Joe Nichols Is Dropped by Broken Bow Records
Well it’s not like we didn’t see this coming.
Though the songs that Joe Nichols has sung over the years have sometimes been a bit hit and miss, you’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive voice in the mainstream since Nichols launched his career in the late 90’s. With songs like “Brokenheartsville,” he made believers out of many, and along with Josh Turner and a handful of others, Joe Nichols was a breath of fresh air inside the stuffy mainstream country system. But that’s not the case any more.
Broken Bow Records has confirmed that Joe Nichols no longer is on their roster. He was one of the casualties when the label shuttered their Red Bow Records imprint earlier this year, sending the fate of Nichols in the air, as well as the fate of fellow label mates Brooke Eden and Rachel Farley. Craig Campbell and Kid Rock moved to the Wheelhouse imprint of Broken Bow, and David Fanning moved to the imprint Stoney Creek. Similar to how Big Machine who was forced to shutter their DOT imprint recently, Broken Bow’s eyes apparently got bigger than their pocketbook, and the ax fell.
Though Joe Nichols released a record in 2017 called Never Gets Old, and released a series of country classic covers this year called Never Gets Old: Traditional Country Series, the writing seemed to be on the wall that it was only a matter of time before Nichols would be let go. His last three singles failed to crack the Top 40 on country radio, and little to no promotion was put behind his Traditional Country Series releases.
A casualty of the Bro-Country era, the lag between his 2017 release and 2013’s Crickets took a lot of the wind out of Joe’s sails. Crickets included two #1 singles, and Joe has enjoyed five #1’s over his career. He also won the ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist honor and the CMA’s Horizon Award when he first appeared on the scene, and has been nominated for four Grammy Awards.
Perhaps it was Joe’s insistence to not sell out during the Bro-Country era that did him in, however unlike a lot of pop country hopefuls, Joe Nichols has options. With a strong fan base of traditional country fans who he’s kept around by attempting to hold his ground in the traditional style of music, hopefully Joe Nichols lands on his feet somewhere.
October 17, 2018 @ 10:57 am
I sure hate to hear this.Joe is a great country singer.Hopefully he will be picked up by a label that will allow him to make real country music.I pray that is the case.
October 17, 2018 @ 11:11 am
And here is another piece of hard evidence that C(c)ountry Music is dead.
If a dude from the south, with a voice like that, and chiseled facial features can’t do it, who can?
October 17, 2018 @ 12:00 pm
Id like to see you start writing your own songs the way you want your country music to sound and then you won’t be able to say that it is dead. I don’t believe country music is dead. Country radio is dead, but the music itself is not, but from what I’ve gathered from your comments, you want your country music to sound like it did from the 1940s and 1950s. And if that’s what you want to hear without listening to the hipsters, then yes I suppose it is dead. And I agree on the hipsters. Cant stand them
October 17, 2018 @ 12:50 pm
Country music is not dead but country radio is truly at war against country music. It’s really sad that american (and canadian) heritage goes to trash.
October 17, 2018 @ 6:51 pm
Naw man, I mean yes, I love the 50’s, but I also like that kid Randall King. But he’ll never be a star, which proves my point.
October 18, 2018 @ 3:45 pm
Well King Honky, I owe you an apology. It seems I had you pegged all wrong. And I owe you a thank you. I’ve spent the past hour at work listening to Randall King, and i agree with you. He’s pretty damn good
October 17, 2018 @ 11:49 am
I knew when “Hard To Be Cool” tanked at #23 in early 2015 that that was the end of Joes career on radio, that song should have been a smash hit like “Yeah!” and “Sunny And 75”. Im actually surprised that it took this long for him to be put out to the pasture by his label. Hes a great country artist that has never been afraid to stand his ground and stay true to real country music.
October 17, 2018 @ 11:55 am
You think the song “Yeah” is true country music?
October 17, 2018 @ 11:58 am
Once “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” came out, it was hard to take him seriously.
October 17, 2018 @ 12:18 pm
Yeah but then he released “I’ll wait for you” off the same album which as a kid I thought was an old George strait song. But yeah I get what your saying.
October 17, 2018 @ 12:10 pm
As a Joe Nichols fan this is both good and bad. Bad in the sense that mainstream radio may never play new Joe Nichols music again. Good in the sense that Joe will no longer have to fight a label and produce the kind of music he really wants to.
October 17, 2018 @ 12:38 pm
I love his voice, I can listen to him on repeat everyday. It breaks my heart that he has to deal with this. I’ve been a die hard fan for 15 years. Love you Joe!❤️
October 17, 2018 @ 6:18 pm
Rhonda, by chance were you n2beaches on the old Joe Nichols message boards way back in the day?
October 17, 2018 @ 12:55 pm
His embarrassingly-bad live performance can’t help. I’ve seen him twice and both times witnessed plenty of people leaving early.
October 17, 2018 @ 1:18 pm
I felt the same way when I saw Shooter Jennings live- and to this day neither I or my sons or their wives will listen to him holler and beat his guitar.
May 21, 2019 @ 4:03 pm
Pretty Ironic considering how great of a live performer his father was
October 17, 2018 @ 1:51 pm
Not sure what you’re talking about. I thought he was great live
October 17, 2018 @ 4:35 pm
Interesting. I saw him live many years ago and he was great.
October 17, 2018 @ 6:47 pm
I accidentally hit like on your stupid comment and it won’t let me delete it.
October 18, 2018 @ 12:06 am
I saw him about 7 years ago at a festival in Australia, very tame show. Deanna Carter had used his band earlier and they looked like they had a lot more fun with her.
Mind you, how can you not have fun playing ‘danced anyway’ at a summer festival?
October 17, 2018 @ 1:14 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zNUCRRBAHs
October 17, 2018 @ 1:34 pm
Has Easton Corbin got himself a new label these days??
Hey Joey, maybe don’t sing about big butts… lost a lot of respect once he did that song…..
October 17, 2018 @ 2:04 pm
Why did you lose respect for him cuz of that? It was just a fun song
October 17, 2018 @ 1:48 pm
Good stuff. Like, nodding in the heart good.
October 17, 2018 @ 1:56 pm
You will fo it Joe you are too talented
October 17, 2018 @ 2:19 pm
Hopehe gets signed soon
October 17, 2018 @ 2:25 pm
He was a promising act back in 2005
October 17, 2018 @ 3:15 pm
I just want to say how amazingly patient and kind Trig/ Kyle C truly is.
I mean I’ve been trolling him since July, made up constant goofy comments, made up a podcast and Drama between me and Dustin Lynch. And he still treats me with kindness and hasn’t blocked my ip or anything.
Trig gets a bad reputation online for T Swift, Now from Carrie fans, for being too harsh in articles etc. But he truly is a kind, patient angel.
Thanks Trig for putting up with my BS. It was all a character test for a psychology paper/research.
Believe me, many websites banned my IP… Tv by the Numbers, Showbuzzdaily, Roughstock, Student Doctor Network, and about 10 other notable websites. But not Trig!!! Bless this man and this site.
Trig, in my research paper, your actual Kyle name will be anonymous. But is it okay if I say “the founder of Saving Country Music”
Thanks for all the commenters for putting up with my BS too. Shootout to my boi Derek !!!
October 18, 2018 @ 2:41 pm
Man, I can’t stand psychologists. Always messing with people’s heads.
October 17, 2018 @ 3:41 pm
If I was a writer of REAL country songs , Joe would be TOP OF MY LIST as my choice to record them . Nobody …NOBODY infuses a song with more ‘ country ‘ , more authenticity , heart and soul than Joe . I’ve been so saddened watching him chase trends to get on the radio knowing what he is capable of in terms of touching people with the RIGHT song and that voice.
” Gimme That Girl ” “Tequila ” Sunny And Seventy-Five “…..ALL SHIT SHIT SHIT . The only thing that saved those SHIT songs from a toilet toss at all was Joe singing them .
In a just genre this guy would have been a Superstar the way Luke Bryan has become ….Luke f***** Bryan with NO country voice and even shittier songs .
I hope Joe takes stock of all the compromising he’s done ( or had to do ) and releases the best stuff he’s ever released. That voice , like Randy Travis , George Jones and Josh Turner, was made to sing REAL songs …not the crap his labels had him singing . He’s a one-of-a-kind gift to COUNTRY music . What makes it so much sadder is that mainstream is stuck with lightweight egotistical wannabes like FGL , Bryan , Aldean and Shelton……none of whom could sing a REAL country song at knifepoint .
October 17, 2018 @ 4:10 pm
I looked at his website, looks like he has a lot of good gigs, in nice places, with decent ticket prices…. so he’s probably doing pretty well, without any radio play. Good for him.
He’s definitely got a very nice voice.
October 17, 2018 @ 5:05 pm
This might be a blessing in disguise. When one door closes, another one opens…..Joe Nichols, don’t get discouraged, you have a beautiful voice and you’re handsome. I love “Never Gets Old”……Ask God to guide you, He’s waiting to hear from you. ????????????
October 17, 2018 @ 5:30 pm
He should just pay Randall King to write his next album. Problem solved.
October 18, 2018 @ 2:29 am
I was hoping for a CMA AOTY thread, ’cause that was a great show.
October 18, 2018 @ 8:53 am
The new Josh Turner album better sell well…or he will be the next Joe Nichols.
October 18, 2018 @ 9:48 am
Funny, the mid-level New Traditional era hitmakers of the early ’90s, artists who had No. 1 hits and platinum and gold CD’s–Chesnutt, Lawrence, Kershaw, Byrd, Tippin, Walker, Stone–generally had “major league” careers of a decade or less. (Heck, even a couple of superstars of that era–Clint Black and Travis Tritt–barely lasted a decade in the majors.)
Similar artists from the following era–like Nichols and Turner–seem to have longer stays in the majors–even if they’re releasing fewer albums over a longer time frame.
October 18, 2018 @ 6:12 pm
Trigger,
Any news on Trace Adkins’ status? I believe he was part of the same Broken Bow imprint.
October 18, 2018 @ 6:41 pm
I believe Trace Adkins is still on Broken Bow. He’s still listed as one of the artists on Broken Bow’s website. Not sure if he was on Red Bow at one point, but it appears he’s on Broken Bow’s Wheelhouse label now.
October 19, 2018 @ 10:24 am
If you don’t exude your “boy band” chops, and instead remotely utter lyrics that in any way hark back to the time before, the current folks in charge that absconded with the term “country” will do their best to make you disappear. Thanks goodness for the Mississippi Casinos and other like venues for their continued booking of these discarded artists.
October 21, 2018 @ 10:06 am
Still think you’re the best. Some of your best music came without a label. i’m sad that i’ll miss it but your next album will be your best.
October 21, 2018 @ 12:55 pm
For those that said Joe is not a good performer Live, i am calling BS, he is very good in Live shows. I have been to several and he never dissapoints. Maybe something was wrong with sound or stage night that someone commented on. His voice is always terrific and he is a fun performer. He will always have a following. Now two of my favorite Voices need a label home. Easton Corbin is still without a label as well. Both of them have very Loyal fans with good taste in Country Music!!
October 21, 2018 @ 12:57 pm
For those that said Joe is not a good performer Live, i am calling BS, he is very good in Live shows. I have been to several and he never dissapoints. Maybe something was wrong with sound or stage night that someone commented on. His voice is always terrific and he is a fun performer. He will always have a following. Now two of my favorite Voices need a label home. Easton Corbin is still without a label as well. Both of them have very Loyal fans with good taste in Country Music!!!!