Nigel Olsson - Nigel (1979)

Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English rock drummer, who is best known for his affiliation with Elton John.

Best-known as the drummer in Elton John's early-'70s backing band, Nigel Olsson was born February 10, 1949, in the small Cheshire (now Merseyside) town of Wallasey, England. As a teenager, he lived in Sunderland, where he sang lead in a group called the Fireflies and took up the drums when their regular drummer quit. At 17, he and good friend Mick Grabham successfully auditioned for the psychedelic pop band Plastic Penny, which released two albums from 1968-1969 and scored a hit with "Everything I Am" before disbanding. Olsson subsequently joined the Spencer Davis Group, which was reeling from the defection of frontman Stevie Winwood; the gig was short-lived as Davis broke up the band before the end of 1969, but Olsson met bassist Dee Murray, who would become his favorite rhythm section partner. Looking for work, Olsson filled the drum slot in Uriah Heep for part of the 1970 debut album Very 'eavy, Very 'umble, but soon left to concentrate on session work. He and Murray had been playing with Elton John on the young singer/songwriter's demos and they both joined his touring group in the spring of 1970. Olsson played on most of John's early-'70s classics, including Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy. After the latter was released in the spring of 1975, John sought to shake up his backing band by replacing both Olsson and Murray. When not working with John, Olsson has taken up the role of a session musician. Olsson has composed, recorded, and produced albums for his own solo career.
In 1979, he released the album "Nigel" and enjoyed some mild success as a solo artist, scoring a pair of Top 40 hits on the U.S. pop chart with "A Little Bit of Soap" and "Dancin' Shoes" which was originally written by Carl Storie, and first recorded by his Faith Band.

01.  Little Bit Of Soap  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:25   

02.  You Know I'll Always Love You  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:13   
03.  Dancin' Shoes  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:45   
04.  Part Of The Chosen Few  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:12   
05.  Say Goodbye To Hollywood  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:26   
06.  All It Takes  (Nigel Olsson) - 4:21   
07.  Thinking Of You  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:40   
08.  Living In A Fantasy  (Nigel Olsson) - 3:12   
09.  Cassey Blue / Au Revoir  (Nigel Olsson) - 6:24 

Label:  Bang Records
Genre:  Soft Rock
Length:  34:38
 

Credits

Guitars: Tom Fowler, Jay Graydon, Eddie Patterson, Ronn Price, Richie Rising, Richie Zito
Bass: Don Barrett, Joe Chemay, Ray Sansom, David Wintour
Keyboards: Michael Boddicker, Paul Davis, Alan Feingold, David Foster, Paul Schaffer
Drums: Michael Baird, Nigel Olsson, James Stroud
Percussion: Ray Cooper, Nigel Olsson, James Stroud
Background vocals: Curt Becher, Paul Davis, Jim Haas, Bruce Johnston, Jon Joyce, Nigel Olsson, Ronda Riviera, Brenda Russell, Marilyn Scott & Stephanie Spruill
Produced-By:  Nigel Olsson, Paul Davis