Active since the late 1980s, Nichols has written for several country music singers including Keith Whitley, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Jo Dee Messina, and Alan Jackson.
Nichols, along with Craig Wiseman, earned a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2004, for McGraw's Number One hit "Live Like You Were Dying".
After his experience, Nichols was featured in a 60 Minutes exposé about Nashville scam artists, and helped his local band gain exposure.
The two began writing together, and one of their collaborations, "I'm Over You", was recorded by Keith Whitley, whose rendition was a Top Five country hit shortly after his death in 1989.
Other artists who have recorded Nichols's material include Tracy Byrd, Alan Jackson, Patty Loveless and Lee Ann Womack.