Jimmy Nalls (born James Albert Nalls III; May 31, 1951 – June 22, 2017) was an American guitarist mostly known as a founding member of the rock band

Sea Level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

Biography

Born on May 31, 1951, in Washington D.C., Nalls embarked on a busy session career in the early 1970s, joining singer/songwriter Alex Taylor’s band while Taylor was a Capricorn Records label mate of the

Allman Brothers Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboa ...

'. It was during this period that Nalls first worked with future Allmans keyboardist Chuck Leavell, an association that would prove fruitful for both musicians after the Allmans' 1976 split. Alongside fellow Allmans vets

Lamar Williams Lamar Williams (January 14, 1949 – January 21, 1983) was an American musician best known for serving as the bassist of The Allman Brothers Band (1972–1976) and Sea Level (1976–1980). Early years Williams was born in Gulfport, Mississippi, ...

and

Jaimoe John Lee Johnson (born July 8, 1944), frequently known by the stage names Jai Johanny Johanson and Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band. Johanson played ...

, Leavell decided to start a new group after the Allman Brothers Band folded, enlisting Nalls for the band he had dubbed

— a play on C. Leavell. While they never achieved the same level of commercial success as the Allmans, they toured and recorded steadily over the next five years, completing five albums before folding in 1981. Following Sea Level's breakup, Nalls performed with a number of acts, spending a period as a Nashville session player in the 1980s and working with artists such as Bodyworks and B.J. Thomas. He started the 1990s by joining singer T. Graham Brown's touring band, and remained in the lineup until shortly after receiving his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 1994. While his symptoms made it difficult to continue performing, Nalls kept playing, releasing the solo album ''Ain't No Stranger'' in 1999. He released a follow-up album – '' The Jimmy Nalls Project'' – just two days before his death. It features several guest stars including

Brad Whitford Bradley Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952)Putterford, Mark (1991) ''The Fall and Rise of Aerosmith'', Omnibus Press, Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'' (2nd edn.), MOJO Books, , p. 11-13 is an American musician who i ...

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his ind ...

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Sprin ...

Warren Haynes Warren Haynes (born April 6, 1960) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his work as longtime guitarist with the Allman Brothers Band and as founding member of the jam band Gov't Mule. Early in his career he was ...

, Larry Carlton and Chuck Leavell.

Death

Jimmy Nalls died on June 22, 2017, from complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 66.Guitar Star Jimmy Nalls Dies Amid A Celebration Of His Life
wmot.org; accessed July 1, 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nalls, Jimmy American jazz guitarists 1951 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Washington, D.C. Neurological disease deaths in Tennessee Deaths from Parkinson's disease Place of death missing 20th-century American guitarists Sea Level (band) members