Nikki Hornsby

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Nikki Hornsby
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Hornsby in 2007
Background information
Birth nameNikki Hornsby
Born Long Beach, California, U.S.
Genres Pop, Americana, country, Christian music and Blues
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1970s–present
LabelsCJP-NHRecords
Websitewww.cjp-nhrecords.com

Nikki Hornsby is an American musician who has been active in the pop, Americana, country, and blues genres as a songwriter, singer, and guitarist. [1] From Long Beach, California, [2] Hornsby grew up in Fairfax County of Northern Virginia. She is the granddaughter of Dan Hornsby, who was a songwriter, musician, recording artist, talent scout, engineer and producer for Columbia Records RCA Victor. Her family association with songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen influenced her when young. [1] [3] Hornsby inherited her grandfather's archive of early Americana music and has worked to document his legacy, including that he discovered many songwriter-singers, like Bessie Smith, for Columbia Records. [1]

Contents

Career

Before 2000

Hornsby played gigs in the eastern US while a college student. She moved back to California in the 1970s and began playing regularly, but did not begin to record until the late 1980s, when she founded her own label, NH Records (later CJP-NH Records). Around that time, her song "Shoe String and a Prayer" began to get radio play in America and Europe; the tune charted on the Cash Box Top 100 [4] and hit the independent country charts in America, and she was named Female Singer of the Year in Scandinavia in 1988. [5] By 1991, she formed Nikki Hornsby and the Rangers. [6]

In the early 1990s, she routinely sang at the Alpine Village in Torrance, California. [7] In August 1991, she drew the largest crowd of the summer at Redondo Beach's summer Concert in the Park series. [8] Nikki Hornsby and the Rangers played the Concert in the Park series again in August 1993 and July 1994. [9] [10]

In the 1980s, she recorded as a solo singer-songwriter musician with Steve Duncan, JayDee Maness, and John Jorgenson from The Desert Rose Band; Jack Daniels (Hwy 101 Band); and guitarist Al Bruno. [11]

2000–2006

Dr Laura Schlessinger with Nikki Hornsby.jpg
Laura Schlessinger (left) with Hornsby in 2009. Schlessinger used Hornsby's song "Hot Talkin' Big Shot" for several years as theme music.
"Hot Talkin' Big Shot"

In August 2001, Nikki Hornsby sang at the Cliffie Stone Memorial Jamboree in Santa Clarita, California. [12] Hornsby also acted as a judge for a number of California country music competitions and as a judge of talent for the Colgate Talent Contests. [5] "Hot Talkin' Big Shot" is an original song by Hornsby. [13]

2006–present

Hornsby appeared on the Spanish TV channel IB3 in April 2006. She also performed on commercial radio telecasts in Palma. [14] In 2009, CJP-NHRecords released Just Wait Instrumentally (the instrumental version of the 2006 album Just Wait). [15] In 2014, CJP-NHRecords released Hornsby's original song "Just Lovin' You" [16] that was covered by the singer Zita Sabon as "Ich Liebe Dich" (translated into German). [17] In 2011 she was nominated for Billboard's Women in Music award. [18]

Discography

yearalbum or song titlecomments
1986Let Me Take You on a Dream(NH#1088)
1986One Way Ticket to a Heart Break(NH#3088)
1987Hungry For Love(NH#4088)
1987Hot Talking Big Shot(NH#2088)
1988Shoestring & A Prayer(NH#5089)
1989Career Video HighlightsVHS / DVD
1989Wake Me Up(NH#6089)
1996Nikki Hornsby Live PerformanceVHS / DVD
1999Cassette of OriginalsCJP-NHRecords, NH# 1007C
2001Reaching Out(NH#2007) CJP-NHRecords
2005Previous Releases(NH#7121) also known as Original Releases CJP-NHRecords
2006Just Wait(NH#7106) CJP-NHRecords
2009Just Wait Instrumentally(NH#7119) CJP-NHRecords
2014Ich Liebe Dich(NH#701320144) CJP-NHRecords Nikki Hornsby music and lyrics translated into German covered by Zita Sabon.
2014Just Lovin' You(NH#70132014) CJP-NHRecords
2014Music Is The Only Thing(NH#702020141) CJP-NHRecords
2020Red Roses On The Floor(NH#9163200202) CJP-NHRecords
2020Yo Tengo Un Amor(NH#9163200203) CJP-NHRecords

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "She wants Grandpa in hall of fame". The Charlotte Observer. February 12, 2003. p. 67.
  2. "Taking on country solo". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. April 20, 1988. p. 13.
  3. Bridges, Jackie (February 27, 2013). "Musician who wrote song about 1928 Shelby Disaster recognized by Grammy Museum".
  4. Cash Box Top 100 No. 78, June 24, 1989 Issue
  5. 1 2 Nikki Hornsby biography at Allmusic.com
  6. "Nikki Hornsby and the Rangers at Alpine Inn". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. October 4, 1991. p. 56.
  7. Long Beach Press-Telegram (September 23, 1993) Coming-up. Section: Life/Style. Page D2.
  8. Faristimes, Ald. (August 16, 1991) "New Redondo Budget Silences Concert Series." Los Angeles Times Section: ME-Metro; Page 3.
  9. Berg, Mary Helen. (July 16, 1993) "Summer Concerts: Pleasing tunes will fill the air along the beach on hot days and balmy nights." Los Angeles Times Section: Metro; Page 4.
  10. "Dixieland musicians open summer series". The Daily Breeze. June 26, 1994. p. 14.
  11. "Nikki Hornsby". CA Country Music News. Vol. 2, no. 20. San Jose, California. April 1991. p. 9.
  12. "Memorial jamboree for Stone on Sunday." Los Angeles Daily News (August 31, 2001) Section: News; Page 4.
  13. "Nikki Hornsby – 'Hot Talkin' Big Shot'". News-Pilot. San Pedro, California. August 21, 1987. p. 57.
  14. Majorca Daily Bulletin, Tuesday April 4, 2006
  15. "Nikki Hornsby discography". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  16. "Just Lovin' You". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  17. "Ich Liebe Dich [Just Lovin' You]". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  18. "Billboard Women In Music 2011: List of Nominees". Billboard. December 2, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2023.