Nixon Omollo

Nixon Omollo is a rhythm guitar player, singer, composer, and poet with 15 years experience as a solo performer and band leader for African roots and reggae-inspired music. Nixon Omollo was born in the Rift Valley province of Kenya. He has done radio interviews with and had airtime with stations in Chicago, Ann Arbor, and Nairobi.

In June 2017, Nixon Omollo released his latest album. Titled "How Long Shall We Wait," the album features 8 original songs: 6 in English and 2 in Kiswahili. The album was recorded in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with producer Kenny Allen and several local Ethiopian musicians. On the album, Nixon plays a hand-crafted Ethiopian guitar that was custom made for him by an Ethiopian carpenter. The album is available for purchase through Amazon, Google Play, and iTunes.

Nixon was raised in Umoja, a part of Nairobi, the capital city. As a boy he was fascinated by the guitar but was unable to obtain one until he came to the U.S. for college in 2002. Starting off at open-mic venues, Nixon tested the waters of the music world and soon jumped in. He has been writing songs and performing ever since.

He shares, “Music has always been a part of me. We were brought up on a heavy singing diet together as a family, in church and in school.” As a teenager, his hobby was going to reggae clubs like Hollywood, Achievers and Monte Carlo in downtown Nairobi. His older brother, who Nixon considers the first musician in the family, would sing to Nixon and his twin for hours on end while baby-sitting them. In addition, his deeply religious mother would gather the whole family and they would sing hymns together on a daily basis. Nixon grew up listening to Roots Reggae music, which was popular in Umoja and was heavily influenced by masters like the Wailers, Black Uhuru, Jacob Miller, and Culture.

Nixon and his wife currently live in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is interested in performance opportunities worldwide, especially in Ethiopia, Kenya, and the United States.