onurblues: James 'Nick' Nixon

June 07, 2022

James Nixon - No End To The Blues (2001)

Nashville Nick

Here is a great rich album by a great bluesman with a great voice and a great guitar style. James "Nick" Nixon was living and working in Nasville and he sounds like it. From the first notes of "No End To The Blues" you know it's not Chicago blues, not Delta blues, not New Orleans, not Texas, but rather a mix of all precisely because "the blues is like a rainbow", as he sings on the first track. And gospel music is an unsociable part of it. At least, this is clear with Nixon, a long time former gospel musician.

Some songs have an underlying country color typical of Nashville, a city at the crossroads of many American musical genres and styles that enriched Nixon's work with various musical influences, with gospel holding a prevailing place. This gospel twist can be heard throughout the album, and not only in the backing vocals.

The dobro-harmonica "Sweet Thing" is an illustration of this, mixing rural blues and gospel, as well as "You're The One", "Handy Man" and "Howling At The Moon" featuring acoustic rhythm guitar and harmonica. In the same way "One More Chance With You" has a clear gospel background, while "Love At First Sight" mixes country music with gospel.

Served by nice musicians, especially Shannon Williford on harmonica and Fred James on rhythm and slide guitar, Nixon is an excellent guitar player, and he knows how to make it swing, like on the funky "Oh Baby", again punctuated by backing gospel style vocals, or on the solid "Tongue Tied Blues".

Let this be clear, this is definitely a blues album. And that's precisely the great talent of James Nixon to transform a melting-pot of influences into a real blues style of his own. "The blues is like a rainbow, you never find the end", Nixon sings. Unfortunately this highly respectable bluesman found the end of it in February 2018 at 76. Or maybe not... ■

● Nick Nixon Interview, 2011 : https://youtu.be/fSYverOoDuE

● Legends Award presented to Birdie & James “Nick” Nixon by Billy Cox, Nashville, 2010 : https://youtu.be/mytAFXHLK_U

Live on stage

● James Nixon, Marion James and Frank Howard discuss Jimi Hendirx early years, Nashville, 2011 : https://youtu.be/nZdoiQUxVM0

● Mustang Sally : https://youtu.be/t51-nX3mLoo

● Sweet Home Chicago : https://youtu.be/v5Mqo4TQyhM

● "No End To The Blues" :

→ 2011 : https://youtu.be/acH0JJxT2C4

→ Nashville, 2013 : https://youtu.be/E-JU284NOPE

● Sweet Little Angel : https://youtu.be/dH9FR83Qk5Q

● Stormy Monday : https://youtu.be/AfZH2A0ijRc

● Stand By Me : https://youtu.be/BKKYRX16M1Y

The Andy T.-Nick Nixon Band

● Nashville Blues Society Blues Jam (Andy Talamantez : Guitar - Nick Nixon : Lead Vocals & Guitar - Markey : Vocals - Dana Robbins : Saxaphone - Larry Van Loon : Keys) : https://youtu.be/JwScySK7dPs

● "No End To The Blues", Florida, 2013 : https://youtu.be/Z7b4lJvgGwE

● "Snake In The Grass" :

→ With special guest Anson Funderburgh on guitar), Helena (Arkansas), 2012  : https://youtu.be/Yh3PWEMeU1A

→ Nashville, 2013 : https://youtu.be/jSqm_2Ybkjs