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

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

ian and songwriter.

Career

Nichols began her career in the

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

folk circuit in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

, in 1964, singing in a bluegrass band with Alice, Bill &

John McEuen John McEuen, born December 19, 1945, in Oakland, California, is an American folk musician and a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Career Solo work John McEuen was born in Oakland, California. In 1964, at age 18, he became intereste ...

. She formed a folk duo called Greasy Mountain Butterballs with Kathy Smith, touring

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

in 1966. In 1967, she moved to

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, 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 mov ...

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 foundin ...

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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. It is the continuation of Antioch College, which was founded in 1852. Antioch College's first president was politician, abolitionist, and ...

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

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Nichols continued performing as a backup singer, joining

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessman. He was known for his tropical rock sound and persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapis ...

as a member of his

Coral Reefer Band The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett (until Buffett's death in September 2023). The band's name alludes to both coral reefs (in line with Buffett's tropical-themed music) and "reefe ...

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 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 performance ''Son of a ...

''. She released the albums ''All Life Is One'' in 1990, and ''Songs of the Jataka 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 (Welsh, ...

. 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, musician, radio host, writer, and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member of The ...

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