About

Tyler Nichols Music

He found the guitar when he lost his words.

Tyler was born and raised in the foothills of Alabama. At 14 a concussion in a high school wrestling match left him struggling to communicate. He found his way back through his brother’s old guitar, playing all day, every day, to quiet the noise. Within weeks the chords had become songs.

He soon met Prince Dunaville and Tristen Gressett in Pell City, and the three started a band. By 15 he was making a living in bars across Alabama, learning from the Allman Brothers, Chris Stapleton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bill Withers and John Mayer. When his bandmates left for college, Tyler carried on alone and dug into Bob Dylan, Jason Isbell, Joni Mitchell and John Prine.

At 20 a producer connected to American Idol found him on Instagram. A golden ticket in Nashville led to Hollywood in Season 23, where he went out in the second round. He says the show taught him exactly what he wanted to be, and what he did not. He went home, regrouped, and drove north to Muscle Shoals to record Big Fish.

Today the band covers the South from Flora-Bama to Talladega Superspeedway, with a gritty mix of Red Dirt, Southern rock, blues and soul. Crowds sing along, stay late and come back.