Penny Nichols (December 26, 1947 – October 29, 2017) was an American

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...

ian and songwriter.

Career

Nichols began her career in the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

folk circuit in

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, ...

, in 1964, singing in a bluegrass band with Alice, Bill & John McEuen. She formed a folk duo called Greasy Mountain Butterballs with Kathy Smith, touring

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...

in 1966. In 1967 she moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, where she performed as an opening act at venues such as the

Avalon Ballroom The Avalon Ballroom was a music venue in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California, at 1244 Sutter Street (or 1268 Sutter, depending on the entrance). The space is known as the location of many concerts of the counterculture move ...

and Fillmore Auditorium and at outdoor music festivals. Her debut album, ''Penny's Arcade'', was released by

Buddha Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foun ...

in 1967. In 1968, she toured Europe and recorded at Apple Studios. She returned to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

to concentrate on songwriting and studied with vocal coach Florence Riggs. She performed with her jazz band, Black Imp. In the late 1970s, Nichols entered

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its ...

to earn degrees in psychology and music. She received a doctorate in education from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Nichols continued performing as a backup singer, joining

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

as a member of his

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefer" (slang for marijuana). Origins Current ...

in 1977 and singing on the album ''

Son of a Son of a Sailor ''Son of a Son of a Sailor'' is the eighth studio album by American popular music singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. It was initially released in March 1978 as ABC Dunhill AA-1046 and later re-released on its successor label, MCA. Chart perfor ...

''. She released the albums ''All Life Is One'' in 1990, and ''Songs of the Jakata Tales'' in 1993. Nichols worked as a composer and vocal instructor based in

Cambria, California Cambria () is a seaside village in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles along California State Route 1 (Highway 1). The name Cambria, chosen in 1869, is the Latin name for Wales. Cambr ...

. From there she oversaw Summersongs songwriting camps, held four times a year, twice in New York and twice in California.

Personal life

Nichols married actor

Harry Shearer Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a membe ...

in 1974, they divorced in 1977 after three years of marriage. Nichols subsequently married Mark Rothe.

Death

Nichols died on October 29, 2017 of cancer, at the age of 69.

References

External links

* * * 1947 births 2017 deaths American folk musicians Antioch University alumni Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni People from Saugerties, New York Place of death missing Singer-songwriters from New York (state) {{US-singer-songwriter-stub