[5] Guitarist Andy "T" Talamantez, a Southern California native,[6] was first influenced by the sounds of English rock and blues musician Eric Clapton during his teenage years.
In the 1960s, he also sang lead vocals in an racially integrated band, the R&B group King James and the Sceptres,[11] as well as with the New Imperials, but his longest gig was teaching music for Nashville's Parks and Recreation Department,[8] which he did for 35 years before teaming up with Andy T.[7][10] Nixon died in 2018, aged 76.
[6] The two performers were immediately impressed and struck by their stagemate's talent, with Andy saying of the vocalist, "The first time Nick sang next to me on stage I got goose bumps.
[8] Nixon has appreciation of Andy to match, saying of the team's first record, Drink Drank Drunk, released in 2013,[13] "I just had a feeling it was going to do real good".
"[8] The band collaborated with several musicians on their sophomore album, Livin' It Up, which featured Ron Jones on saxophone, as well as Larry Van Loon on the piano.