Sturgis Nikides was born in Brooklyn, moved to New Jersey when he was eight, and later to Staten Island.
[1] Nikides started playing guitar in 1965, inspired by seeing The Beatles at Shea Stadium.
[2] He joined John Cale's band in 1979, playing on the studio version of "Mercenaries (Ready for War)" single (1980) and on Honi Soit (1981).
He then devoted himself to producing recordings for other artists and composing instrumental music for film and television.
He formed Low Society in 2009 with his wife Mandy Lemons, releasing three studio albums in 2011, 2014, and 2017, respectively.