PHOTOS
BIO
from NigelOlsson.com:
Nigel began his music career as lead vocalist for the Fireflies in Sunderland, England, where he spent his teen years [please see Roger Smith’s excellent website Ready Steady Gone for a fantastic summary of Nigel’s early career, and great vintage photos of him with Jazzboard]. One night when the group’s regular drummer quit before a gig, Nigel decided to give the drums a go, and thus began his drumming career. In 1967, he and his school buddy, guitarist Mick Grabham, auditioned for the group Plastic Penny and got the job, leaving Sunderland for Swinging London. Plastic Penny broke up in 1969 after a big hit on the British charts with “Everything I Am” and two albums for Page One Records. Nigel then joined Mirage bassist Dee Murray and guitarist Ray Fenwick in a post-Stevie Winwood version of the Spencer Davis Group, touring the United States with them in Autumn 1969. They were featured on the album Funky, which was finally released in 1997. Spencer dissolved the group after the tour and Nigel was unemployed until Elton John, a singer-songwriter friend of Nigel’s from the Dick James Studios session circuit, told him that singer David Byron’s group was looking for a drummer. Nigel joined the nascent Uriah Heep, playing nine live dates with them and playing on the track “Dreammare,” on their debut album Very ‘eavy, Very ‘umble. While working with Heep, Nigel had been performing on Elton’s studio demos. Nigel’s first appearance on record with Elton came in 1969, playing on the song “Lady, What’s Tomorrow” on the Empty Sky album. Nigel became Elton’s tour drummer in the Spring of 1970, forming a hot rhythm section with his Spencer Davis cohort Dee Murray. The trio debuted at the Roundhouse in London on April 21st. Nigel was finally “promoted” to Elton’s permanent session drummer in 1972 with the release of Honky Chateau. Nigel stayed on until May 1975, when Elton paradoxically changed the lineup of his hugely successful band by replacing Nigel and Dee with Roger Pope and Kenny Passarelli. This decision is still to this day derided by fans of pop music.
In his time away from Elton, Nigel released 4 solo albums, in addition to Nigel Olsson’s Drum Orchestra and Chorus which came out in 1971. A list of these albums can be seen here. In 1974 he had a minor hit with The Marbles’ “Only One Woman”, which was released by Elton John’s Rocket Records, but real success on the pop charts eluded Nigel until 1979 when he released “Dancin’ Shoes” (“one of the greatest and most beloved soft-rock hits of the late ’70s”) on Bang Records and watched it climb into the Top 20, followed by his remake of The Jarmels’ “A Little Bit of Soap.” In 1980, Nigel and Dee were invited to tour as part of Elton’s band once more, and they were part of the now-historic Central Park concert at which 500,000 people were in attendance. Nigel went on to tour and record with Elton until late 1984, when he and Dee were let go once more after the world tour of 1984. Music production and songwriting in Atlanta and Nashville followed, and then he and Elton John guitarist Davey Johnstone formed the group Warpipes in 1991. They released one album, Holes in the Heavens, which was sadly lost in the shuffle when their record company (Artful Balance) went bankrupt.
After a self-imposed hiatus from the music business, broken up by the occasional session in Nashville and Los Angeles, Nigel began work on Move the Universe. He was welcomed back into the fold of the Elton John Band in early 2000, playing promotional dates for Elton’s The Road to El Dorado soundtrack (on which he sang backing vocals), and making a big comeback on the stage of Madison Square Garden for Elton’s One Night Only concerts in October 2000. On tour again with Elton, Nigel’s unique drumming style continues to thrill fans worldwide.
VIDEOS
AUDIO
INTERVIEWS
DISCOGRAPHY
from NigelOlsson.com:
SOLO ALBUMS
1971 Nigel Olsson’s Drum Orchestra and Chorus (DJM/Uni)
1975 Nigel Olsson (The Rocket Record Company)
1975 Drummers Can Sing Too! (radio interview, not officially released)
1978 Nigel Olsson (Columbia Records)
1979 Nigel (Bang Records) 1980 Changing Tides (Epic Records)
2001 Nigel Olsson’s Drum Orchestra and Chorus, Vol. 2: Move the Universe (Sony Domestic, Japan)
WITH ELTON JOHN
1969 Empty Sky [drums on “Lady, What’s Tomorrow”]
1971 11-17-70 (17-11-70 in England)
1971 Tumbleweed Connection
1971 Friends (Original Soundtrack Recording)
1971 Madman Across the Water
1972 Honky Chateau
1972 Don’t Shoot Me…I’m Only The Piano Player
1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
1974 Caribou
1974 Greatest Hits
1975 Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
1976 Here & There
1976 Greatest Hits Volume 2
1980 21 at 33
1981 The Fox
1983 Too Low For Zero
1984 Breaking Hearts
1988 Reg Strikes Back [backing vocals]
1991 The One [backing vocals]
2000 Elton John’s The Road to El Dorado [backing vocals]
2000 One Night Only: The Greatest Hits
2001 Songs From The West Coast
2002 Greatest Hits 1970-2002
2004 Peachtree Road
2006 The Captain and the Kid
2007 Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden
2007 Rocket Man: Number Ones
WITH OTHER ARTISTS
1968 Plastic Penny—Two Sides of a Penny
1969 Plastic Penny—Currency
1969 Spencer Davis Group—Funky
1970 Uriah Heep—Very ‘Eavy, Very ‘Umble
1970 Plastic Penny—Heads I Win, Tails You Lose (compilation)
1971 Musicians Union Band (re-released 1997)
1971 Ray Fenwick—Keep America Beautiful, Get a Haircut
1971 Guitar Orchestra (Ray Fenwick & Mick Grabham)
1971 Cochise—Swallow Tales
1971 Mike Hurst—In My Time
1972 David Elliott
1972 Mick Grabham—Mick the Lad
1972 Long John Baldry—Everything Stops for Tea
1973 Big Three (UK)—Resurrection
1973 Kiki Dee—Loving and Free
1973 Davey Johnstone—Smiling Face
1973 Hookfoot—Communication
1974 Jimmy Webb—Land’s End
1975 The Cate Brothers
1975 Kai Olsson—Once In a While
1975 Barbie Benton—Something New
1975 Neil Sedaka—The Hungry Years
1975 Tommy (Original Soundtrack Recording—”Pinball Wizard”)
1975 Linda Ronstadt—Prisoner in Disguise
1975 Rod Stewart—Atlantic Crossing
1976 Leo Sayer—Endless Flight
1976 Rick Springfield—Wait For Night
1976 Brian Cadd—White On White
1976 Michael Dinner—Tom Thumb
1976 Randy Edelman—Farewell Fairbanks
1976 Michel Polnareff
1976 Brian and Brenda Russell—Word Called Love
1976 Leon & Mary Russell—Wedding Album
1976 Neil Sedaka—Steppin’ Out
1976 Peter Lemongello—Do I Love You
1977 Eric Carmen—Boats Against the Current
1977 Randy Edelman—If Love Is Real
1977 Jimmy Webb—El Mirage
1977 The Keane Brothers
1977 Paul Davis—Singer of Songs, Teller of Tales
1977 Helen Reddy—Ear Candy
1977 Lisa DalBello (drums on “Everything Money Can Buy”)
1978 Eric Carmen—Change of Heart
1978 Bonnie Pointer
1978 Bonnie Pointer—Heaven Must Have Sent You
1978 Bob Weir—Heaven Help the Fool
1978 Randy Edelman—You’re The One
1980 The Tremblers—Twice Nightly
1980 Neil Sedaka—In the Pocket
1981 Chris Christian
1983 Barry Manilow—Greatest Hits Volume II
1987 Gowan—Great Dirty World
1987 Spencer Davis Group—Golden Archive Series
1990 David Foster—River of Love
1992 Billy Hardwick—Too Country
1992 Warpipes—Holes in the Heavens
1993 Kenny Rogers—If Only My Heart Had a Voice
1994 Uriah Heep—Lansdowne Tapes
1995 Blakey St. John—Temporary Tattoos
1996 Leo Sayer—Show Must Go On: Anthology
1996 Jon Blackstone—Not Dressed for the Occasion NOTE: re-released January 18, 2000 by Trutunes (Diamante Distribution)
1997 Dan McAvinchey—Guitar Haus
1997 Eric Carmen—Definitive Collection
1999 Random Hearts (Original Soundtrack Recording)
2002 Toto—Through the Looking Glass
2005 B.B. King— 80
2007 Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
LESSONS
CONTACT
Facebook (fan club)