Nikki Hornsby

Nikki Hornsby
Background information
Birth name Nikki Hornsby
Born Long Beach, California, U.S.
Genres pop, Americana, country and blues
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, record producer, arranger, author, businesswoman
Instruments vocals, guitar
Years active 1970s–present
Labels CJP-NHRecords
Associated acts Nikki Hornsby and The Rangers
Website CJP-NHRecords website

Nikki Hornsby (born in Long Beach, California) is an American pop, Americana, country and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Teenage years

Nikki Hornsby [1] was born in Long Beach, California,[2] but grew up in Fairfax County of North Virginia. As a young teenager, Hornsby was contracted to perform as a solo singer and guitar artist representing her boarding school at social events, hospitals, and TV broadcasts. After graduating Fairfax Hall Waynesboro, Virginia college preparatory high school, Hornsby attended Sacred Heart and Belmont Abbey Colleges North Carolina full-time, while performing at The Sheraton Motel Lounge and other various local clubs. While majoring in Psychology and Theology she transferred to George Mason University in Virginia, Hornsby continued working full-time, accepting contracts for solo work as a singer and Musicians Union guitarist. Some of these union contracts were at The Marriott Key Bridges Hotel Lounge in Northern Virginia and was the first female singer-guitar player performing on the Auto Train that traveled from Lorton, VA to Sanford, FL. Nikki Hornsby also was contracted as a stand up singer with a piano player and some other local union musicians in many clubs in the Washington D.C. and the surrounding area, including Lucky Pierre's Lounge at LaFonte Plaza, the Watergate Lounge and Hogates.

1970s

In the mid-1970s, Hornsby moved back to California and worked full-time as a club performer, where she stayed building her life and career. Many clubs in the South Bay area of Los Angeles, CA, USA like Portofino Inn, Blue Moon Saloon, Holiday Inn, Red Onion, Queensway Bay Hilton, etc.

1980s

Nikki Hornsby in 1980s

In the late 1980s Hornsby received a local Lomita California business owner, Ken Herbert, financial backing to record her original songs under her own record label CJP-NHRecords. Quickly thereafter, Hornsby marketed her music to commercial radio and label throughout Europe and the USA.

Hornsby's songs were released for airplay on commercial radio stations in the USA and Europe. In Mallorca, Spain, the "ACM Newsletter" as well as other print publications noted Hornsby’s song “One Way Ticket” as number one.[3] During that same time “Hungry For Love”, Let Me Take You On A Dream” and “Hot Talkin’ Big Shot” were airplayed in Europe. All four songs reached the top ten on radio station charts.

In 1988, following Hornsby’s releases of “One Way Ticket”, “Hungry For Love”, “Let Me Take You On A Dream”, “Hot Talkin’ Big Shot”, and “Shoe String And A Prayer”, she was named Female Singer of the Year in Scandinavia. In 1989, “Shoe String And A Prayer” charted Top 5 in the USA IRC (independent) country singles, as well as in the Cash Box Top 100 USA National commercial charts.

1990s

In the 1990s again through independent investors, “Shoestring and a Prayer” obtained USA radio airplay from independent and major commercial radio stations as well as other commercial music trade publications.[4] “Shoestring and a Prayer” was No. 1 the entire month of August on The Music Review Top 30 Independent Chart, NY, No. 3 in the Top 30 (IRC) Debut Independent Radio Chart, Nashville, TN, No. 11 on the Cash Box Independent Chart, and No. 14 Indie Bullet Mag. Top 100 Chart, Tyler, TX.

Hornsby was working full-time as a club performer, solo singer guitarist, plus leader of duo to full band, throughout the time of her first recorded releases. She worked at Marriotts, Sheraton, Hilton, Holiday Inn Lounges and many more throughout the USA. Nikki did her own contract work except for a few club contracts that were booked through her non-exclusive agency Castle-Hill Ent., Los Angeles, CA. Castle-Hill Ent. is Nikki's exclusive agent for all television and film appearances, i.e. Fox Network's Parker Lewis TV Show "Diner75" in 1992.[5]

Nikki Hornsby and The Rangers

Hornsby formed her back up band “Nikki Hornsby and The Rangers”,[6] and together she as the leader performed in many annual concerts and at local Southern California venues including Alpine Village in Torrance Hornsby herself did all the contract booking and travel arrangements. In August 1991, Nikki Hornsby and The Rangers performed at Redondo Beach's Summer Concert in the Park. That summer, they drew in the largest crowd and were invited back to perform again in a series of six years in "Concerts on the Pier".[7] Hornsby always focused on the solo songwriting recording aspect of her career, although still performing as leader of her band at different venues.

TV appearances

Nikki Hornsby with Dr Laura Schlessinger
Hot Talkin' Big Shot
used as cue music in Dr Laura Schlessinger radio program as
Problems playing this file? See media help.

In the early 1990s, Nikki Hornsby appeared as a solo folk singer guitarist on the final show of Fox Network's "Parker Lewis Can't Lose". Shortly after, Hornsby had the opportunity to record as a solo singer-songwriter with Steve Duncan (Desert Rose Band), Jack Daniels (Hwy 101 Band), Jay Dee Manness (Desert Rose Band), John Jorgensen (Desert Rose Band) as well as Al Bruno who was a multi year Academy of Country Music (ACM, Los Angeles, CA) award winning guitarist (CA Country Music News, San Jose, CA Vol 2 No. 20, Pg 9, April 1991).

Nikki Hornsby was nominated four different years (official ACM Ballot, composer category, 1991, 1992, 1994) for a position on the ACM's Board of Directors.

Hornsby acted as a judge for the California Country Music Awards[8] and as a Music Industry Talent Judge for the National Colgate Talent Roundup from 1990s until 2003.[9] Hornsby has been a consultant exclusive to the music industry since she obtained the business licence in 1989.

Dr Laura Schlessinger used Hornsby's song, "Hot Talkin' Big Shot", for several years on The Dr. Laura radio program as cue music and also for a national radio commercial advertising Ms. Schlessinger's radio show.[10]

2004 Performances in Europe

Nikki Hornsby on Spanish TV

In late 2004 Hornsby co-produced and arranged ten original songs on a CJP-NHRecords CD called "Just Wait" with Marty Rifkin, who has worked on recordings with major recording artists within the music industry for many years including "Jewel" & "The Boss".

Hornsby traveled throughout many countries Europe from end of 2004 to 2007 test market her "Just Wait" CD along with other original songs. This was done before CJP-NHRecords released "Just Wait" for airplay.

In 2006, Hornsby performed the break out song from "Just Wait" called "Money's Worth" at the International Automobile Associations Annual International Event in Frankfurt, Germany.[11] "Money's Worth" and other originals were broadcast European wide through Truck Radio which reported this song as number one on the Truck Radio European Charts.[12]

That same year a commercial radio station, Radio Eurohertz [13] in Eastern Germany near the Czech Republic border, invited Hornsby to perform a live three-hour show of only her own original music which was only a small percentage of her large catalog.

In 2006, The International World Cup Soccer Games took place in Europe was telecast on CNN TV internationally. Hornsby's song "This IS America" written for Joan Milke Flores from the "Just Wait" CD was broadcast[14] for the warm up game of USA vs. Italy which was held in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Hornsby herself was one of the VIP Hosts for that city's tourist center for the six games of the FIFA World Cup Soccer Championship held in 2006.[15]

Hornsby appeared on TV in Spain IB3 April 2006 as well as performed live original songs including songs she wrote in other languages like "Yo Tengo Un Amor" on numerous live commercial radio telecasts in Palma.[16] She did on air live interviews at many radio stations like Una Radio, Radio Balear, Ultima Hora and Punto Radio in Spain that same week in April 2006.

While in Europe, Hornsby supported the US military community for several months. The work included such activities as performing on stage, teaching music and judging in US Air Force Idol Talent Contest.[17]

2007 Forward Additional information

Nikki Hornsby's grandfather - Dan Hornsby

As a BMI associated songwriter, Hornsby herself has written over 300 songs, some of which have been used on radio, TV, and in movies. Songs where the music by Hornsby and lyrics by Weinberg collaboration like a prior radio commercial repeated on CJP-NHRecords "Reaching Out" CD.

Her family association with Jimmy Van Heusen,[18] Emmy and Oscar songwriter for Frank Sinatra[19] and others, influenced Hornsby at a very young age. Documents can be found in the Library of UCLA in Los Angeles CA[20] holding Hornsby's first recordings and industry photos among the Jimmy Van Heusen collection.

Hornsby achieved commercial airplay success years prior joined the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy's) end of 2006 as a voting member.[21][22] The NARAS committee placed compositions of music from Hornsby's commercial charted "Just Wait" CD on the first ballot in 2007 in 8 different categories.

A European Military Community VIP base pass in June 2006 allowed access for Nikki while she was in Europe and she volunteered to play guitar and sing at the small Daenner Kaserne Chapel weekly for the military community church services on this military base in Germany. End of 2006 she was told there was a two-year waiting list and asked if she would have time to give music and vocal instructions at the community center at Vogelweh for military men and women and their families. She believed waiting that long was unacceptable and made the time with her CJP-NHRecords work to provide instructions with her very own Nikki Hornsby learning method.

2007 for appointments and networking during Grammy week, Hornsby had to take leave to travel alone to Los Angeles, CA but agreed to be back in a few days. She was injured[23] in an international airplane in-flight accident February 8, 2007. She was unable to continue to write or professionally perform her music while recovering from these injuries for the next few years.

2009 CJP-NHRecords released "Just Wait Instrumentally" which is the instrumental version of the "Just Wait" CD released in 2006. 2010-2014 Video Support of Nikki Hornsby songs found on YouTube. DVDs made available through CJP-NHRecords.com

2014-2015 CJP-NHRecords released three singles of 1 pop dance uptempo and 2 pop orchestral of Hornsby music and lyrics from collaborative work with international talents. Singles found on iTunes and eStores worldwide. These three Hornsby pop singles are listed first ballot 2014 in the arrangement, instruments and vocal category of the 57th Grammy TV awards process for 2015.

Hornsby alone has carried on the Hornsby music family tradition as the granddaughter of the Columbia Recording artist Dan Hornsby who was a A&R representative for Columbia/RCA in Atlanta GA in the early years, was a radio program director, Radio WSB DJ, a professional musician, a producer engineer for Columbia and a singer-songwriter, a recording artist with many 78 full recordings.

Dan Hornsby was the first recorded voice of "The Arkansas Traveler" song. He recorded many other songs like "Take Me Out To The Ball Game", "Oh! Susanna", "Little Brown Jug" "Little Lisa Jane" and "Danny Boy". Hornsby never met her grandfather, who was inducted posthumously into the Atlanta Music Hall of Fame in 1986 for his lifetime of work in the music industry. The Grammy Museum, Los Angeles, CA in 2013 displayed Dan Hornsby's work for Columbia Records 360 event for a year-long. This Grammy Museum display was seen by Nikki Hornsby in a private viewing where she learned even more through the curators and Ex. Director of the Grammy Museum about the man whose work was before she was born as she carries forward in her professional life time career a noteworthy Hornsby music tradition.

Samples of music

  1. ^ [1] Archived October 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.

Discography

year album or song title comments
2014 Ich Liebe Dich (NH#701320144) CJP-NHRecords USA commercial release of a Nikki Hornsby music and lyrics translate into German covered by Zita Sabon,Austria, Europe. UPC# 888174806723 ISRC code:ushm21425469
2014 Just Lovin' You (NH#70132014) CJP-NHRecords USA commercial Pop Orchestral release of Nikki Hornsby Music & Lyrics. UPC# 888174732664 ISRC code: uscgj1475577
2014 Music Is The Only Thing (NH#702020141) CJP-NHRecords USA commercial release of Nikki Hornsby Music & Lyrics. UPC# 888174732671 ISRC code: uscgj1475576
2009 Just Wait Instrumentally (NH#7119) CJP-NHRecords international commercial release of Nikki Hornsby Music. UPC# 8450201170
2006 Just Wait (NH#7106) CJP-NHRecords release of ten Nikki Hornsby songs in Blues, Pop, Country, Folk-Americana, and Patriotic. Song titles: Momma's Blues, Flyin' Over Sweet Alabama, This Is America, Just Lovin You, Child Running Wild, Just Wait, Travel On, Money's Worth, Music Is the Only. UPC# 3447938758
2005 Previous Releases (NH#7121) also known as Original Releases manufactured by CJP-NHRecords containing ten charted songs from 1989 to 2002 made available through CDBaby, The Orchard Distributors and CJP-NHRecords, UPC# 3447938759
2001 Reaching Out (NH#2007) CJP-NHRecords release of Positive Country original songs made available through CDBaby, The Orchard Distributors and CJP-NHRecords, UPC# 6991075492
1999 Cassette of Originals CJP-NHRecords, NH# 1007C
1996 Nikki Hornsby Live Performance VHS / DVD
1989 Career Video Highlights VHS / DVD
1989 Wake Me Up (NH#6089)
1988 Shoestring & A Prayer (NH#5089) Charted on commercial radio reporting stations in the USA in 1989
1986 Let Me Take You On A Dream (NH#1088) First commercial radio Number One song at WBYO in the State of PA, USA
1986 One Way Ticket to a Heart Break (NH#3088) First commercial radio Number One song in Palma De Mallorca Spain
1987 Hungry For Love (NH#4088) Charted on commercial radio stations in European countries
1987 Hot Talking Big Shot (NH#2088) Charted on commercial radio stations in many European countries and was used by Dr. Laura's USA Talk Radio show for several years into the 1990s.

References

  1. ↑ "Nikki Hornsby @ ARTISTdirect.com - Free Nikki Hornsby Music Videos, Downloads, News, Biography, MP3, Lyrics and More". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  2. ↑ Pat Swayne. "Nikki Hornsby page". Patswayne.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  3. ↑ August 1988, ACM Newsletter, pg. 4
  4. ↑ Cash Box Top 100 No. 78, June 24, 1989 Issue
  5. ↑ "Nikki Hornsby". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  6. ↑ Layne, Joslyn. "Nikki Hornsby - Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  7. ↑ "Largest gathering for the pier concert series came to see hear NIKKI HORNSBY lead her band for many years while she was recording her original songs too.". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  8. ↑ "Photos from NIKKI HORNSBY (NIKKI HORNSBY) on Myspace". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  9. ↑ "Nikki in Concert Judge for Colgates Country Showdown". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  10. ↑ "National Talk Show Host Dr. Laura Nikki s Hot Talkin Big Shot song was played on her show for many years used in her commercial too". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  11. ↑ "RADIOSZENE - Das Insidermagazin für Radiomacher". Radioszene.de. 2005-11-07. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  12. ↑ "TruckRadio gave Moneys Worth Number 1 for over 4 weeks". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  13. ↑ "Nikki Hornsby bei Radio Euroherz". Countryhome.de. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  14. ↑ "Video Nikki Hornsby song on CNN TV 2006 van Nikki Hornsby Fan Page - Myspace Video". Vids.myspace.com. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  15. ↑ "Nikki was the only American with 3 Germans hosting VIPs visiting Kaiserslautern GE during the World Cup Soccer Championships". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  16. ↑ Majorca Daily Bulletin, Tuesday April 4, 2006
  17. ↑ File:Nikki Hornsby - military recommendation letter.jpg
  18. ↑ "The famous songwriter Jimmy Van Huesen was a personal family friend of Nikki Hornsby's parents.". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  19. ↑ "Here's Nikki Hornsby's father and Sinatra but the other two people are not known.". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  20. ↑ "Nikkis Association with Sinatra. Grandfather Columbia Records.". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  21. ↑ "Must have charted (offline commercial) songs to be a voting member. For the 1st ballot placements call the NARAS in Los Angeles anytime.". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  22. ↑ "Cost of the tickets to Grammys for Members only". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  23. ↑ "Nikki wears a collar from the damage to her spine but keeps a smile on her face where she met an ol friend and made new ones like these.". Viewmorepics.myspace.com. Retrieved 2012-12-08.

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