Nicole Couch
Encyclopedia
Nicole Couch is a female American
musician and songwriter, and founding member of the all-female heavy metal
band Phantom Blue
.
, and raised in rural Mississippi
and Memphis, Tennessee
.
. Through a mutual friend at the Musicians Institute, Couch was introduced to guitarist Michelle Meldrum
. Couch and Meldrum, along with vocalist Gigi Hangach
, drummer Linda McDonald
and bassist Debra Armstrong, formed the all-female heavy metal band Phantom Blue
. The band with Couch recorded their self-titled debut album
on Mike Varney
's Shrapnel Records
in 1989, in which she wrote majority of the songs. She also co-wrote many of the songs in the band's 1993 follow-up Built to Perform
, which was released under Geffen Records
. Couch left the band prior to the recording of Built to Perform and relocated to New York City
, then later moved to the British Virgin Islands
, where she taught general music at Cedar International School for five years. Couch is also an accomplished classical pianist.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician and songwriter, and founding member of the all-female heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Phantom Blue
Phantom blue
Phantom Blue was an all-female American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1987. Phantom Blue were the first and only female artists to be signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records, only three months after forming....
.
Biography
Nicole Couch was born in Chicago, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and raised in rural Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
.
Musical education and Phantom Blue
Couch began studying piano at the age of five and took up guitar at twelve. She left home at sixteen and began studying at the Musicians InstituteMusicians Institute
Musicians Institute is a privately owned for-profit music vocational school located in Hollywood, California. Although not a regionally accredited school, the school offers a variety of unaccredited Bachelor Degree, Associate Degree and Certificate programs in fields including contemporary music...
. Through a mutual friend at the Musicians Institute, Couch was introduced to guitarist Michelle Meldrum
Michelle Meldrum
Michelle Meldrum-Norum was an American hard rock guitarist known for being a member of the bands Phantom Blue and Meldrum.-Biography:...
. Couch and Meldrum, along with vocalist Gigi Hangach
Gigi Hangach
Gigi Hangach is an American female singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the all-female heavy metal band Phantom Blue. From 1989 to 1997, Hangach recorded three studio albums and a live album with Phantom Blue....
, drummer Linda McDonald
Linda McDonald
Linda McDonald is the drummer of the all-female tribute band The Iron Maidens . In addition, she is a member of the Ozzy Osbourne tribute band The Little Dolls and the cover bands Valley Dolls, Crabby Patty and Unholy Pink...
and bassist Debra Armstrong, formed the all-female heavy metal band Phantom Blue
Phantom blue
Phantom Blue was an all-female American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1987. Phantom Blue were the first and only female artists to be signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records, only three months after forming....
. The band with Couch recorded their self-titled debut album
Phantom Blue (album)
Phantom Blue is the debut album by American all-female heavy metal band Phantom Blue. It was released in the U.S. by Shrapnel Records and on the rest of the world by Roadrunner Records. Marty Friedman co-produced the album...
on Mike Varney
Mike Varney
Mike Varney is an American musician, record producer, music publisher and impresario. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Records, a New York-based label...
's Shrapnel Records
Shrapnel Records
Shrapnel Records is a guitar-oriented record label started in 1980 by record producer Mike Varney. Guitarist Marty Friedman , one of the label's most successful artists, first appeared on the album Unsung Guitar Heroes II in 1980 with the band Vixen. Vixen would later change their name to Hawaii...
in 1989, in which she wrote majority of the songs. She also co-wrote many of the songs in the band's 1993 follow-up Built to Perform
Built to Perform
Built to Perform is the second full-length album by American heavy metal band Phantom Blue. In contrast to the first album's glam metal sound, Built to Perform displays a more raw, heavy metal sound. It also features songwriting credits by all five of the band members plus former member Nicole...
, which was released under Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
. Couch left the band prior to the recording of Built to Perform and relocated to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, then later moved to the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
, where she taught general music at Cedar International School for five years. Couch is also an accomplished classical pianist.
Phantom Blue
- Phantom BluePhantom Blue (album)Phantom Blue is the debut album by American all-female heavy metal band Phantom Blue. It was released in the U.S. by Shrapnel Records and on the rest of the world by Roadrunner Records. Marty Friedman co-produced the album...
(1989) - Built to PerformBuilt to PerformBuilt to Perform is the second full-length album by American heavy metal band Phantom Blue. In contrast to the first album's glam metal sound, Built to Perform displays a more raw, heavy metal sound. It also features songwriting credits by all five of the band members plus former member Nicole...
(songwriting credits) (1993)