Billy Nicholls
| Billy Nicholls | |
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Nicholls in 2015
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Morris Nicholls Jr |
| Born |
15 February 1949 White City, London, United Kingdom |
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| Years active | Late 1960s–present |
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| Website | billynicholls |
William Morris "Billy" Nicholls Jr (born 15 February 1949) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and musical director. He was born into a musical family, his father Billy Nicholls (Sr.) being a double bassist and big band singer, performing with such groups as The Squadronairs. Nicholls first gained fame in the 1960s while still a teenager with his Pet Sounds-influenced album, Would You Believe, originally released on Immediate Records.
Nicholls' compositions have been covered by many artists. His first success came in 1977 when Leo Sayer covered "I Can't Stop Loving You (Though I Try)"; it rose to No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart. Nicholls wrote several of the tracks for the film McVicar (starring Roger Daltrey) including "Without Your Love", which was a success in the United States.
An American southern rock group, the Outlaws, recorded "I Can't Stop Loving You" on their 1980 release Ghost Riders. More recently, Phil Collins also recorded "I Can't Stop Loving You" in 2002 and it proved successful as a U.S. single, appearing on several of his albums, and Collins included it in his last world tour.
A longtime acquaintance and occasional collaborator with Pete Townshend, Nicholls was involved in the Deep End concerts in Brixton and Cannes. He toured with The Who in 1989 and 1996–1997, serving as backup singer and music director; he also provided backing vocals for the band's version of "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", which appeared on the tribute album Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin.
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