Nikki O'Neill

I'm an Americana singer-songwriter and guitar player, who's really into soul music, rhythm & blues, and gospel. I was born in Los Angeles and I’m based in Chicago now, but I grew up in Sweden with my mother and grandmother, who both came from Poland.

I play lead as well as rhythm guitar. 

I was incredibly honored to be featured in the November 2019 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, interviewed by the great blues artist Sue Foley. In April 2024, I had the chance to open for Sue at SPACE in Chicago, and jam with her and Chicago blues guitarist Dave Specter on the classic Magic Sam tune, “You Belong to Me,” during her set. 

Two Albums, Two Singles, One EP

My third and latest album, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, is out (on Blackbird Record Label). It features eleven songs, and I wrote all the music and lyrics. The album is available on vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming.

Order the album (vinyl, CD or digital) on my Bandcamp page, or get it on the streaming sites.
 
On my previous releases, many of my songs were co-written with lyricist Paul Menser. We collaborated on my 2017 solo EP, ‘‘Love Will Lead You Home,” the 2018 singles ‘‘When Do I Tell Him” and ‘‘Where Luck Can Find Me” (all self-released), and my 2020 album, “World is Waiting” (Blackbird Record Label). 

Inspired by Pops Staples, Sly Stone and Carole King

As a guitarist, I love soul pickers like Pops Staples, Teenie Hodges and Prince, and Carlos Santana was a huge inspiration when I started out. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sue Foley and Laura Chavez are fabulous, and Freddie King is also a favorite of mine. Singing-wise, I adore Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples and  Dinah Washington, but I always aim to sound like myself. My songwriting has always been inspired by soul, gospel, and classic rock, and I love colorful harmony, surprising changes and great melodies. My favorite writers include Al Green, Sly Stone, Jerry Ragovoy, Dan Penn, Paul McCartney, Carole King, Burt Bacharach and even ABBA's Bjorn and Benny... hey, I grew up in Sweden!

Guitar Book and a Few Stints as a Writer

Back in 2014, I wrote a rock guitar instruction book called “Women’s Road to Rock Guitar” (Alfred Music – you can get it on Amazon and iBooks.) During the pandemic lockdown, I had a guitar lesson channel on TrueFire.com called ”Twang, Soul & Rock 'n' Roll” (it's still there), and very occasionally I'm a contributing writer for Guitar Player Magazine and the Chicago Tribune (for the Tribune, I write a few stories on ethnic foods and once in a blue moon I cover a music festival). 

I also teach a guitar group class for adults and an occasional songwriting workshop at The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago… a legendary place for the communal learning of music. It's a lot of fun and I love to encourage new players and give back. 
 

Last but not least, I have a great passion for world travel, cooking and eating out. For the last eight years, my husband and I have been exploring the cuisine and music of every country in the world in alphabetical order. We call our project “Around the World in LA — and Chicago” and post about our explorations on my personal Facebook page. 

2026
I'm writing songs for my next album, and have started to perform them at my shows. We're playing several new venues and festivals in Chicago this year, including Blocktoberfest in  Glenview, where Los Lobos will be headlining.

Earlier this year, I had an amazing time participating in WonderLab: Learning from the Musical Art and Craft of Stevie Wonder, a 3-month long class run by the University of Chicago's department of Race, Diaspora & Indigineity Studies. 
 
2025

I was one of the recipients of the Illinois Arts Council's Creative Catalyst Grant, which supports artists to further their career through a specific project. With that support, I wrote the songs and brought my band to arrange, record and release my third album, Stories I Only Tell My Friends (Blackbird Record Label). 

The night we released the vinyl version of the album, drummer Rich Lackowski and I played at the Old Town School of Folk Music, opening for Eilen Jewell. 

The album received very positive reviews in American and European music press, was played enough on the radio that it ended up on the official Americana charts (a first for me), and it opened up opportunities to play at new venues and festivals in Chicago. The readers of Americana Highways voted the album as one of their Top 10 favorites of March, 2025. Rich and I were also featured on CBS Chicago, and we were musical guests on the Steve and Johnnie Show on WGN Chicago. At the end of the year, the album was listed as one of the best of 2025 by a music critic at the Swedish music magazines Lira and Rootsy.

Rich and I were also invited to perform at the tribute show to the late Jill Sobule at SPACE, which was an incredible honor for us. We covered her song, “Jetpack.” 

The fall and end of the year was mostly devoted to writing new songs. 

2024

In April, 2024 I opened for Sue Foley at SPACE and got to jam on Magic Sam’s “You Belong to Me” with her and Dave Specter during her set. 

I began writing some of the songs that would end up on my album, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, and released one of the songs, “Candy Apple Morning,” as the first single. 

We got a new bass player in the fall, Andy Mirsberger, who moved here from Austin, TX, where he played with David Touchton and other artists.

Rich and I also performed at the 2024 AmericanaFest in Nashville, at the California Country Show's sister showcase, “The Buzz.”

2023/2022

I formed my Chicago-based band, featuring Chris Corsale (lead/rhythm guitar, backing vocals); Teddy Myers (keyboards); Chris Stanford (bass, backing vocals), and Rich Lackowski (drums, backing vocals). 
I started performing at clubs, city festivals and house concerts in the Chicago area with them. 

2021

I played my first shows in Chicago (my husband and I moved there as 2020 was wrapping up), and “World is Waiting” was officially released in Europe.

I started teaching at The Old Town School of Folk Music, and also had the honor of interviewing and writing stories on two of my personal guitar heroes for Guitar Player: Carlos Santana and Teenie Hodges. 
 

2020

My first full-length album, “World is Waiting,” came out on Blackbird Record Label (which I joined in September, 2020.) One of the songs was recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis. The album is produced by myself and Joshua “Cartier” Cutsinger, mixed by Ethan Allen (Mavis Staples) and mastered by Gavin Lurssen (Robert Plant & Allison Krauss.) The album received very positive reviews in Americana and other roots music press in the U.S. and Europe, as well as radio play.

2019
I played actively with my LA band, who are featured on “World is Waiting”: Joshua Pessar (guitar, vocals), Rob Fresco (bass, vocals), and Rich Lackowski (drums, percussion.) 

I played at the 2019 Americanafest week in Nashville as part of the ”California Country” showcases, and opened for Stax artists Southern Avenue in Los Angeles. 

In the fall, I was interviewed by Sue Foley in Guitar Player Magazine, and launched a guitar lesson channel on TrueFire.com. 

Artist Endorsements

I'm endorsed by Seymour Duncan pickups. 

Stay Tuned!

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