Chet Nichols - Full Biography

Chet Nichols' Music Biography

Chet Nichols is an award-winning singer-songwriter, composer, producer, recordist and multi-instrumentalist from the United States. He has toured extensively all over the USA and has lived in numerous cites including: Chicago, Los Angeles, Boulder, San Francisco, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and more. He has written over 2,000 songs/compositions and has produced 40+ CDs of original material.

Chet is in high demand to create, compose and produce for TV and film soundtracks, as well as placing songs with other artists.

Chet's first album was released in 1971. It was entitled, "Time Loop" and featured some All-Star musicians backing him up, including: Nicky Hopkins (The Stones), Pete Sears (The New Riders) and Dave Garibaldi (The Tower Of Power). It was followed by the album, "Waving Prairie" and he has been producing albums and an impressive catalogue ever since. To his credit, his focus on writing profound and great songs, his older and his newer albums and songs continue to entertain and draw new fans and followers around the world.

For example, as of the time of the writing these introduction notes for this website, the title tunes, "(Spinning On The) Time Loop" and "Waving Prairie" are STILL #1 songs in the Rock-Psychedelic and Folk, Folk-Americana charts at Broadjam.com. And he currently has over 50 songs on various Top Ten Charts on the Internet in a very wide array of genres.

Chet is an Inductee in The Kansas Music Hall Of Fame, joining artists like Pat Matheny, Melissa Ethridge, Martina McBride, Kansas and others. He is on The Chicago Actor's A-List of Chicago-born entertainers. He was nominated for an Honorary PhD from the Kansas University.

Chet's newest album, "Twilight Journals", has just moved to the pre-release stage, as final mastering and mixing is finalized. On 11/1/2016, Chet released a new album, "The Apocalypse".  On May 3d of 2016, Chet released the critically acclaimed instrumental CD, "Music From Trees". This album which follows two, 2015, award-winning solo albums, "Bricks" and "Seeds".

In 2015, Chet released the critically-acclaimed CD, "Beetles Are Coming", produced by Stephen Barncard. His songs, "Jezebel", "Kilimanjaro Moondance", "Serengeti Rain", "Electra", "Walking In Circles" and "If You See Kaye" have won several "The Best Song Contests" at Broadjam.com. "I Know Who You Are" was a finalist in the IMSA Global songwriting competition and he has had hundreds of #1/Top 10 Internet hits.

His CDs, "Beetles Are Coming", "Music From Trees" and "I Was Dreaming", "Taxi To Tonganoxie" and "Waving Prairie" were selected by Pandora for inclusion on the Pandora playlists.

Chet released three new CDs in 2014, "I Was Dreaming", "Band In The Basement" and "Sunday Morning", which are follow-up CDs to his critically acclaimed CD, "Walking In Circles". The title tune won the Broadjam "Best Lyric Writing Contest". His songs are blended with unique stories and folk, rock, jazz, blues and world music. 

Chet's instrumental CDs, "Peak To Peak", "Red Mesa Sunset" and "Earthways" are New Age World Fusion and filled with award-winning songs. "Red Mesa Sunset" was selected as a Top Twelve CD by eMusic.com. "Earthways" was recently selected as a Top Twelve CD by eMusic.com.

"Serengeti Rain", was awarded a Top Award in the Music Aid Songwriting Composition. "Serengeti Rain" was featured at The LA Museum of Contemporary Art's Spring Event. "Beijing Dawn" was #1 on the American Idol Underground World Charts and was a finalist in the Music Aid Songwriting Composition.

Chet's song, "The Last Riders On Route 66", won the Grand Prize in the Route 66 Theme Song Contest. It was lauded as "the best new song about Route 66 since Bobby Troupe's 'Get Your Kicks On Route 66'. His song, "The Mother Road", won the Grand Prize in the Route 66 Theme Song Contest in 2012.

Chet is the author of the #1 classic blues songs "I Come From Chicago" and "I Am The Ice Cream Man".  

To this day, Chet quietly continues to write and produce quality musical experiences and songs and compositions used in TV, films and commercials.

Chet is also a published author and novel having penned two novels, "The Last Riders On Route 66" and "The Children Of Pentecost" and two books of poetry. He has also written numerous film and TV scripts and TV pilots.

His creative skills have also crossed over to work as an actor in front of the camera in commercials, feature films and television shows. He co-starred in "Payback", "Just Visiting", "The Lake House", "Good Burger" and others. He also co-starred in the television shows: "Home Improvement", "The Untouchables", "Unsolved Mysteries", "Early Edition", "Caroline In The City" and others. He has also starred in numerous plays across the USA including shows mounted at The Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago, Mummers Theater in Oklahoma City, The Attic Theater in LA, to name a few.

He has also had a successful career in film, TV commercial film production as a creative director and producer in the major global ad agencies. Moreover, he has won numerous Clios, Gold Medals at the New York Film Production and Dallas Film Production Award Festivals, Webbys (for his web production work) and has managed numerous film production, special-effects companies, animation, music video, 3D production companies in LA, NY, Chicago, Toronto, Seattle, Germany and Tokyo.

Chet has an international following and has toured extensively and
performed at coffee houses, listening clubs, large concert venues,
major concert tours and college concert tours across the USA and Canada,
as a featured performing artist and as an "opening act" for artists and bands
including......

CHET NICHOLS  

chet@chetnichols.net 

http://www.chetnichols.net

http://chetnichols.bandcamp.com

MagicGarageMusic@protonmail.com

 

CONCERT & TOURING & RECORDING PERFORMANCES

The Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra

George Carlin

B.B. King

Linda Ronstadt

Ed Black (Linda Ronstadt)

Mike Bowden (Linda Ronstadt)

Mickie McGee (Linda Ronstadt)

Richard “Balloon” Bowden (Linda Ronstadt)

John Boylan (Linda Ronstadt)

Diane Davidson (Linda Ronstadt)

Nicky Hopkins (The Rolling Stones)

Henry Lewy (Joni Mitchell)

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jethro Tull

Roger McGuinn (The Byrds)

Ian Anderson

John Denver

Kenny Rogers & The First Edition

The Jefferson Airplane

Grace Slick

Jack Casady

Jorma Kaukonen

Spencer Dryden

Marty Balin

Paul Kantner

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

John McEuen

Jeff Hanna

Jimmie Fadden

Jimmy Ibbotson

POCO

Jimmy Messina (Poco, Loggins & Messina)

Timothy B. Schmidt (Poco, Eagles)

Rusty Young (Poco)

Paul Cotton (Poco)

Richie Furay (Poco, Buffalo Springfield))

John Lee Hooker

Steve Martin

Hot Tuna

Jack Casady

Jorma Kaukonen

Papa John Creach

Dan Hicks & The Hot Licks

Dan Hicks

Maryanne Price

Sid Page

Naomi Ruth Eisenberg

Bob Scott

Jamie Leopold

The Ozark Mountain Daredevils

John Dillion (Daredevils)

Randy Chowning (Daredevils)

Steve Cash (Daredevils)

Larry Lee (Daredevils)

Mike “Supe” Grande (Daredevils)

Buddy Brayfield (Daredevils)

The Guess Who

Burton Cummings

Randy Bachman

Garry Peterson

Kurt Winter

It’s A Beautiful Day

David LaFlemme

Linda LaFlemme

Patti Santos

Fred Weber

Mitchell Holman

Hal Wagenet

Pacific Gas & Electric

Jimmie Spheeris

Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen

Mary Travers (Peter, Paul & Mary) 

The Charlie Daniels Band

Country Joe McDonald & The Fish

The Grassroots

Creed Bratton

Rob Grill

P.F. Sloan

Steve Barri

Mason Profit

The Persuasions

Blue Oyster Cult 

Big Brother & The Holding Company & Janis Joplin

John Kahn

Mark Naftalin

Leonard Nimoy

Bolo Sette

Southern Comfort

Ian & Sylvia

Humble Pie

Modern Folk Quartet

Richard Pryor

KC Grits

Larry Knight

Ewing Street Times

Steve Goodman

John Prine

Biff Rose

The Mary Clayton Band

Bill Spears

Ted Anderson

Danny Cox

Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah

Brewer & Shipley

The Chad Mitchell Trio …. and many more.

 

RECORDING/STUDIOS BIO …

Stephen Barncard (David Crosby)

Nicky Hopkins (The Rolling Stones)

Henry Lewy (Joni Mitchell)

Nick Gravenities (Big Brother, Paul Butterfield)

Zakir Hussain (Ravi Shankar)

Fuzzy John Oxendine (Sons of Champlain)

Laura Allen (Laura Allen)

Buddy Cage (New Riders Of The Purple Sage)

Spencer Dryden (The Jefferson Airplane)

Dave Garabaldi (Tower of Power)

Pete Sears (The Jefferson Airplane)

John Kahn (Jerry Garcia, Mike Bloomfield)\

Sal Marquez (The "New" Tonight Show Band)

The New Riders Of The Purple Sage

Jack Shroer (Van Morrison)

Don Preston (Wings)

Steve Sperry (Flame)

Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah

Dick Mark, Sr. (Dick Marx & Associates)

Brewer & Shipley, “Archive Live” Album

Bill Bradley (Universal)… and many others

 

CONTACT: MagicGarageMusic@protonmail.com


Website Designed and Produced by Chet Nichols for
Magic Garage Productions, Magic Garage Music (ASCAP) 
and Magic Garage Records.   All Rights Reserved.


Please feel free to hang-out and listen to any of Chet's album and to contact Chet.
Or you can add your info to his mailing list or send any comments or questions his way.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a current and evolving site, as well as being a fun and
informative "historical" site about an influential, independent, American composer,
musician and singer-songwriter, Chet Nichols.

So, we are always looking for and seeking any and all old posters or photos from Chet's shows.

If you have any, please let us know. We would be happy to provide you with a nice collection
of Chet's music of your choice in exchange for any reviews, photos or posters you can provide.

Contact Us: MagicGarageMusic@protonmail.com

Website Designed and Produced by Chet Nichols for Magic Garage Productions,
Magic Garage Music and Magic Garage Records.
All Rights Reserved.