Joe Nichols talks Hag and Randy Travis before Biloxi show

Since he came on the country music scene in 1996, Joe Nichols has racked up some six No. 1 hits and eight top 10 singles, including “Gimme That Girl” and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” His latest album, “Crickets,” which was released in 2013, included the hits “Yeah” and “Sunny and 75.”

Nichols returns to Biloxi on Friday for an 8 p.m. show at the IP Casino Resort. Tickets start at $30 and are available at Ticketmaster.com.

Although the country traditionalist has been making his own music for the duration of his career, he said he always tries to stay true to his roots in country music.

“For a long time when I was kid, we didn’t have much, but what we did have was music — we had a record player that was about seven feet long, it was a piece of furniture” Nichols said in an interview with the Sun Herald. “I listened to the songs of Merle Haggard and it taught me a lot about how to sing and I identified with his songwriting because it was real and on the grit level, songs about oil dust in my face.”

Nichols paid tribute to Hag by recording “My Favorite Memory” on the 2014 tribute record, “Working Man’s Poet.”

“I got to do some shows with him and the most-valued possessions I have are my pictures of me and Merle,” he said. “I have such great memories of playing with him — I got to play at a tribute for him and It was one of the biggest deals of my life, playing a Merle Haggard song for Merle.”

He also recently performed at a Nashville tribute to Randy Travis, with whom Nichols has also recorded.

“I’ve always been a fan of the way Randy Travis sings — I’ve always loved him, he and Merle are some of my biggest influences,” he said. “He’s one of the reasons I love doing what I do and I developed a relationship with him — I don’t think people understand how nice and kind he his. When I first him, I felt like I had just met one of my best friends.”

This story was originally published February 10, 2017 at 11:14 AM with the headline "Joe Nichols talks Hag and Randy Travis before Biloxi show."