Nigel Olsson
Nigel Olsson (born
February 10,
1949 in
Wallasey,
Merseyside,
England) is a rock
drummer best known for his work with
Elton John. He played
drums and sang
backing vocals on John's early 1970's albums, teaming with guitarist
Davey Johnstone, bassist
Dee Murray, and percussionist
Ray Cooper to form what most rock fans regard as Elton John's classic backing band .
In
1975, Elton John retooled his sound, and Olsson, along with Murray, were released from the band. He then worked as a studio musician and enjoyed some mild success as a solo artist, scoring a US top 100 hit in
1979 with the single, "Dancin' Shoes". In
1980, Olsson returned to Elton's band to begin a four-year tenure. Later, in
1991, Olsson reunited with former bandmade Davey Johnstone to form the
Warpipes, though this group disbanded shortly after cutting its debut album. Olsson then spent the next few years relaxing in
California with his wife Schanda, son Justin, and racing
vintage cars for fun. Olsson returned to
Elton John's band for good in
2000 as part of his touring band, alternating between
drums and
backing vocals on certain songs. (The songs Olsson didn't play
drums on, typically the newer songs, were handled by
Curt Bisquera.) Nigel took over the full-time drumming chores when Bisquera left to pursue other projects. Olsson, never seen on stage without his trademark
headphones and
gloves, has been said to have a
soulful singing voice.
Olsson also served a very brief time with the English hard rock band
Uriah Heep, playing drums for some songs on its 1970 debut lp,
Very 'eavy... Very 'umble.
*
Drum Tech*
Nigel Olsson
