Danni Nicholls is a UK singer-songwriter associated with americana, blues, folk and jazz, with material that also sits in alt-country, folk-pop and bluegrass. She is from Bedford, England, and has drawn on American folk, country and rock and roll since childhood, first hearing those styles through her grandmother’s record collection.

Early life and musical background

Born in 1985, Nicholls starts writing original songs as a teenager after receiving her uncle Heathcliff’s 1963 Burns London Shortscale Jazz guitar at the age of 16. The instrument is rumoured to have once belonged to Billy Fury. She continues to use a Tanglewood guitar in performance, described as weathered and worn.

Recording career

Nicholls meets producer Chris Donohue in London in 2011 through a mutual friend while he is in the UK playing bass with Emmylou Harris and the Red Dirt Boys. The two go on to make two albums together, with Donohue at the helm and Nashville musicians appearing on the recordings. Her debut album, A Little Redemption, is released in July 2013 on Transmission Recordings. It includes contributions from Al Perkins on dobro, Steve Fishell on pedal steel and Will Kimbrough. Her second album, Mockingbird Lane, is made in Nashville and is set for release in 2015.

Live work and reputation

She tours widely and builds her reputation in live performance over several years. Nicholls supports artists including Todd Snider, Jolie Holland, Kim Richey, Jim Lauderdale, Angus and Julia Stone, Bobby Bare Jr, Otis Gibbs, Mark Olsen, Nell Bryden, Tift Merrit and Diana Jones.

Critical response

Her voice is described as rich, smoky and powerful, with a style that combines soul, folk-pop and alt-country. She receives praise from Bob Harris on BBC Radio 2 and a four-star review from Andy Fyfe in Q magazine.

Label

She records on Danni Nicholls Music.