Biography
Nigel Olsson came into the world on February 10, 1949, in Wallasey, a modest settlement then situated in Cheshire and now incorporated into Merseyside, England. During his teenage years in Sunderland he fronted the Fireflies as lead vocalist and only switched to drums after the band’s regular percussionist departed. At age seventeen he and close associate Mick Grabham earned spots in the psychedelic pop outfit Plastic Penny, which issued a pair of albums between 1968 and 1969 and enjoyed success with the single “Everything I Am” prior to its dissolution. Olsson next entered the Spencer Davis Group amid the aftermath of Stevie Winwood’s exit; the arrangement proved brief, ending when Davis disbanded the unit late in 1969, yet it introduced him to bassist Dee Murray, who became his preferred rhythm-section collaborator. He subsequently occupied the drum chair for Uriah Heep during portions of the 1970 debut Very ’eavy, Very ’umble before stepping away to pursue session opportunities. While recording demos with the emerging singer-songwriter Elton John, Olsson and Murray were both recruited into the touring ensemble in the spring of 1970. Olsson contributed drums to the bulk of John’s early-seventies landmark recordings, among them Honky Chateau, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy. Following the 1975 release of the last of those albums, John elected to refresh his rhythm section by removing both Olsson and Murray. Olsson had already issued a 1971 solo project titled Nigel Olsson’s Drum Orchestra and Chorus; once free of John’s road band he recorded another self-titled album for the Rocket label. A further album bearing only his name appeared on Columbia in 1978, and after moving to Bang he achieved a hit single in 1979 with “Dancin’ Shoes,” drawn from the album Nigel. In 1980 he delivered the follow-up Changing Tides and joined the Tremblers, whose lineup paired Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits renown with Daryl Dragon of Captain & Tennille. That same year Olsson and Murray accepted an invitation to return to John’s touring ensemble, remaining until 1984. Although he maintained a busy schedule of session dates throughout the seventies, Olsson’s studio activity diminished during the eighties as he devoted greater attention to songwriting and production. In 1991 he and former John guitarist Davey Johnstone assembled the group Warpipes, which released Holes in the Heavens the next year before disbanding after the label’s bankruptcy. Olsson largely stepped back from music for much of the nineties, limiting himself to sporadic recording sessions, yet he rejoined John’s band once more in 2000 and, the following year, issued a sequel to his debut album under the title Nigel Olsson’s Drum Orchestra and Chorus Vol. 2: Move the Universe.
Albums
