Craig Nicholls

Craig Robert Nicholls (born 31 August 1977) is an Australian musician, best known as the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the Australian alternative rock band The Vines, of which he is the sole continuous member.

Early life

Nicholls was born in Sydney. Terry Nicholls, his father, was the guitarist and vocalist in a 1960s group named The Vynes. He later worked as an accountant for Sony Music Australia. Nicholls has an older brother, Matt, an older sister, Tara, who is a solicitor, and a younger sister, Jessica. Nicholls' father taught him to play guitar during childhood. He spent his free time listening to The Beatles, painting artworks, and skateboarding. He stated, "I grew up a loner... I never socialised. I stayed at home and listened to music all day. Music became a mystical world."

Nicholls attended Marist College Penshurst until he dropped out of high school at the 10th grade. He then enrolled in an art school for six months to study painting. He supported his ambition to become a musician by working at a McDonald's in Hurstville. There, he met future bandmates: bass guitarist Patrick Matthews and drummer David Oliffe. To form a quartet named Rishikesh, Nicholls also invited his schoolmate Ryan Griffiths to join on playing the guitar. Nicholls chose the band's name, Rishikesh, which originally referred to a city in India where The Beatles had attended an ashram