Nickel Creek

Nickel Creek is an American acoustic trio with roots in bluegrass, comprised of members Chris Thile (mandolin), Sara Watkins (fiddle), and her brother

Nickel Creek is an American acoustic trio with roots in bluegrass, comprised of members Chris Thile (mandolin), Sara Watkins (fiddle), and her brother Sean Watkins (guitar). The band formed in California in 1989 with Scott Thile, Chris' father playing string bass, after the Watkins and Thile met while watching the band Bluegrass Etc. The oldest of the children, Sean, was only 12 years old at the time.

In Nickel Creek's early days they recorded two albums, both of which are no longer produced. Later, Alison Krauss helped them develop their style and produced their self titled 2000 release on Sugar Hill. This is now recognized as their first major release. Scott has since retired from the group. After a few years of touring with various bassists, Mark Schatz has taken over the role as bassist on tours. The group has released five albums (three major releases) and won a Grammy Award in 2003 for Best Contemporary Folk Album for their release, This Side. Nickel Creek and This Side have both been certified gold for sales above 500,000. They released their third album, Why Should The Fire Die? on August 9 2005.