Kelly Nickels (born January 5, 1962) is a bassist who has played in various bands including Sweet Pain,

Faster Pussycat Faster Pussycat is an American hard rock/glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985 by vocalist Taime Downe, guitarists Brent Muscat and Greg Steele and bassist Kelly Nickels. The group has since gone through numerous lineup changes lea ...

, and

L.A. Guns L.A. Guns is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, formed in 1983. The lineup currently consists of Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Phil Lewis (lead vocals), Ace Von Johnson (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Martin (bass, backing vo ...

Career

Faster Pussycat

Nickels started as a roadie and light man for the band Hotshot, which was an early incarnation of

Danger Danger Danger Danger is an American glam metal band formed in Queens, New York, in 1987. History Danger Danger was formed in 1987 by former Hotshot members lead vocalist Mike Pont, bassist Bruno Ravel (born 1964), and drummer Steve West (born 1 ...

. In 1981, he joined metal band

Virgin Steele Virgin Steele is an American heavy metal band from New York, originally formed in 1981. The band released a few career highlights albums (''Noble Savage'', ''The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part I'', ''The Marriage of Heaven and Hell Part II'' ...

. Nickels joined the band Sweet Pain in New York as a bassist, and released one album with them in 1985. Kelly and drummer Ronnie Taz quit Sweet Pain, and he was replaced by Victor Prestin. He moved on to the band Faster Pussycat, but was badly injured in a motorcycle accident (at an intersection on the Sunset Strip in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, California) in October 1986. Due to this injury, his position in the band was replaced. His left leg was broken in seven different places. He was in the hospital for 3 months and had 10 different surgeries. He had to walk with a cane for many years afterwards.

L.A. Guns

By the late-1980s, he had joined L.A. Guns. Nickels remained with the group throughout their most commercially successful period. He also wrote the band's big hit “The Ballad of Jayne.” In addition to playing bass throughout his tenure with the group, he also sang lead vocals on the L.A. Guns song "Nothing Better To Do," from their 1994 album, ''

Vicious Circle A vicious circle (or cycle) is a complex chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop, with detrimental results. It is a system with no tendency toward equilibrium (social, economic, ecological, etc.), at least in the short r ...

''. However, he left the band shortly after this album was released. By the end of the 1990s, he was back in L.A. Guns, only to leave again in 2000.

Personal life

Kelly was born in Montauban, France, and moved to the United States when he was two; he lived in Georgia before moving to New York. Nickels is also the nephew of

Pierre Perret Pierre Perret (born 9 July 1934 in Castelsarrasin, Tarn-et-Garonne) is a French singer and composer. Pierre Perret resides in the city of Nangis. Biography He spent a long part of his childhood in the café which his parents owned, where he le ...

. Nickels is separated from Kelly Cunningham, the mother of actress

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror film, horror and thriller (genre), thriller genres, she has received List of awar ...

. Nickels has a daughter (Grace) with Cunningham, born in 2001. He is also the founder of the clothing line Montauk Salvage Company.

Discography

Sweet Pain

* ''Sweet Pain'' (1985)

L.A. Guns

* ''

'' (1988) * ''

Cocked & Loaded ''Cocked & Loaded'' is the second studio album by American glam metal band L.A. Guns. Recorded at Hollywood studios One on One, Music Grinder and Conway Recording, it was produced by Duane Baron, John Purdell and Tom Werman, and released on Augu ...

'' (1989) * '' Hollywood Vampires'' (1991) * '' Cuts'' (1992) * ''

'' (1994) * ''

Greatest Hits and Black Beauties ''Greatest Hits and Black Beauties'' is an album by L.A. Guns. Although the title would indicate that the album featured the group's biggest hits, it is in fact more accurately described as a unique studio album, featuring re-recordings of older ...

(1999) *'' Hollywood Forever'' (2012) (Track 11) *'' Renegades'' (2020)

References

American bass guitarists L.A. Guns members Faster Pussycat members 1962 births Living people American people of French descent People from Montauban {{US-bass-guitarist-stub