Phil and Brenda Nicholas

Philip Nicholas, the son of a jazz musician, was born in Philadelphia. The elder Nicholas eventually became a minister of music. While in high school, Philip learned to play the piano, a skill he utilized when he joined the family band known as The Nicholas Chorale Ensemble. Philip's brother, Lonnie, and his nephews, Steve and Ira Jackson, were also members of the ensemble.

After graduating from high school Philip enrolled at Drexel University where he met his future wife, Brenda Watson. Because she was an early morning shower songstress, Watson’s dorm mate introduced Philip to Brenda with the hope that Brenda would join Philip's singing group and give the dormitory floor well earned relief from Brenda's early morning shower concerts. Eventually Brenda and Philip merged their personal and professional lives. The two married on February 18, 1978, which was also Philip's 24th birthday.

The newly married duo settled in Los Angeles, where they became ministers of music at the church of renowned pastor Dr. E.V. Hill. While in Los Angeles the two coined the group name Nicholas and decided to pursue careers as professional music artists. As Nicholas they signed with Motown, but the partnership was unsuccessful. In 1981, Philip and his brother, Lonnie Nicholas, established their own record label, Message Records. Because the brothers had different ideas over the label's direction, Philip left Message and created Command Records with ex-Motown producer, Kent Washburn.

The duo, although a quartet at this time, released the album entitled Tell the World in 1981, Words Can't Express in 1983, Dedicated in 1985, and a 12-inch single Tell Somebody/God's Woman, also in 1985.[1][2] Two of the albums Word's Can't Express and Dedicated, charted, reaching number ten and number one, respectively, on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.[3]

The remaining albums released by the duo with Command Records were 1987's A Love Like This, 1988's Live in Memphis, Contemporary, and Inspirational, 1990's More than Music, 1991's Back to Basics, 1993's The Inspirational Sounds of Nicholas Vol. 1, and 1994's Fired Up!.[1][2] Four of the albums charted on the Gospel Albums chart: A Live Like This at No. 2, Live in Memphis at No. 10, More than Music at No. 14, and Back to Basics at No. 12.[3]

• Philip W. Nicholas (born February 18, 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)[4]
• Brenda L. Nicholas (née Watson) (born December 16, 1953 in Salem, New Jersey)[4]

• Official website
• Cross Rhythms artist profile