The two families, the Watkinses and the Thiles, met after Sean Watkins and Chris Thile had mandolin lessons with the same music instructor, John Moore. Sara Watkins studied with Moore's bandmate, Dennis Caplinger. The band name came from a song by Byron Berline, who was Sara Watkins' fiddle instructor.
Nickel Creek's first performance was at That Pizza Place in Carlsbad, California in 1989 with Scott Thile, Chris's father, playing string bass. Sean Watkins was only twelve years old at the time. At the start Chris Thile played guitar and Sean Watkins played mandolin but later they decided to switch instruments. The band played many bluegrass festivals throughout the 1990s, and the band members were home-schooled to accommodate their tour schedule. Nickel Creek's first two albums were Little Cowpoke (1993) and Here to There (1997).
The group received two Grammy nominations: Best Bluegrass Album and Best Country Instrumental for the song "Ode to a Butterfly". The trio was nominated at the CMA Awards for Best Vocal Group and the Horizon Award and were named one of the "Five Music Innovators of the Millennium" by TIME Magazine in May 2000. Nickel Creek's "The Lighthouse's Tale" video was nominated for a CMT "Flameworthy Video Award" for Group/Duo Video of the Year.
In 2002 the band released their fourth album, This Side, produced by Alison Krauss. It was a departure from their previous releases which were purely bluegrass. Although the core influence of bluegrass remained, other genres such as indie rock and folk rock were present in their music included cover songs Spit on a Stranger by Pavement, and Should've Known Better by Carrie Newcomer.
In 2005 the band released their fifth album, Why Should the Fire Die? with more rock and pop influences. The album debuted and peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Billboard bluegrass chart.
In late summer 2006, via Billboard and their official website, Nickel Creek announced that at the end of the year they would no longer be recording as a group and their tour, scheduled through 2007, would be their last for an indefinite period of time so band members could expand their musical horizons.
The band had plans to record its final performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in November 2007 but the idea was later "scrapped".
The band released a new album in the spring of 2014. They also played a handful of live shows and festival dates, including a concert at the Ryman Auditorium, the last venue the band played when it played its last show.
Pecos Bill
Nickel Creek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why, he's the Western Superman to say the least
He was the roughest, toughest critter, never known to be a quitter
'Cause he never had no fear of man nor beast
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the toughest critter west of the Alamo
Then he straddled it and settled down with ease
And while that cyclone bucked and flitted, Pecos rolled a smoke and lit it
And he tamed that ornery wind down to a breeze
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the toughest critter west of the Alamo
Now once there was a drought that spread all over Texas
So to sunny Californy he did go
And though the gag is kind of corny, he brought rain from Californy
And that's the way we got the Gulf of Mexico
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the toughest critter west of the Alamo
Now once a band of rustlers stole a herd of cattle
But they didn't know the herd they stole was Bill's
And when he caught them crooked villains
Pecos knocked out all their fillings
That's the reason why there's gold them thar hills
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the toughest critter west of the Alamo
Pecos lost his way while traveling on the desert (Water, water, water...)
It was ninety miles across the burning sand (Water, water, water...)
He knew he'd never reach the border (Water...)
If he didn't get some water (Water...)
So he got a stick and dug the Rio Grande
(Yodeling)
While a tribe of painted Indians did a wardance
Pecos started shooting up their little game
He gave those redskins such a shakeup
That they jumped out of their makeup
That's how the Painted Desert got it's name
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the toughest critter west of the Alamo
While reclining on a cloud high over Texas
With his guns he made the stars evaporate
Then Pecos saw them stars declining
So he left one brightly shining
As the emblem of the Lone Star Texas State
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the toughest critter west of the Alamo
So yippee-I-ay-I-ya, yippee-I-o
He's the emblem of the Lone Star Texas State
Nickel Creek's "Pecos Bill" is a ballad that narrates the heroic adventures of the cowboy, Pecos Bill, who is the Western Superman. In the first verse, the song introduces Pecos Bill as the roughest and toughest cowboy who feared no man or beast. He was known to have roped a cyclone out of nowhere and rode it with ease while smoking a cigarette. In the second verse, the song narrates how Pecos Bill brought rain to Texas during a drought by going to California and hauling rainwater on his back. In the third verse, Pecos Bill fights a gang of rustlers to regain his stolen cattle and knocks out all their teeth. The last verse describes how Pecos Bill shot up the stars while reclining on a cloud and left one shining brightly as a symbol of Texas.
Line by Line Meaning
Now Pecos Bill was quite a cowboy down in Texas
Pecos Bill was a legendary cowboy from Texas
Why, he's the Western Superman to say the least
Pecos Bill was an extremely courageous and strong cowboy
He was the roughest, toughest critter, never known to be a quitter
Pecos Bill was known for his toughness and perseverance
'Cause he never had no fear of man nor beast
Pecos Bill was fearless
Once he roped a raging cyclone out of nowhere
Pecos Bill was so skilled he could rope a cyclone
Then he straddled it and settled down with ease
He tamed the cyclone with ease
And while that cyclone bucked and flitted, Pecos rolled a smoke and lit it
Pecos Bill was so calm and collected, he could smoke a cigarette while riding a cyclone
And he tamed that ornery wind down to a breeze
In the end, Pecos Bill successfully tamed the cyclone
Now once there was a drought that spread all over Texas
Texas was once dealing with a widespread drought
So to sunny Californy he did go
Pecos Bill travelled to California to find a solution
And though the gag is kind of corny, he brought rain from Californy
He miraculously brought rain from California back to Texas
And that's the way we got the Gulf of Mexico
The rain he brought from California created the Gulf of Mexico
Now once a band of rustlers stole a herd of cattle
Some cattle rustlers stole Bill's herd
But they didn't know the herd they stole was Bill's
The rustlers didn't know they had taken Bill's cattle
And when he caught them crooked villains
When Bill caught the rustlers
Pecos knocked out all their fillings
Bill defeated the rustlers in a fight
That's the reason why there's gold them thar hills
The fight with the rustlers led to the discovery of gold in the hills
Pecos lost his way while traveling on the desert (Water, water, water...)
Pecos Bill got lost in the desert and was in dire need of water
It was ninety miles across the burning sand (Water, water, water...)
The distance to find water was far and treacherous
He knew he'd never reach the border (Water...)
He knew he wouldn't make it to the border without water
If he didn't get some water (Water...)
He needed water to survive
So he got a stick and dug the Rio Grande
Pecos Bill magically created the Rio Grande river by digging into the ground with a stick
While a tribe of painted Indians did a wardance
A group of Native Americans were performing a war dance nearby
Pecos started shooting up their little game
Pecos Bill started shooting his guns to disrupt their dance
He gave those redskins such a shakeup
He scared the Native Americans so badly
That they jumped out of their makeup
That their face paint came off
That's how the Painted Desert got it's name
The disruption of the dance led to the name of the Painted Desert
While reclining on a cloud high over Texas
Pecos Bill was chilling on a cloud above Texas
With his guns he made the stars evaporate
Pecos Bill fired his guns and caused the stars to disappear
Then Pecos saw them stars declining
As a result of his actions, the stars began to decline in the sky
So he left one brightly shining
He made one star shine brighter to preserve its beauty
As the emblem of the Lone Star Texas State
This star became the emblem of the Lone Star State
He's the emblem of the Lone Star Texas State
Pecos Bill is still revered as a symbol of the Lone Star State
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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