/songwriting-discography/

There are over five hundred recordings of his songs in various genres including country, rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, and pop by such diverse artists as BB King, Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt, George Strait, Fleetwood Mac, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Etta James, John Prine, Dixie Chicks, Don Williams, Stevie Nicks, Buddy Guy, Emmylou Harris, Keb Mo, Ringo Starr, George Jones, The Neville Brothers, Reba McEntire, Robert Plant, Waylon Jennings, Patty Loveless, Kenny Chesney, Guy Clark and the list goes on.[19]

Discography

Year Album Label
1971 Uncle Jim's Music - Uncle Jim Kapp
1972 Uncle Jim's Music - There's A Song In This Kapp
2000 Gary Nicholson - The Sky Is Not The Limit Gary Nicholson
2000 Fortunate Sons - Fortunate Sons Fortune
2008 Whitey Johnson - Whitey Johnson Palo Duro
2010 Gary Nicholson - Nashville Songbook Fearless Recordings
2011 Gary Nicholson - Texas Songbook[20] Bismeaux Productions

References

  1. ^ "Gary Nicholson | The Sky Is Not The Limit | CD Baby Music Store". Cdbaby.com. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  2. ^ a b c d [1]
  3. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gary-nicholson-mn0000153133/biography. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ http://nodepression.com/article/gary-nicholsons-new-album-texas-songbook-pays-homage-home-state-bimeaux-records. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ^ http://nodepression.com/article/gary-nicholsons-new-album-texas-songbook-pays-homage-home-state-bimeaux-records. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ http://musiccityroots.com/artist/gary-nicholson/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ^ http://musiccityroots.com/artist/gary-nicholson/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ http://musiccityroots.com/artist/gary-nicholson/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ http://nodepression.com/article/gary-nicholsons-new-album-texas-songbook-pays-homage-home-state-bimeaux-records. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ http://musiccityroots.com/artist/gary-nicholson/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gary-nicholson-mn0000153133/biography
  12. ^ http://nodepression.com/article/gary-nicholsons-new-album-texas-songbook-pays-homage-home-state-bimeaux-records. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  13. ^ GoMemphis: Entertainment News from The Commercial Appeal
  14. ^ Interviewed by Michael Laskow. "TAXI A&R Interview: Gary Nicholson, Songwriting Producer". Taxi.com. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  15. ^ Gary Nicholson. "Gary Nicholson - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
  16. ^ http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Music-Review-Gary-Nicholson-Texas-Songbook-1407759.php. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ^ http://nodepression.com/article/gary-nicholsons-new-album-texas-songbook-pays-homage-home-state-bimeaux-records. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ Gary Nicholson | The John Jarrard Foundation
  19. ^ https://beta.prx.org/stories/131935/details. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ The No Surf Review: Gary Nicholson - Texas Songbook

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