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Roger Nichols, born on September 17, 1940 in Missoula, Montana, and died on May 17, 2025 at the age of 84, was an American composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his fruitful collaborations with lyricist Paul Williams, with whom he co-wrote several iconic hits for the duo The Carpenters, such as "We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "I Won't Last a Day Without You". After studying music and mastering several instruments, including violin, guitar, bass and piano, Nichols began his career by recording the album Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends, released by A&M in 1968. Although this album was not a great commercial success on its release, it is today considered a major work of the sunshine pop genre. His meeting with Paul Williams, facilitated by Herb Alpert of A&M Records, marked a decisive turning point in his career. Their partnership gave birth to numerous songs performed by renowned artists such as Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Petula Clark and The Monkees. In addition to his collaborations, Nichols has also pursued a solo career, with albums such as Full Circle (2007) and My Heart Is Home (2012), distributed in Japan under the Victor label. His brother, Ted Nichols, was a composer and musical director for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon production studio. On May 17, 2025, Roger Nichols passed away at the age of 84.
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