Joe Nichols photo courtesy of Show Dog Nashville.
He grew up with his bank-teller mother, Robin, but spent time with his dad Mike, a long-haul trucker who played classic country at the local VFW. Riding with his dad over school breaks and watching him play on weekends instilled in Joe a love of Haggard, Jones, and Marty Robbins, among others. At 15, he determined to follow in his father's footsteps, and at 21, he was in Nashville, working any number of day jobs and singing at a BBQ and beer spot called Rippy's on Lower Broadway.
In 2001, Joe became the flagship artist on Universal South Records. By the next year, he was on top of the country singles charts, and "The Impossible" and "Brokenheartsville" amounted to a one-two debut that earned him Grammy nominations and a host of awards and established him as one of the genre's most promising young voices. Tours with Alan Jackson and Toby Keith allowed him to prove himself as a riveting live performer, and soon the aforementioned legends were weighing in on Joe's place as their heir apparent.
"It's a wonderful thing," says Joe, "for the legends, the guys who are my heroes, to give me any kind of props. For them to say, 'This guy's got something we like' makes me feel great, like I've done something important."
Along the way, his movie star looks and at-ease-with-the-world personality led him into new realms. He caught the eye of Broadway producers and recently hosted the ACM Honors show at the historic Ryman Auditorium. The wide-ranging nature of his appeal led to a couple of tours of Australia, and his appreciation for the nation's service men and women took him to the Middle East.
Through the years, he established himself as one of country music's best judges of material. In addition to his hits, his albums are loaded with strong material--he recorded "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" long before Blake Shelton turned it into a smash. In fact, he says, "The one thing I see in looking at the greatest hits album is that it's incomplete. There's so much more I want to do and so much more I have done. There are a lot of songs that were never released as singles that mean a lot to me, a lot of really cool stuff that never got its due. Moving forward, I want to make sure the best stuff, the best moments I have, people are able to hear."
It is something his fans are looking forward to as well, and Joe is working to extend his legacy.
"We're always trying to put more pieces into the puzzle, to take more steps in the right direction," he says. "It's simple, really--put out good music, make fun videos, do great live shows, keep the visibility up, and pay attention to the business end. The bottom line, though, is one of the key things I've learned from my heroes--go into the studio and produce a quality product. Put in the time to do good work. At the end of the day, that's what they're going to remember."
