Daniel Nichols (born 1969) is an American

Jewish rock Jewish rock is a form of contemporary Jewish religious music that is influenced by various forms of secular rock music. Pioneered by contemporary folk artists like Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and the Diaspora Yeshiva Band, the genre gained popularity ...

musician and founder of the band, E18hteen.

Biography

Dan Nichols was born in 1969 in Indiana. He attended Pike Township Schools in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

.Cebula, Judith,
Band has Rock Message for Jews
", ''

The Indianapolis Star ''The Indianapolis Star'' (also known as ''IndyStar'') is a morning daily newspaper that began publishing on June 6, 1903, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It has been the only major daily paper in the city since 1999, when the ''Indianap ...

'' February 20, 1999 He and his parents converted to Judaism when he was 7, after his mother "went on a quest for spirituality". He attended Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and camped at Goldman Union in

Zionsville, Indiana Zionsville is a suburban town located in the extreme southeast area of Boone County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. The population was 14,160 at the 2010 census, 30,693 at the 2020 census, and grew to 33,891 in the 2022 esti ...

. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.Snider, Keith,
Soul Music
", ''Nashville Banner'', January 27, 1998 Dan Nichols is a proud alum of the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

where he received a bachelor's degree in music in 1992. He has one child, a daughter name Ava.

Music career

In 1994, while living in Nashville, Tennessee, Nichols met Mason Cooper and created the band, Eighteen, performing rock music with Jewish themes and Hebrew prayers.Cohen, Don
Lucky Number
", Jewish South, ''Atlanta Jewish Times'', Jewish Renaissance Media, October 2003 Prior to Eighteen, Nichols was a member of the band Olskies.Fenske, Sarah,
Kosher Jam
, ''The Cleveland Scene'', November 6, 2002 Nichols previously worked as a cantorial soloist at Congregation Micah in

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.Jew Rock Man!
", ''Nashville City Paper'', October 26, 2001 and also has a background in opera. Nichols performs at synagogues, Hillels,

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...

s and Jewish youth camps nationwide.Granieri, Laurie,
Instrument of God
",''Home News Tribune'', New Jersey, September 10, 2006 His work has been recognized by the

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...

and

NFTY NFTY: The Reform Jewish Youth Movement (formerly known as the North American Federation for Temple Youth, often referred to simply as NFTY, commonly pronounced ''"nifty"'') is the organized youth movement of Reform Judaism in North America. Fun ...

who have featured him as an artist at Biennials and Conventions, and included his music on their ''Ruach'' compilation albums and songbooks.Eglash, Joel N., ''Ruach 5761 & 5763 songbook'', URJ Press, 2003, page 4 Since 2001, Nichols has been a faculty member of the annual songleading conference, Hava Nashira in

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oco ...

. In 2006, NFTY awarded Nichols its highest honor, Lifetime Membership, in recognition of his years of commitment and outstanding contribution to Reform Jewish youth. In 2008, Nichols and Eighteen performed a live concert for

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...

's Radio Hanukkah Jewish Stars concert series, and a concert at

Masada Masada ( he, מְצָדָה ', "fortress") is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau, akin to a mesa. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dea ...

for Israel's 60th anniversary. Dan Nichols has also been Rodef Sholom's artist in residence since 2008. Nichols is the subject of the 2013 documentary film ''Road to Eden: Rock & Roll Sukkot'' which follows Dan and his band Eighteen as they travelled in an RV across the American South during the holiday of

Sukkot or ("Booths, Tabernacles") , observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans , type = Jewish, Samaritan , begins = 15th day of Tishrei , ends = 21st day of Tishre ...

. In 2015, Dan released an album of acoustic music on an album called ''Beautiful and Broken'' with guest artist Elana Arian. His newest album, ''I Believe'' was released in August 2016. ''I Believe'' features cover art designed by

Sarah Edelstein Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ...

Discography

*''Life'' (1996) *''The Day After Tomorrow'' (1997) *''Be Strong'' (2001) *''Kol HaShabbat'' (2002) *''My Heart is in the East'' (2004) *''The Roots'' (2008) *''To the Mountains'' (2009) *''The Sound of What Cannot Be Seen'' (2012) *''Road to Eden Soundtrack'' (2014) *''Beautiful & Broken'' (2015) *''I Believe (2016) *''I Will Not Fear'' (2019) *''One Who Will Struggle: Music for Prayer'' (2020) *''What Could Go Wrong?'' (2021)

Compilations

;Greatest Hits *''18 on 18'' (2010) ;

Compilations *"L'takein (The Na Na Song)" appears on ''Ruach 5761'' *"Pitchu Li" and "Kehillah Kedoshah" appear on ''Ruach 5763'' *"My Heart is in the East" appears on ''Ruach 5765'' *"Hashkiveinu" and "LeDor VaDor" appear on ''Ruach 5767'' *"Or Chadash" and "Esai Einei" appear on ''Ruach 5769'' *"Sweet as Honey" and "Hoshiah" appear on ''Ruach 5771'' *"All this Rain" and "Mayim" appear on ''Ruach 5773'' *"Eternity Utters a Day" appears on ''Ruach 5775'' ;Celebrate Series *"Kumi Lach" appears on ''Celebrate Jewish Love Songs'' ;Collaborations *''The Remix – EP'' with Alan Goodis (2015) *''So is Life!'' – Boxt, Dreskin, Nelson & Nichols (2016)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nichols, Dan Living people 1969 births Jewish American songwriters Musicians from Raleigh, North Carolina Musicians from Indianapolis Jewish American rock musicians Jewish folk singers Songwriters from Indiana