Nick Moss

{{short description|American blues musician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2014}} {{Infobox musical artist  | name = Nick Moss | image = nickmoss.jpg | caption = Nick Moss at Buddy Guy's Legends in January 2011. | background = solo_singer | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|12|15|mf=y}} | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, United States | death_date = | death_place = | instrument = Guitar, bass, harmonica, vocals | genre = Chicago blues, electric blues<ref name="AMG"/> | occupation = Guitarist, harmonicist, singer, songwriter, record producer | years_active = 1990–present | label = Blue Bella Records | website = [http://www.nickmoss.com/ Nickmoss.com] }}

'''Nick Moss''' (born December 15, 1969, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American Chicago blues and electric blues musician. He has released 15 albums to date, all on his own label, Blue Bella Records label. He has played with Buddy Scott, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Rogers and the Legendary Blues Band. More recently he has performed fronting his own group, Nick Moss and the Flip Tops until 2008 and then shortening the name in 2009 to Nick Moss Band.<ref name="AMG"/> The music journalist Bill Dahl stated that Moss possesses "mastery of the classic Chicago sound."<ref name="Moss">{{cite web|url=http://www.nickmoss.com/ |title=Nick Moss Band: World-Class Blues Artist: 16-Time BMA Nominee |publisher=Nickmoss.com |date= |accessdate=2013-03-21}}</ref>

==Biography== Moss originally learned to play the bass guitar. He joined Buddy Scott's backing band when he was in his late teens. He played with Scott for two years. After that he played with Jimmy Dawkins.<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|last=Torreano |first=Bradley |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nick-moss-mn0000402519 |title=Nick Moss – Music Biography, Credits and Discography |publisher=AllMusic |date= |accessdate=2013-03-21}}</ref> By 1993, he had joined the Legendary Blues Band and played bass on their final album, ''Money Talks''.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r189964/credits|pure_url=yes}}|title=The Legendary Blues Band / Money Talks|publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=March 6, 2010}}</ref> The band's frontman, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, suggested Moss should switch to lead guitar, and he spent over two years there before they split up.<ref name="AMG"/>

Moss moved on to play guitar in the Jimmy Rogers band for three years, before he turned to a solo career. His debut album, ''First Offense'' (re-released in 2003), billed as by Nick Moss and the Flip Tops, included a guest appearance by the harmonica player Lynwood Slim.<ref name="AMG"/> His next albums, ''Got a New Plan'' (2001), ''Count Your Blessings'' (2003), ''Sadie Mae'' (2005) and ''Live at Chan's'' (2006), were each nominated for a W. C. Handy Award.<ref name="Moss"/>

Nick Moss and the Flip Tops recorded two live albums at Chan's, a Rhode Island club, the second of which included the harp playing of Gerry Hundt.<ref>[http://www.icbluesclub.org/html/billlumkinnickmoss.html ] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726164952/http://www.icbluesclub.org/html/billlumkinnickmoss.html |date=July 26, 2011 }}</ref> Moss and the Flip Tops played at Memphis in May and the Ottawa Blues Festival in 2008.<ref>[http://www.thatdevilmusic.com/] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726124648/http://www.thatdevilmusic.com/ |date=July 26, 2009 }}</ref> The same year Moss produced Magic Slim's album ''Midnight Blues.'' Moss later changed the name of his group, which became the Nick Moss Band.

Moss's ninth album, ''Here I Am'', was released on November 22, 2011.<ref name="Moss"/> It was nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2013 in the category Rock Blues Album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blues.org/#ref=bluesmusicawards_nominees|title=Blues Music Awards Nominees – 2013 – 34th Blues Music Awards|publisher=Blues.org|accessdate=2013-03-21}}</ref> His tenth album, ''Time Ain't Free'', was released in March 2014 and was voted by the editors at ''Guitar World'' magazine as one of the Top 50 Albums of 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nickmoss.com/pages/nmb_news_files/time-aint-free-among-guitar-worlds-top-50-albums-of-2014.html |title="Time AIn't Free" Among Guitar World's 50 Best Albums of 2014 | The Nick Moss Band Blog |website=Nickmoss.com |date= |accessdate=2016-04-05 |archive-date=April 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423001234/http://www.nickmoss.com/pages/nmb_news_files/time-aint-free-among-guitar-worlds-top-50-albums-of-2014.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Harmon|first1=Rick|title=Chicago blues great brings new band, new sound to city|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/entertainment/2014/09/18/chicago-blues-great-brings-new-band-new-sound-city/15814255/|accessdate=2 October 2014|work=Montgomery Advertiser}}</ref>

The band released ''Live & Luscious'' on October 30, 2015. It was their 11th album released after a European tour in April that year. It featured live versions of unreleased songs that were introduced fully in the following studio album. The 12th album was issued on May 20, 2016, and was a double disc studio effort, ''From the Root to the Fruit''.

''The High Cost of Low Living'' (2018) was a slight departure from the norm, incorporating a significant guest appearance from the harmonica player Dennis Gruenling, plus the release was via Alligator Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-high-cost-of-low-living-mw0003144303|title=The High Cost of Low Living - Nick Moss, Nick Moss Band, Dennis Gruenling - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|accessdate=October 13, 2018}}</ref>

At the 40th Blues Music Awards in 2019, Moss was named 'Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.antimusic.com/news/19/May/102019_Blues_Music_Awards_Winners_Announced.shtml|title=2019 Blues Music Awards Winners Announced|website=Antimusic.com|accessdate=11 May 2019}}</ref>

His 2019 joint recording with Dennis Gruenling, ''Lucky Guy!'', was chosen as a 'Favorite Blues Album' by AllMusic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/year-in-review/2019/favorite-blues|title=Favorite Blues Albums | AllMusic 2019 in Review|website=AllMusic|accessdate=December 24, 2019}}</ref> In May 2020, the Nick Moss Band featuring Dennis Gruenling won two Blues Music Awards for 'Band of the Year' and 'Traditional Blues Album of the Year' for ''Lucky Guy!''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blues.org/blues-music-awards/|title=BLUES MUSIC AWARDS|first=Robin|last=McKay|website=Blues.org|accessdate=May 4, 2020}}</ref>

==Discography== * ''First Offense'' (1998; re-released 2003) * ''Got a New Plan'' (2001) * ''Count Your Blessings'' (2003) * ''Sadie Mae'' (2005) * ''Live at Chan's'' (2006) * ''Play It 'Til Tomorrow'' (2007) * ''Live at Chan's, Combo Platter No. 2'' (2009) * ''Privileged'' (2010) * ''Here I Am'' (2011) * ''Time Ain't Free'' (2014) * ''Live & Luscious'' (2015) * ''From the Root to the Fruit'' (2016) [2CD] * ''The High Cost of Low Living'' (featuring Dennis Gruenling) (Alligator, 2018) * ''Lucky Guy!'' (featuring Dennis Gruenling) (Alligator, 2019) <ref name="AMG"/> * ''Get Your Back Into It!'' (featuring Dennis Gruenling) (Alligator, 2023)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links==  *[http://www.nickmoss.com/ Official website] *[https://www.pinterest.com/nickmossband/ Pinterest] *[https://plus.google.com/+OfficialNickMoss Google+] *[http://www.bandsintown.com/NickMossBand/start_tracking Bandsintown] *[https://www.songkick.com/artists/5763289-nick-moss-band/calendar Songkick] *[https://www.bandpage.com/nickmossband Bandpage]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moss, Nick}} Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:American blues guitarists Category:American male guitarists Category:American blues singers Category:American male singers Category:Songwriters from Illinois Category:American blues harmonica players Category:Chicago blues musicians Category:Harmonica blues musicians Category:Electric blues musicians Category:Blues musicians from Illinois Category:Guitarists from Illinois Category:20th-century American guitarists Category:20th-century American male musicians Category:American male songwriters Category:The Legendary Blues Band members