On November 26, 1976, Joe Nichols was born in Rogers, Arkansas. The second of four children, Nichols knew early he wanted a career in music, although he was not an overnight success story.
Videos by American Songwriter
After graduating high school, Nichols took several odd jobs, including working as a disc jockey, a meat salesman who went door-to-door, and a mechanic.
In 1996, Nichols recorded his first album, a self-titled project released on the independent Intersound Records. Nichols didn’t have any hits from that record. But six years later, in 2002, Nichols dropped Man With A Memory on Universal South. That record includes “The Impossible”, which became Nichols’ first Top 5 single, and “Brokenheartsville”, his first of several No. 1 hits.
“Brokenheartsville” was followed by other hit singles, including “Gimmie That Girl”, “Sunny and 75”, and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”—arguably Nichols’ most successful and playful track from his extensive catalog. While one might think the song is about a significant other, the music video features a plot twist that appears to imply Nichols is actually singing about his grandmother.
Nicholas has had a total of 16 Top 20 singles, most recently with “Good Day For Living” in 2022.
Joe Nichols’ Latest ‘Honky Tonks & Country Songs’ Album
After releasing four albums on Universal South, Nichols released one album, It’s All Good, on Show Dog-Universal Music, followed by Crickets and Never Gets Old, both on Red Bow Records. In 2022, he released Good Day For Living on Quartz Hill Records, which was followed by Honky Tonks & Country Songs, out last year.
Honky Tonks & Country Songs includes “Better Than You”, Nichols’ stunning duet with Annie Bosko.
“I think she’s got a lot of power behind her voice,” Nichols tells American Songwriter. “We blend well together. This is just purely written as a duet, and it’s got a lot of qualities that radio likes. It lends itself well to radio. And, radio has responded.”
Nichols’ latest project also includes a cover of the Hank Williams Jr. classic, “A Country Boy Can Survive”.
“It’s one of my all-time favorite country songs by one of my all-time favorite country singers,” Nichols explains. “I usually don’t make it a habit to cut and to cover iconic songs by iconic singers because you’re just asking for people to hate you.”
Nichols’ career has already outlasted plenty of other artists. For Nichols, the secret isn’t about talent or hard work, but about how he views himself.
“A wise man once told me, the most expensive thing you’ll ever buy is your own bull crap,” Nichols tells Country Stars Central. “And I tell you what, over the 20-something years I’ve been doing that, that has been true to the core.”
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.