Michelle Nixon is a bluegrass and acoustic

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist. Born Michelle Denice Thurston on December 10, 1963 she grew up in central

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

where she became involved in music at an early age. Nixon joined her first band at the age of 14, embarking on a musical journey that found her singing a variety of

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

and classic

with different

based bands. Gathering inspiration and style from, among others,

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "Hey Loretta", "The Pill (song), The P ...

and

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, bandleader, and activist. She is considered one of the leading music artists behind the country rock genre in the 1970s and the Americana (music), Americana genre ...

, Nixon quickly developed her own powerful sound.

History

Michelle Nixon began her professional music career when she formed the band Slate River with her husband Nick in 1989. In 1990 and 1991, Nixon won the Virginia Folk Music Association's female vocalist award. Nixon teamed up with

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

player / vocalist Vernon Hughes in the band "Appalachian Express" in 1993. In 1996, they joined to create the Virginia Band "Local Exchange" and released the album "Because He Lives" on Copper Creek Records. After playing a key role in the Virginia Band "Local Exchange", Nixon formed her current band – Michelle Nixon & Drive – in 2002. Within a year, Nixon signed a three-album contract with Pinecastle Records. In the following years Nixon was consecutively nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year (Traditional) at the National SPBGMA (Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America) convention in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, TN from 2004 to 2009. In 2006 she was the recipient of the Female Vocalist of the Year (Traditional) at the SPBGMA convention. In total "Michelle Nixon and Drive" received a total of six nominations at SPBGMA in 2006. Additionally from 2005 to 2009 Nixon was nominated for SPBGMA's Entertainer of the Year. Nixon participated in the much acclaimed "Daughter's of Bluegrass" series of albums both with singing and her song writing abilities. On the 2006 release "Daughter's of Bluegrass – Back to the Well" Nixon co-wrote the song "Grass Angels" and performed on several of the cuts including a duet with fellow Bluegrass artist Jeanette Williams entitled "How's it Feel" which was written by Dixie and

Tom T. Hall Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "The Storyteller," was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 number-one hit songs, with 26 more ...

. Blue Circle Records continued the "Daughter's of Bluegrass Series" with the album "Daughter's of Bluegrass – Bluegrass Bouquet" in late 2008. Michelle Nixon again provided her vocal talents to this various artist project. For both of these projects Nixon was a recipient of the IBMA Recording Event of the Year Award in 2006 and 2009 respectively. In 2007, Nixon toured as part of the "Blowin' the Dust Off" tour with Steve Bassett. During this same tour season, she played several Bluegrass Festivals that were not part of the Blowin' The Dust Off Tour including Sertoma Youth Ranch Spring Bluegrass Festival in Florida. Also in 2007 Nixon and her band Drive performed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, as part of the Bluegrass Sundays Winter Concert Series. In 2008, Nixon performed at the Induction ceremonies for the newest members of the Country Music Hall of Fame

and the

Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group from Staunton, Virginia. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening ...

at the request of veteran songwriter Tom T. Hall. Her performance included his song "Harper Valley PTA" which she had recently recorded for her next album.

Songwriting

Nixon has focused more and more on her songwriting. She wrote two to three songs on each of her Pinecastle albums. She also contributed as a songwriter to the IBMA-winning Daughter's of Bluegrass Album ''Back to The Well'' and co-wrote the song "When It's Christmas in Virginia" with her husband Nick Nixon for the ''A Pinecastle Christmas Gathering'' album. In more recent years Nixon's songs have been performed and recorded by other Bluegrass artist such as Dianne McKoy.

Style

Nixon's overall style would be called Contemporary Bluegrass or Acoustic Country. She has a wide range of vocal and instrumental abilities and often performs both smooth

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

s and hard driving Bluegrass. She is well known for performing classic country anthems and remaking them in her own style. In her performances and recording projects, she has shown her ability to shine as a solo vocalist as well as an outstanding ability to sing harmony that she learned as a girl singing gospel music. She performed and/or recorded projects with many bluegrass artist such as Jeanette Williams and

Dale Ann Bradley Dale Ann Bradley is an American bluegrass musician. She is a six-time (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2021) Female Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year, a distinction given by the International Bluegrass Music Association. She has released music bo ...

as well as

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

performer and

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

star

Bill Anderson James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television host. His soft-spoken singing voice earned him the nickname "Whispering Bill" from music critics and writers. As a songwriter, hi ...

Personal life

Nixon is married to Nick Nixon and she has three children – Tia, Chip and Trace. She balances a busy musical career and family life while still finding time for the great outdoors. She loves to spend her "spare" time gardening, fishing and

camping Camping is a form of outdoor recreation or outdoor education involving overnight stays with a basic temporary shelter such as a tent. Camping can also include a recreational vehicle, sheltered cabins, a permanent tent, a shelter such as a Bivy bag ...

. Her husband Nick is an acoustic country artist who collaborates with Nixon. He has most recently been listed as a band member in "Drive". In 2005 Nixon postponed her California tour due to an illness in the family. Her daughter was undergoing her fourth heart surgery. Due to her own personal experiences, Nixon has often worked with charity organizations such as the

American Heart Association The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate Heart, cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability ...

and the

Shriners Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic body, Masonic society. Founded in 1872 in New York City, it is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over ...

. For the past several years she has been the host for the Bluegrass in the Blue Ridge Bluegrass Festival in

Luray Luray may refer to: * Luray, Eure-et-Loir, a commune in the Eure-et-Loir ''département'', France * Luray, Indiana * Luray, Kansas * Luray, Missouri * Luray, Ohio * Luray, South Carolina * Luray, Tennessee * Luray, Virginia ** Luray Caverns ...

, VA which is a fund raiser for the

Hospitals for Children.

Discography

*Local Exchange – Because He Lives –

Copper Creek Records Copper Creek Records is a record label based in Roanoke, Virginia specializing primarily in bluegrass and old-time music. History Spurred by his interest in the music of the Stanley Brothers, Gary B. Reid launched Copper Creek in October 1978. T ...

2001 *Michelle Nixon and Drive – It's My Turn – Pinecastle 2003 *Michelle Nixon and Drive – By Request – Pinecastle 2004 *Various Artists – A Pinecastle Christmas Gatherin' – Pinecastle 2004 *Michelle Nixon and Drive – What More Should I Say – Pinecastle 2005 *Daughter's of Bluegrass (Various Artists) – Back to the Well – Blue Circle Records 2006 *Daughter's of Bluegrass (Various Artists) – Bluegrass Bouquet – Blue Circle Records 2008 *Michelle Nixon and Drive – A Place I Belong – Mountain Fever Records 2011

References

External links

Michelle Nixon WebsiteMichelle Nixon CMT PageCybergrass articleWayne Rice's Bluegrass Bios
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Michelle Living people American folk musicians Bluegrass musicians from Virginia Musical groups from Virginia 1963 births People from Louisa, Virginia Singer-songwriters from Virginia People from Goochland, Virginia Country musicians from Virginia American women country singers American country singer-songwriters 21st-century American women