Joe Nichols (1976–)

Joe Nichols is an American singer/songwriter whose career in country music has spanned over two decades. An Arkansas native, Nichols became known for his distinctive baritone voice and heartfelt storytelling. By 2024, he had produced twelve studio albums, six number-one singles, and ten top-ten songs; had been nominated for three Grammy awards; and had received a Country Music Association (CMA) Award and an Academy of Country Music (ACM) Award. Nichols made his film debut in 2022 with a small role in the western Murder at Yellowstone City.

Joseph Edward (Joe) Nichols was born on November 26, 1976, in Rogers (Benton County) to Michael Nichols and Robin Larson Nichols. He grew up with an older brother, Mike, and a younger sister, Kelli. His father was a truck driver who also played bass in a local country band. His father, grandfather, and uncles exposed Nichols to country music early, influencing both his musical taste and the style of music he would play. Nichols has cited Merle Haggard, George Jones, George Strait, and Buck Owens as early influences.

Nichols’s parents divorced when he was a child, and he suffered abuse at the hands of his father. Nichols developed an addiction to whiskey by the time he was thirteen. The family moved to Missouri and then to North Carolina, where Nichols graduated from high school in Walnut Cove.

Nichols recorded his first studio album at the age of nineteen with an independent label, Intersound Records. The self-titled album debuted in 1996 but had little success. He sang in bars and took on odd jobs while hoping to catch his big break. He worked as a door-to-door meat salesman, a mechanic, and a disc jockey. He also moved furniture and installed cable television.

In 2002, Nichols signed with Universal South, on which he released his second album, Man with a Memory. It featured the hit single “The Impossible,” which reached number three on the country charts and crossed over onto the pop charts. Another single from the album, “Brokenheartsville,” became his first number-one country hit and helped the album land on the country Top Ten in 2003. That same year, ACM named Nichols the Top New Male Vocalist. He also received two Grammy nominations, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance for “The Impossible” and Best Country Album. The following year, he received another Grammy nomination for Best Male Country Vocal Performance, this time for “Brokenheartsville.” These accolades marked a turning point for Nichols, and in 2003, he opened for both Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn.

Nichols produced three more records for Universal before scoring another top-ten hit with the album III. Notable songs from this album included the top-ten single “Size Matters (Someday)” and its only number-one track, “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” His next album, Real Things, was released in 2007 and reflected a deeper, more contemplative style.

That same year, he married Heather Singleton, and within thirty days of their wedding, Nichols had checked into a rehabilitation center—the first among several stints in rehab facilities for alcohol and amphetamine addiction. The couple had two daughters—Dylan and Georgia; Nichols had another daughter, Ashelyn, from a previous relationship.

Nichols was inducted into the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 2008. The following year, he released Old Things New, which included the number-one hit single “Gimme That Girl,” and in 2011, he released It’s All Good, which did not produce a hit single despite its position at number nineteen on the Billboard country charts.

Nichols left Universal South soon after and joined Red Bow Records in 2012. A year later, he released Crickets, which included the two smash hits “Yeah” and “Sunny and 75.” He had released several singles and another album by 2017, but neither resulted in any chart-topping success. Nichols left the label in 2018 and remained quiet for a few years before joining Quartz Hill Records in 2021 to produce the single “Home Run.” The full-length album Good Day for Living was released in 2022 and featured a duet with Blake Shelton, “I’ve Got Friends That Do.”

Nichols has sung duets with some of country’s biggest names, including Dolly Parton, Randy Travis, Lee Ann Womack, and Clint Black. However, there have been a few onstage incidents involving Nichols, including concerts in Manhattan and in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in which he reportedly had trouble standing up or remembering the words to his own songs. Despite his struggle with addiction and anger issues, Nichols became involved in numerous philanthropic efforts, including promoting childhood cancer awareness with the Children’s Miracle Network and supporting military veterans through Big Sky Veterans, an organization that provides post-deployment decompression programs to active duty special-forces service members. He and his family live in Tyler, Texas.

For additional information:
Dowling, Marcus K. “Joe Nichols’ Country Resurgence Aims to Take the Genre Back.” Tennessean, April 28, 2023. https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/mu
sic/2023/04/28/joe-nichols-country-resurgence-aims-to-take-the-genre-back/7014
3684007/ (accessed March 1, 2024).

“Joe Nichols.” AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-nichols-mn0000807869#biography (accessed March 1, 2024).

“Joe Nichols.” Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/artist/joe-nichols/ (accessed March 1, 2024).

“Joe Nichols.” Internet Movie Database. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1574231/ (accessed March 1, 2024).

Mogle, Danny. “The Comeback Kid: Joe Nichols Is Back on Top.” Tyler Morning Telegraph, August 6, 2015. https://tylerpaper.com/lifestyle/arts_and_entertainment/the-comeback-kid-joe-nichols-is-back-on-top/article_2fc6f2bd-2645-5833-a648-169671a0dd54.html (accessed March 1, 2024).

Mysti L. Gates
University of Arkansas at Rich Mountain