JOE NICHOLS IS “GRATEFUL TO BE HERE”

On 01.23.10, In Music, by Roque.

Joe Nichols is back on top of his game with a wife who believes in
him, a great new album and an attitude of simple humility.

Two years removed from treatment for substance abuse, the peace Joe
Nichols has found shows in his easy smile, the penetrating eyes and
the warmth and sincerity in his voice when he laughs, accepts a
compliment or says “God bless you” to someone he barely knows. This is
a person reveling in the second chance he’s been given to be the man
he was meant to me. And Joe’s making the most of it.

He and wife of two years Heather are in a rock solid relationship,
he’s got a great outlook on life and Joe’s new album, “Old Things
New”, (out Oct. 27), may well be his best work ever.

He remembers his troubled past, his incredibly good new record and the
believers who’s helped him along the way.

“Believers” . . . is about believers that I have admired in my life.
Like my wife. She’s a woman who believed in me when very few others
did. I think she saw something in me . . . value in me, in what I am,
who I am. She saw value in a person, ‘This guy’s a good quality guy.
He needs to get some things straight.”

“Another person is Brent Rowan, one of my producers. He’s been a best
friend for a long, long time. He’s the one that first shopped me to a
record label. He said, ‘I think you’ve got it and I want to shop you
to label x, label y, label z.’ He beat the streets with me and we got
a deal.”
“My dad was a believer, a real supportive guy. He believed in me and
music. ‘Son, I’m proud of you for getting’ this done and I’m proud of
the music that you want to do.”

Joe has found the strength to leave it all behind as the lyrics talk
about . . . “It is kind of the key to everything from that point
forward isn’t’ it?”
Joe has the ability to be humble and has the gratitude with the
strength behind it. “And asking for help is humility. Being humble is
knowing that I don’t have it . . . I don’t have control.”

“That’s hard for a lot of guys who feel like their manhood will be
questioned if they yield control I think.”
“But at the same time, it’s freeing. It’s very liberating to know,
‘All right, all I’ve gotta do is let go and let someone else have it.
And all I’ve gotta do is do what’s right in front of me. Do the next
right thing. There’s a choice in front of me that I’ve got to make.
I’m gonna weigh it out, see what the right thing to do is and that’s
what I’m gonna do.”