Penny Nichols, born on December 26, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, was a folk musician and songwriter. She began her career in 1964 performing bluegrass music in Orange County, California. In 1966, she formed a folk duo called the Greasy Mountain Butterballs and toured Vietnam. Nichols moved to San Francisco in 1967, where she performed at venues like the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore Auditorium, and released her debut studio album Penny's Arcade (1968) with Buddah Records. In 1968, she also toured Europe and recorded at the Apple Studios. She later earned degrees in psychology and music from Antioch Midwest University and a doctorate in education from Harvard University. In 1977, Nichols joined Jimmy Buffett's Coral Reefer Band, contributing to his album Son of a Son of a Sailor (1978). Penny Nichols passed away on October 29, 2017.
