Gary Nicholson is an American singer-songwriter and record producer, known mainly for his work in

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

. He is a two-time Grammy winning producer and was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriter's Association Hall of Fame. Nicholson has more than 500 recordings and is best known for his work with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shim ...

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...

and

Billy Joe Shaver Billy Joe Shaver (August 16, 1939 – October 28, 2020) was an American outlaw country singer and songwriter, as well as an actor. Biography Shaver was born in Corsicana, Texas, and raised by his mother, Victory Watson Shaver. Until he was 12 ...

Early life and education

Nicholson was born in Commerce, Texas. He grew up in Garland, Texas and began playing guitar in his teenage years in bands such as "The Valiants", "The Catalinas" and "The Untouchables". Afterward, Nicholson attended

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

, majoring in music.

Career

Early career

In 1970, Nicholson and his band drove to Los Angeles, California. The band won a talent contest at the Palomino Club and met musicians

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

Red Rhodes Orville J. Rhodes, better known as Red Rhodes or O. J. Rhodes (December 30, 1930 – August 20, 1995), was an American pedal steel guitarist. His mother taught him to play the Dobro at the age of five, but at the age of fifteen he switched to ...

and

Clarence White Clarence White (born Clarence Joseph LeBlanc; June 7, 1944 – July 15, 1973) was an American bluegrass and country guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the bluegrass ensemble the Kentucky Colonels and the rock band the Byrd ...

. Afterwards, he formed the bluegrass/folk trio, "The Whitehorse Brothers", playing in Southern California. The group expanded and became "Uncle Jim's Music" and was signed to MCA/Kapp records for two albums. In 1973, Nicholson moved back to Texas and started the rock/country band "Hot Sauce". During this time, he first played with

Delbert McClinton Delbert McClinton (born November 4, 1940) is an American blues rock and electric blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, harmonica player, and pianist. From his first professional stage appearance in 1957 to his most recent national tour in 2018, ...

. His friend and bandmate, Jim Ed Norman, recorded Nicholson's song "Jukebox Argument", sung by

Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1 ...

in the film ''

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spur ...

''. In 1980, Nicholson signed with Norman's Jensong Music and moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. He played lead guitar for

Guy Clark Guy Charles Clark (November 6, 1941 – May 17, 2016) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet ...

during the recording of the album ''Better Days''.

recorded Nicholson's songs "

Your Love Shines Through "Your Love Shines Through" is a song written by Wayland Holyfield and Gary Nicholson, and recorded by American country music artist Mickey Gilley. It was released in August 1983 as the second and final single from his album ''Fool for Your Love'' ...

" and "Ladies Night". During this time, he also played guitar for such artists as

Bobby Bare Robert Joseph Bare Sr. (born April 7, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for the songs "Marie Laveau", " Detroit City" and "500 Miles Away from Home". He is the father of Bobby Bare Jr., also a musician. Early ca ...

and

. In 1983, Nicholson signed a publishing contract with Tree Publishing (now

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

). He achieved his first number 1 hit in 1984 with the song "

That's the Thing About Love "That's the Thing About Love" is a song written by Richard Leigh and Gary Nicholson, and recorded by American country music artist Don Williams. It was released in March 1984 as the first single from the album ''Cafe Carolina ''Cafe Carolina' ...

", recorded by

Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number ...

and " The Power of Love", recorded by

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Reco ...

. In 1986, he wrote six songs for T. Graham Brown's debut album and in 1987 the title and five others on his second release, ''Brilliant Conversationalist''. He penned a number 1 hit in 1993 with "

One More Last Chance "One More Last Chance" is a song recorded by American country music singer Vince Gill. Gill co-wrote the song with Gary Nicholson. It was released in July 1993 as the fourth single from his album, '' I Still Believe in You''. The song reached t ...

" recorded and co-written by

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

. In 1995, Nicholson co-wrote six songs with

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

for his album, '' Lost Dogs and Mixed Blessings''. He co-wrote a song for

called " Working Without a Net" in 1996. He received ASCAP Awards in 1997 for the songs, "

Givin' Water to a Drowning Man "Givin' Water to a Drowning Man" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music and blues artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Activ ...

", by

Lee Roy Parnell Lee Roy Parnell (born December 21, 1956) is an American country music and blues artist, singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Active since 1990, he has recorded eight studio albums, and has charted more than twenty singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot C ...

, and " A Thousand Times a Day", by

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

. Nicholson also left Sony/ATV Music Publishing to start his own publishing company, Gary Nicholson Music ASCAP, during this time. In 1998, Nicholson wrote the album title and single " Trouble With The Truth" by

. In 1999, his song " Live, Laugh, Love" was the album title and single for

Clay Walker Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single " What's It to You", which reached Number One on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Son ...

Later career

In 2001, his song " She Couldn't Change Me" by

Montgomery Gentry Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...

reached number two on Billboard Hot Country Songs. In 2002, Nicholson's song "

Squeeze Me In "Squeeze Me In" is a song written by Delbert McClinton and Gary Nicholson. It was recorded by Lee Roy Parnell for his 1995 album '' We All Get Lucky Sometimes'', and was the B-side to his 1996 single " Givin' Water to a Drowning Man". It was rec ...

" became a hit duet for

and

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

. He also charted for the singles, "When Love Gets Ahold of You" by

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...

, "

Back in Your Arms Again "Back in Your Arms Again" is a song written by Paul Davis and J. Fred Knobloch, and recorded by American country music artist Lorrie Morgan. It was released in August 1995 as the second single from her ''Greatest Hits'' compilation album. The s ...

" by

The Mavericks The Mavericks are an American country music band from Miami, Florida. The band consists of Raul Malo (lead vocals, guitar), Paul Deakin (drums), Eddie Perez (lead guitar), and Jerry Dale McFadden (keyboards). Malo and Deakin founded the band in ...

and "The Reason Why" by

. In 2003, he co-wrote the single "Never Without You" with

and has collaborated on each of his last five records. In 2008, Nicholson co-wrote the title song, " Skin Deep", for Buddy Guy, which was number one on the Billboard Blues Chart and Grammy nominated. He co-wrote "The Git Go" with

for

's '' Band of Brothers'' album, and co-wrote "It Ain't You" with

, as a Ray Benson/Willie Nelson duet. Nicholson has more than 500 recordings of his songs during his career. He has co-written songs with many notable songwriters and artists including

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

Los Lonely Boys Los Lonely Boys are an American musical group from San Angelo, Texas. They play a style of music they call "Texican Rock n' Roll," combining elements of rock and roll, Texas blues, brown-eyed soul, country, and Tejano. The band consists of thr ...

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", "By the Time I Get to Phoenix", "MacArthur Park", "Wichita Lineman", "Worst ...

, Michael McDonald,

Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...

, among others.

Production

During his career, Nicholson has produced five projects for

, winning Grammys in the Best Contemporary Blues category for the albums "Nothing Personal" in 2001 and "Cost of Living" in 2005. Nicholson has also produced for

The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most success ...

Wynonna Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero. Tillis recorded unsuccessful p ...

, T. Graham Brown and Marcia Ball.

Awards and recognition

He was nominated to the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

in 2006 and inducted into Texas Heritage Songwriter's Association Hall of Fame in 2011. He has received ASCAP Awards for the songs, "Giving Water to a Drowning Man" and "A Thousand Times a Day".

Personal life

On June 30, 1973, Nicholson married Barbara Ellendorff. He is from Garland, Texas and has lived in Nashville, Tennessee since 1980.

Discography

Albums

Songs in film

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, Gary American country singer-songwriters Living people People from Garland, Texas Year of birth missing (living people) University of North Texas College of Music alumni Record producers from Texas Singers from Nashville, Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Texas American blues singer-songwriters People from Commerce, Texas Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Tennessee Singer-songwriters from Tennessee