American soul/blues band Dwight & Nicole has been touring the Eastern U.S. since 2017. They have been steadily on the rise ever since - nominated for nine Boston Music Awards, ten Daysie Awards, and ten New England Music Awards, winning “Band of the Year”, “Vocalist of the Year”, “Best Blues/R&B Band”, “Female Vocalist of the Year”, “Blues Act of the Year” and “Video of the Year”. They have opened up for their idols including Mavis Staples, who exclaimed “Dwight & Nicole are my favorite new band!” as well as Melissa Etheridge who said “Dwight & Nicole are absolutely the real deal... They are carrying the torch”

 

Nelson and Ritcher met in Boston, Massachusetts when they were just out of school, both cutting their teeth on the local club circuit. They each fronted popular bands in the area, and discovered a shared obsession of soul & blues greats like the Staples Singers, Albert King, Lighting Hopkins, Jimmy Witherspoon, Roberta Flack & Etta James. They began singing together often, and developed a close friendship that grew over time. Eventually, forming Dwight & Nicole, which was in the early days, a duo group; Dwight on electric guitar, and Nicole on tambourine stomping their feet and singing in harmony. They began to tour regionally- writing together and developing their sound. After a move to Burlington VT, they met powerhouse drummer Ezra Oklan (Nicole Atkins, Elle King) and the group quickly formed a trio with Nelson picking up the bass.

 

Their 2018 EP, Electric Lights, was recorded live to analog tape with multi-Grammy nominated producer Joel Hamilton (Aaron Neville, Tom Waits, The Meters, The Black Keys) at Studio G in Brooklyn, NY. Hamilton undoubtedly captured their sound and live energy. He also brought out their experimental side on Electric Lights. The EP introduced the band to a new wave of fans as well as opportunities including their first major label distribution deal through Orchard / Sony Music.  The year wrapped up with another Independent Music Award nomination, and the Electric Lights EP landing on several ‘Best of the Year’ lists. 

 

They were back in the studio with Hamilton, writing and recording during the global shutdowns. The time off the road brought them to new territory as songwriters. Their second EP “Further” was released at the end of 2021. Here’s what American Songwriter Magazine had to say: “What’s so great about “Further” is its sense of immediacy… there’s something about Ritcher and Nicole Nelson’s vocal performances that makes it feel so raw, so urgent” The Burlington Free Press proclaimed it “One of the best EPs to ever come out of the Green Mountain State”. 

 

In May of 2022, Dwight + Nicole finished recording their first full length album with Hamilton in Norway at Ocean Sounds studio. The first single off the new album, a retro-soul powerhouse called “Lift”, will be released digitally on July 29th.