History

The two families, the Watkinses and the Thiles, met after Sean Watkins and Chris Thile had mandolin lessons with the same music instructor, John Moore. Sara Watkins studied with Moore's bandmate, Dennis Caplinger. The band name comes from a song by Byron Berline, who was Sara Watkins' fiddle instructor.

Early days: 1989-1999

Nickel Creek's first performance was at That Pizza Place in Carlsbad, California in 1989 with Scott Thile, Chris's father, playing string bass. The oldest of the Watkins children, Sean was only twelve years old at the time. At the start of Nickel Creek's history, Chris Thile played guitar and Sean Watkins played mandolin but later they decided to switch instruments. The band played many bluegrass festivals throughout the 1990s, and the band members were home-schooled to accommodate their tour schedule. Nickel Creek's first two albums were Little Cowpoke (1993) and Here to There (1997).

Nickel Creek: 2000-2001

Main article: Nickel Creek (album)

Nickel Creek met Alison Krauss at one of their shows and later invited her to produce their next album. According to band member Sara Watkins, the group was "thrilled" with the guidance they received from Krauss to upgrade their vocal sound and the overall "production of the CD."

The group received two Grammy nominations: Best Bluegrass Album and Best Country Instrumental for the song "Ode to a Butterfly". The trio was nominated at the CMA Awards for Best Vocal Group and the Horizon Award and were named one of the "Five Music Innovators of the Millennium" by TIME Magazine in May 2000. Nickel Creek's "The Lighthouse's Tale" video was nominated for a CMT "Flameworthy Video Award" for Group/Duo Video of the Year.

The band went on tour and opened eleven shows for Lyle Lovett in the summer of 2000 and appeared on Austin City Limits in January 2001 with Dolly Parton. A month later Parton invited Nickel Creek to perform as her backup band at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The trio also had a spring tour with Glen Phillips in a collaboration dubbed Mutual Admiration Society. A self-titled album was set to be released, but was delayed until 2004. Nickel Creek also opened for Vince Gill and Amy Grant in that winter. Shortly after Nickel Creek started touring, Scott Thile decided to leave the band to spend time with his family. He was replaced by bassist Byron House and in March 2001 was replaced by bassist, Derek Jones.

This Side: 2002-2004

Main article: This Side

In 2002 the band released their fourth album, This Side, produced by Alison Krauss. It was a departure from their previous releases which were purely bluegrass. Although the core influence of bluegrass remained, other genres such as indie rock and folk rock were present in their music included cover songs Spit on a Stranger by Pavement, and Should've Known Better by Carrie Newcomer.

A review in Allmusic said that "Thile and the Watkins siblings' originals, easily outdo the likes of folk-rockers Dave Matthews and Hootie & the Blowfish, while forging a new style to rejuvenate a genre that has always been a bit of a dark horse."

This Side entered the Billboard 200 at No. 18 on the chart, and at No. 2 on the magazine's Top Country Albums chart. The album was certified gold the following year by the RIAA. The success of This Side earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. The band was featured in Rolling Stone's "Best Of 2002" edition.

During their 2002 and 2003 tour Nickel Creek opened five shows for John Mayer in November 2002, and toured with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings earlier in the year. In 2003, Nickel Creek appeared on the Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album Little Worlds.

Why Should the Fire Die?: 2005

Main article: Why Should the Fire Die?

In 2005 the band released their fifth album, Why Should the Fire Die? with more rock and pop influences. the album debuted and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard bluegrass chart.

In the summer of 2006 Nickel Creek appeared at numerous music festivals, including Bonnaroo, High Sierra Music Festival, Austin City Limits, SXSW, Lollapalooza and Star Fest.

Farewell (For Now) Tour: 2006-2007

In late summer 2006, via Billboard and their official website, Nickel Creek announced that at the end of the year they would no longer be recording as a group and their tour, scheduled through 2007, would be their last for an indefinite period of time so band members could expand their musical horizons.

In November 2006 Sugar Hill released Reasons Why: The Very Best, a compilation of selected studio tracks from Nickel Creek's three latest albums, as well as two previously unreleased tracks and all of the music videos from the trio's singles. Their seven-month Farewell (For Now) Tour started in April 2007 and ended in November. The tour was originally intended to be called the Victory Lap Tour, but the band's managers thought that would make them sound "presumptuous and boastful".

The tour featured numerous guest appearances by Glen Phillips, Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Bruce Molsky, Bela Fleck, Tom Brosseau and Tift Merritt, among others.

The band had plans to record its final performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in November 2007 but the idea was later "scrapped".

Reunion and A Dotted Line: 2014-present

The band announced on February 3, 2014 that they would release a new album in the spring of 2014. Titled A Dotted Line, the album was produced by previous collaborator Eric Valentine and marked the group's first release on Nonesuch Records. Released on April 1, 2014 in the United States, the album coincided with the group's 25th anniversary. A subsequent tour began in April 2014 with over two dozen dates.

Awards and nominations

Wins

• 2000: IBMA Emerging Artist of the Year
• 2001: IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year
• 2002: Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album (This Side)
• 2006: CMT Top 10 Country Compilations of 2006 (Reasons Why: The Very Best)

Nominations

• 2001: Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album (Nickel Creek)
• 2001: Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Ode to a Butterfly")
• 2001: CMA Award for Best Vocal Group
• 2001: CMA Horizon Award
• 2005: Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album (Why Should the Fire Die?)
• 2005: Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance ("Scotch & Chocolate")
• 2015: Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance ("Destination")
• 2015: Grammy Award for Best Americana Album (A Dotted Line)

Discography

Main article: Nickel Creek discography

Albums 1993: Little Cowpoke 1997: Here to There 2000: Nickel Creek 2002: This Side 2005: Why Should the Fire Die? 2014: A Dotted Line Compilations 2006: Reasons Why: The Very Best Singles 2001: "When You Come Back Down" 2001: "The Lighthouse's Tale" 2002: "Reasons Why" 2003: "This Side" 2003: "Speak" 2003: "Smoothie Song" 2005: "When In Rome" 2014: "Destination"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]