Comin' on like a sci-fi hybrid of
T-Bone Walker,
Little Richard, and
Guitar Slim, guitarist/singer
Nick Curran was a powerhouse performer who owed a strong debt to blues and rockabilly artists of the '50s. Originally from Biddeford, Maine,
Curran began performing in his early teens with his father's band, Mike Curran & the Tremors. At 19, while playing with local rockabilly band
King Memphis,
Curran met rockabilly legend
Ronnie Dawson and ended up touring with him for about six months. Soon after coming off the road, he got a call to do a tour with Texas rockabilly queen
Kim Lenz and eventually joined her backup band,
the Jaguars.
Subsequently,
Curran moved to Dallas where he quickly immersed himself in the city's vibrant blues traditions as well as the roots music scene in Austin. It was during this time that
Curran toured with retro-country sensation
Wayne Hancock. Citing such influences as
Wynonie Harris, Otis West,
Roy Brown, and many other postwar blues and rock & roll artists,
Curran released his solo album debut, Fixin' Your Head, in 2000. Recording live, single takes on vintage equipment,
Curran has cultivated an impressive retro '50s jump blues sound that is only enhanced by his predilection for vintage clothes and Nu-Nile pomade. Nitelife Boogie followed in 2001 and further solidified
Curran's reputation as one of the most authentic and exciting roots musicians of his generation.
In a move that garnered him a slightly higher profile,
Curran signed with legit-blues label Blind Pig Records in 2002 and released his third album the following year. Featuring more of
Curran's old-school blues and R&B,
Doctor Velvet found the still twenty-something artist branching out into Delta blues, reworking
the Sonics' garage rock classic "Shot Down," and performing alongside one of his musical idols, original
Fabulous Thunderbirds guitarist
Jimmie Vaughan. Further accolades followed in 2004 as
Curran received the
W.C. Handy Award for Best New Artist Debut and released his fourth album,
Player! Toward the latter stages of the tour promoting
Player!,
Curran parted ways with his longtime Nitelifes rhythm section of ex-
Fabulous Thunderbirds bassist
Preston Hubbard and drummer Damien Llanes. Ironically,
Curran then joined vocalist
Kim Wilson's latest incarnation of
the Fabulous Thunderbirds in time to record the band's 2005 release
Painted On.
After leaving
the T-Birds,
Curran formed the punk-blues combo Deguello with
T-Birds' bassist Ronnie James Weber, and played in various side projects including the old-school punk- and garage-influenced band the Flash Boys before relaunching his solo career.
In 2009,
Curran was diagnosed with oral cancer. He was undergoing treatment when he released his fifth studio album, 2010's
Reform School Girl, on Eclecto Groove Records. In late 2010, doctors deemed him cancer-free. However, in 2011 the cancer returned and
Curran once again went through a round of chemotherapy.
Curran celebrated his 35th birthday and was undergoing more treatment for his cancer when he died on October 6, 2012. ~ Matt Collar