Roger Nichols, born in Missoula, MT, is a Grammy-nominated composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.
Nichols co-wrote many songs with lyricists Paul Williams and Tony Asher (Brian Wilson's lyricist on the Pet Sounds album).
Asher and Nichols co-wrote several songs on Nichols' debut album Roger Nichols And The Small Circle Of Friends (A&M Records, 1968) which was produced by Tommy LiPuma, engineered by Bruce Botnick and featured session contributions from Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman and Lenny Waronker. Although the album was not a big seller, A&M co-owner Herb Alpert recommended that Nichols be hired by A&M publishing as a staff songwriter, and it was during this period that he was introduced to Paul Williams.
Nichols' collaborations with Paul Williams include "We've Only Just Begun", which was originally written for a bank commercial. They were commissioned to write a jingle after a bank exeuctive heard Nichols' album, and it was composed in a matter of hours on the last day before the deadline. "We've Only Just Begun" is The Carpenters' signature song. Although it was recorded in early 1970,.