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| BIO
Long ago, after his dreams of becoming a tobacco farmer were shattered, Nick McAlister packed his bass and disappeared into the mountains of North Carolina. While a student at Appalachian State University, Nick played bass with the Charlie Ellis Trio, a prominent regional jazz group. And as a member of the ASU Jazz Ensemble, he had the good fortune to perform with Ed Shaughnessy of the Tonight Show band, as well as with smaller ensembles opening for jazz artists Ramsey Lewis and Clark Terry. Several years later and a campus restraining order now in place, Nick packed his bass again and moved on, arriving in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where live music was thriving. A couple of gigs here and there led to a 4-year stint with one of the local favorites in the late 80’s, the Live Canadian Nightcrawlers (a.k.a. CNC), featuring guitarist Chris Ippolitto. It was with the Nightcrawlers that the first taste of studio work came in the 1989 release of R. Bruce’s, Album?. In 1999, after a 6-year hiatus, Nick began performing live again … either with the CNC, or Mike Cappetto and A Few Loose Screws, or as a member of the house band for the local open mike night. For the 2001 and 2002 Heritage Festival (Fredericksburg), he provided the low end for the blues band, the Jailtones. He has also performed with the late Jammin' Sam and the Proceed With Caution band In 2001, Nick became a member of the Wil Gravatt Band, a well known traditional country band in the DC-NVA area. As a member of the WGB, he has had the honor of sharing the stage with John Michael Montgomery, Hal Ketchum, Junior Brown, Lynyrd Skynrd, Mark Wills, and Darryl Worley, among others. In addition, the WGB was asked to join the 2004 Presidential re-election campaign to perform at rallies in several states, concluding in an Election Night performance. ‘Bout Time was the first solo release (2003) from Nick McAlister, which was produced and engineered by Donny Holcombe (Sacred Ground Studios). About half of the songs on this release were co-written by Donny, who also plays guitars and mandolin throughout. In order to get his blues fix, Nick hooked up with old friends Donny Holcombe and Wayne Kenney to form the blues trio, Bluesyerdaddy. |