After starting in his teens, in the 1960s, Nick found a prolific situation
around the '70s with Gunga Din, an R & B based band working
Sydney's old Chequers and Whisky A Go Go 6-7 nights a week - a very busy band! - with appearances on ABC's GTK, endless campus gigs and touring.
From '73 he found himself working the cruise ships, on and off through the '80s. There was however a brief sojourn in '75 touring with the legendary J O'K (Johnny O'Keefe) on his "Good Old Days of Rock & Roll Show" featuring some of O'Keefe's TV cronies (Jade Hurley, Lonnie Lee, Johnny Devlin, Dinah Lee, Tony Worsley, Laurel Lee etc).
Around the early '80s Nick helped Lonesome Harvey Fisk put together an unusual outfit called The Expander Band exploring more eclectic and diverse styles including Afro Cuban and Latin etc. - and of course Jazz and even C & W with the Reg Lindsay band - not to mention some big band work , all presenting valuable experience.
In '84 the call came from The Layabouts, a wild and woolly 
jump blues horn based R & B group. Recording one album, Stranded in The Jungle, the band became very popular on campuses and in inner city pubs. After approximately one riotous year he went back to freelancing, working with the likes of Shane Pacey's Billy The Fish and various outfits till functions based cabaret act The Enormous Horns pulled him in around '87.
Alas the time came to re-assess his direction and a brief suspension in music around '89-'91 was rudely interrupted by the opportunity to re-connect to his roots. The King Bees and James T and The Last Volunteers chapters had begun.
"Thus the Swamphouse Project has evolved - a pressing need to record at least a taste of our beginnings and a desire to follow on from where we'd left off. " (Nicholas C.)
