Singer, songwriter, performer, and radio DJ Mojo Nixon – born Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. on August 2, 1957, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina – built his career on his unique take on music that blended rockabilly and punk as well as his over-the-top personality and his willingness to inject humor into everything he did. Best known for the classic 1987 song “Elvis is Everywhere,” his career began several years earlier when he had relocated to San Diego, California and began performing with his musical sidekick Skid Roper (real name: Richard Banke). With Mojo Nixon on guitar and vocals and Skid Roper providing percussion (washboard, maracas, bongos, tambourine, etc.), the duo’s unique style of frantic – and funny - rockabilly and psychobilly became a popular live draw. Signing with Enigma Records, the duo released the album Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper in 1985. The duo came to international prominence with the release of 1987’s Bo-Day-Shus!!! album and the iconic single “Elvis is Everywhere.” The album became an alternative music classic and humorously exposed the world to redneck culture. In 1990, the duo parted ways and Mojo Nixon released his debut solo album, Otis, that same year. The album featured another one of his most popular songs: “Don Henley Must Die.” Mojo Nixon continued to release solo albums as well as albums with his various backing bands including The Toadliquors and The Pleasure Barons. His larger-than-life personality allowed him to branch out into acting and he had bit parts in several movies including Great Balls of Fire (1989) and the Corey Feldman-led Rock ‘n’ Roll High School Forever (1990), which was a sequel to the classic 1979 film Rock ‘n’ Roll High School that featured The Ramones. Mojo Nixon began a career as a radio personality in the 1990s, eventually hosting three shows on satellite radio station Sirius. He continued to focus on doing his radio shows, including hosting duties on Steven Van Zandt’s Outlaw Country channel on SiriusXM. He continued to perform, but no longer focused on that aspect of his career. In 2020, Manifesto Records issued the 10CD + DVD box set The Mojo Manifesto: The Original Album Collection, which included his albums with Skid Roper, his solo releases, and more. During an Outlaw Country Cruise, where he performed and hosted, Mojo Nixon died from a ‘cardiac event’ on February 7, 2024, at the age of 66.
