Joe Nichols

[Kim]

Joe Nichols Heads Back Down Under

Apr 22nd 2011
by Gayle Richardson
theboot.com



Frederick Breedon, Getty Images


"I can't wait to get back to Australia!" exclaims Joe Nichols, who will head Down Under next week for his third tour of the country. The Australian leg of the singer's Shape I'm In tour comes just a month after Joe headlined the CMC Rocks the Hunter festival in New South Wales' Hunter Valley.

"My previous visits to Australia created fantastic memories, so I'm definitely looking forward to another visit," he explains. "It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I think every person in the entire country is nice. Seriously, I haven't seen or heard of a mean person yet. And they love country music. Gonna be a great time."

Australian fans are just as eager to welcome the 'Brokenheartsville' singer back as he is to return. "Joe has been a big hit here in Australia," tour promoter Rob Potts says. "The country music fans can't seem to get enough of him. I know he sold out of product at each of his previous shows. He has been diligent and consistent about coming back to Australia to develop his fan base here, and that's paying off for him."

Joe will be joined by opening acts Jasmine Rae and Peter McWhirter, both Aussie natives. Jasmine joined Joe on his 2009 tour of the country, which lead to the recording of their duet, 'I'll Try Anything.' The tune can be found on Jasmine's sophomore album, 'Listen Here.'

The Shape I'm In tour kicks off in Towoomba, Queensland April 29. Other Queensland stops include Caboolture and Rockhampton, before the show makes its way down to New South Wales for shows in Sydney and Albury. The final performance is in Melbourne, Victoria.

Joe resumes the U.S. leg of his tour in Oklahoma City May 13.

[grg_straitfan]

JOE NOMINATED IN THE CMC MUSIC AWARDS 2012

CMC is Australia’s major Country Music video channel and the CMC Music Awards 2012 are coming up March 16, 2012. Joe has been nominated for "International Artist of the Year!" Awards are fan voted, so click below to vote for Joe! Voting runs through Feb. 28, 2012.

↓↓↓↓Click here to Vote!!↓↓↓↓
musicawards.countrymusicchannel.com.au/?c=international

[Kim]

Joe Nichols Baby News: Wife Heather Expecting First Child!




Getty Images for Songwriters' Hall of Fame


Congratulations are in order for Joe Nichols and his wife, Heather, who are expecting a baby! The bundle of joy, due in spring, is the first child for Heather and second for Joe, who has a 13-year-old daughter, Ashelyn, from a previous relationship.

"After trying to have a baby for so long, we are thrilled to announce that I am pregnant," Heather tells People.

"I have to give all the credit to my wife -- she has been a trooper through all of this, and I am so happy," Joe adds.

The 'Take It Off' singer and his wife have been trying to conceive for several years now. After suffering a miscarriage in early 2008, they turned to doctors for help. Joe talked about their fertility issues on ABC's 'The View' back in 2010, using humor as medicine to cope with the painful process. He told the show's hosts about a little joke he played on the fertility clinic's nurses: After he did his part in the fertility process, he left the television in his private room on a gardening show, just to give them a little head-scratcher.

"We'd talked about that subject matter beforehand, and they asked if I had a funny anecdote I could talk about," Joe tells Ladies Home Journal of prepping to go public with their fertility issues on national television. "I said, 'I can talk about this,' and they said, 'That'd be great! That'd be funny!' Heather was like, 'I don't know. Let's think about that.' Before we went on I said to her, 'If you don't want me to talk about it, I won't. But I think it'd be funny.' She said, 'If you must talk about it, fine.' It still embarrassed her a little bit. But you've got to poke fun at that kind of thing because it's such an uptight situation. Everybody's already so uncomfortable. You gotta laugh it off."

Joe and Heather were married in 2007, after knowing each other for more than 12 years. "She grew up a lot faster than I did," Joe joked with The Boot when we asked what took him so long to pop the question. "She's a very smart person with a lot of ambition, goals and a lot of intelligence. For me to catch up with all that, it took a while. But I eventually did, and she's been a great friend to me for a long time. And it is great to be able to say I am married to my best friend."

The couple recently moved from Nashville to Texas, to be closer to Heather's side of the family. (Free babysitting!) Needless to say, they are thrilled to be adding to the Nichols clan.

"I've got a lot of wisdom -- from my own pain, from my own trials and from my own success -- that I can offer a child," Joe tells The Boot. "I've got a lot of love to give, too. I can't wait to be a dad again."

[Kim]

Joe Nichols Discusses Abuse & Addiction on GAC’s Backstory

By Wendy Newcomer
blog.gactv.com/blog/2012/05/04/joe-nichols-discusses-abuse-addiction-on-gacs-backstory/#more-29722



From the outside, country star Joe Nichols appears to have it all: multi-platinum-selling career, loving wife and newborn baby daughter. But Joe’s journey from childhood to fatherhood was anything but idyllic and for the first time, the Grammy-nominated artist shares the full story of an abuse-filled childhood, his ongoing struggles with alcoholism and how he is finally enjoying life one day at a time. Backstory: Joe Nichols premieres Saturday, May 12 at 11 p.m. Eastern on GAC. Nichols’ brother, wife, manager, producer, therapist and friend are some of those interviewed for the special.

Joe recalls his parents’ nasty divorce, physical abuse from his father and a love affair with whiskey that he says started at around age 13. When he could, he’d shut himself in his bedroom, listening over and over again to a Merle Haggard record, mimicking the country music icon until he was hoarse. Time spent with the Hag paid off and at 19, Joe released a single on a small independent label in Arkansas and played some club dates. He moved to Nashville and after a nearly two-year period of dues-paying, was the first artist signed to Universal South Records.

He found it very difficult to deal with early career successes that included chart-topping hits like “The Impossible,” and “Brokenheartsville,” four Grammy nominations and newcomer awards from the likes of Billboard magazine, the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, explaining that historically, high points in his life sent him into destruction mode and ultimately, in and out of rehab. “Those are the most dangerous times for me,” Joe says. “That’s when I want to destroy everything.” Just as his career took off, Joe’s father passed. “I was ill-equipped to handle the loss of my dad,” he says.

Joe married Heather Singleton in 2007 following a friendship that began when they were 19. Just 30 days into their marriage, Joe was back in rehab and what followed was a one step forward, two steps back pattern of behavior until 2008 when an intervention orchestrated by his family and friends sent the singer to an intensive, in-patient rehab treatment program.

He is quick to acknowledge his wife’s unwavering commitment to their marriage, adding, “There’s no way that Heather should still be married to me, there’s no way. It’s only by grace.” The couple also faced major fertility issues and suffered five consecutive miscarriages until last month, when they finally became parents of Dylan River, a healthy baby girl.

“I hope through my story that other people find a sliver of hope because I have lost five children to get to this one,” Heather says.

Today Joe admits to enjoying life one day at a time. “I live free now,” he says. “I don’t live perfectly, I don’t claim that. That’s a mistake because I can’t promise anything past today.”

[Kim]

Joe Nichols Spills on His Alcoholism, Abuse-Filled Past in ‘Backstory’


Joe Nichols may be living a blissful life now with wife Heather and his brand new baby girl, Dylan River, but the singer openly admits his that road to happiness has been anything but smooth travels. After difficulties coping with an abusive childhood and a meteoric rise in his music career, Nichols has decided to discuss his personal setbacks, as well as explain the reasons he is able to speak about them now.

With a string of hits — including the No. 1 singles ‘Gimme That Girl,’ ‘Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off’ and ‘Brokenheartsville’ — Nichols was poised to quickly ascend into superstar status, but the singer admits the high peaks of his career were often overshadowed by his destructive behavior. “Those are the most dangerous times for me,” Nichols tells GAC. “That’s when I want to destroy everything.”

The death of his abusive father also lead Nichols into a downward spiral. “I was ill-equipped to handle the loss of my dad,” he acknowledges. The singers cites his parents divorce, abuse from his father and an early addiction to whiskey at age 13 as the foundation for this troubled ways.

Despite his shortfalls, Nichols pressed on, marrying his longtime friend Heather Singleton in 2007. With multiple stints in rehab and five consecutive miscarriages, the two were able to stand together through it all. “There’s no way Heather should still be married to me,” says Nichols, who checked back into rehab after only 30 days of marriage. “There’s no way. It’s only by grace.”

Thankfully, the singer has grown in many ways in spite of his past. “I live free now,” he says confidently. “I don’t live perfectly, I don’t claim that. That’s a mistake because I can’t promise anything past today.”

The singer’s personal struggles were documented as part of GAC’s ‘Backstory: Joe Nichols,’ which is set to air May 12 on GAC. In the episode, Nichols’ family, friends and personal therapists give strikingly candid details on the singer’s troubled past.

[Kim]

Joe Nichols Parts Ways With His Label, Show Dog-Universal Music


It looks as though Joe Nichols is suddenly without a label home. The singer took to his official Twitter account on Sunday to share that he and Show Dog-Universal Music have parted ways in what seems to be a less-than-amicable split.

“I’d like to thank ShowDog universal for doing the right thing IM FREE!!!!!” Nichols shared enthusiastically.

Nichols first signed to Universal South Records in 1999, releasing his first studio album, ‘A Man With a Memory’ in 2002. The singer found immediate success with his debut single ‘The Impossible,’ which ultimately climbed to No. 3. The album’s second single, ‘Brokenheartsville,’ quickly became Nichols’ first No. 1 song, propelling the album to reach platinum status.

Nichols scored an additional two chart-toppers under the Universal South label with ‘Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off’ and ‘Gimmie That Girl’ before the label merged with Toby Keith‘s Show Dog Music to form the Show Dog-Universal Music label. The singer’s last album, ‘It’s All Good,’ was the first under the new restructure, but failed to measure up to his past commercial success. The project’s only single — ‘Take It Off’ — topped out at No. 25 earlier this year.

Despite the departure, Nichols seems to continue moving forward personally. The singer and his wife welcomed a brand new baby girl, Dylan River, earlier this year. He has been able to remain in control his past struggles, saying, “I live free now. I don’t live perfectly, I don’t claim that. That’s a mistake because I can’t promise anything past today.”

No word on whether or not Nichols has another label home lined up. According to their official websites, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Carter’s Chord, JT Hodges, Jessie James and Rose Falcon remain signed to Show Dog-Universal Music.

[Kim]

Picture of the Week: Joe Nichols’ Baby Gets Her First Pair of Cowgirl Boots




Joe Nichols‘ new little girl is just five-weeks-old, but she’s already sporting cowgirl fashions. Check out baby Dylan in her new pair of ostrich Ropers, size adorable.

“Her first pair of ostrich Ropers…. And me in my pajamas….that’s country,” Nichols tweeted on Tuesday. According to ShoeShack, that’s faux ostrich, but real rhinestones. The cost for these cute baby boots? $64.95. That’s a lot of money for a girl who will outgrow them before she can wear in the soles!

Dylan River Nichols was born on April 17, just weeks after the singer announced that his wife Heather was pregnant. The couple has openly talked about the struggles they had to get pregnant. In fact, Dylan’s middle name comes from a song Heather listened to over and over again during fertility treatments.