William Lee Nichols (born 1940) is an American guitarist and soul songwriter from Carrollton, Mississippi.
[1] Becoming disenchanted with constant touring, Nichols moved to New York to lead the house band at the Crystal Ballroom.
Nichols continued to compose and had his first Billboard top twenty hits in 1972 when Millie Jackson recorded "Ask Me What You Want".
Nichols went on to write and produce other songs for the group such as "Can't Stop Groovin'" and "Shout It Out".
[1] Rappers such as Will Smith, Beanie Sigel, EPMD, Master P, Ice Cube, P. Diddy, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Dr. Dre and De La Soul have sampled Nichols' music.