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REGULAR MEETING December 11, 2017
<br /> better life for his young family; and, Whereas, Billy attended South Bend Central High School
<br /> and his friend, Jackie Ivory, gave him his nickname, "Stix,"because Billy had developed the
<br /> habit of carrying a set of drumsticks with him at all times and drummed on whatever was within
<br /> his reach at the time. It soon became obvious that he had a God-given talent for the drums and
<br /> he purchased his first set of drums from a local pawn shop with money he'd earned working for a
<br /> typewriter company; and, Whereas,Billy, being self-taught and after much practice, started his
<br /> first band, "The Blue Notes,"while still in high school, and they played at weekly"sock hop"
<br /> dances and local parties from 1953 to 1955, when the band was also known as "The Whopping
<br /> Bopping Show Stoppers;" and, Whereas, when Billy graduated from high school in 1954, he
<br /> became involved in another band called"They Rhythm Rockers,"which included another
<br /> famous South Bend musician, Junior Walker, on saxophone and Fred Patton on piano and
<br /> vocals, with Billy also contributing on vocals, in addition to acting as the band's leader and, of
<br /> course, drummer;
<br /> Oliver Davis, 6 h District Councilmember, 1801 Nash Street, South Bend, IN, stated, and,
<br /> Whereas, Billy "Stix"Nicks' reputation as a drummer grew and he played with many other
<br /> young, up-and-coming artists at various local venues, including the Morris Park Country Club,
<br /> where he was approached by the mother of a young fan who admired Billy's unique skills and
<br /> asked if he would consider teaching her son. This led to young Billy's first foray into a lifetime
<br /> career of teaching drumming; and, Whereas, in 1956, Billy and The Rhythm Rockers were hired
<br /> to perform at the grand opening of a teen dance party at Club 46 for WNDU-TV, which became
<br /> a standing gig after they signed a contract to play for the weekly Saturday afternoon dance party
<br /> television show for WNDU; and, Whereas, Billy was drafted into the U. S. Army in 1957 and,
<br /> while taking a forced break from his own band, he played in the Army band as a percussionist
<br /> and his tour of duty led him to Germany. When he was honorably discharged in 1959, he
<br /> returned to South Bend and began playing with a long-time friend, Oscar Baby Jones, in several
<br /> engagements as the "Oscar Baby Jones Jazz Quartet;" and, Whereas, in 1962, Billy joined forces
<br /> with his old friend, Jackie Ivory, and "The Gents of Soul" and they recorded an LP in Chicago
<br /> that was released on Atco/Atlantic records. Billy credited this event, and the tour of the southern
<br /> states that followed, as the turning point in his career; and, Whereas, in 1963, Billy married
<br /> Pattie Tate and they were married for nearly fifty-four(54)years. Pattie survives, along with
<br /> four(4) children and nine (9) grandchildren; and, Whereas,Billy also played and recorded with
<br /> the Motown/Soul record label with his former bandmate"Junior Walker and The All-Stars"in
<br /> 1962 and in 1966 they opened at the famed Apollo Theatre in New York City. They played
<br /> many other venues, including Harvard University, the Regal Theatre in Chicago, the Uptown
<br /> Theater in Philadelphia, Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and with many famous artists,
<br /> including Wilson Pickett, Sam&Dave, The Staple Singers, Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis, Jr.,
<br /> The Fifth Dimension, Marvin Gaye,Pattie LaBelle, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Four Tops,
<br /> The Isley Brothers, Dionne Warwick, and a host of others too numerous to mention; and,
<br /> Whereas, in 1967, Billy organized and performed with his own trio, "The Billy Nicks Jazz Trio,"
<br /> when he was not traveling with Junior Walker, and they played many reputable venues. Also in
<br /> 1967, Billy signed a contract with the University of Notre Dame and became a disc jockey on his
<br /> own show, "The Bill Nicks Radio Hour,"at WNDU studios, which was a colossal success;
<br /> Regina Williams-Preston, 2nd District Councilmember, 838 N. Elmer Street, South Bend, IN,
<br /> stated, and, Whereas, Billy continued to play in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s with many
<br /> famous artists, including Mary Wells,jazz legend Sonny Stitt, and blues legend Pinetop Perkins,
<br /> all while still playing in his own jazz trio and with Junior Walker and The All-Stars; and,
<br /> Whereas, Billy also branched off into promotions of other artists and in music publication while
<br /> still continuing to teach at his own private studio,Nicks Music Studio, where he acted as the
<br /> percussion and studio director, and for affiliated groups, in addition to his teaching of percussion
<br /> at the University of Notre Dame; and, Whereas, one has only to look at the guestbook feature on
<br /> Billy Nicks' website to see how universally he was loved and valued as a man and a musician to
<br /> know what an impact he has made on thousands upon thousands of people whose lives he has
<br /> touched throughout all his years prior to his passing. In a recent South Bend Tribune
<br /> "Viewpoint" article by Jeff Harrell,with whom Billy played in their"Billy `Stix' Nicks & The
<br /> Motown Machine" show, he called Billy "just a beautiful spirit." This is an understatement and
<br /> doesn't even begin to describe such a talented and honorable man, but it's a good start; and,
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