Nigel Biggs

Born:    February 16, 1942

Died:    July 25, 1978

Height:     5' 9"

Weight:    170

Eyes:    Brown   Hair:    Black

Hometown:    Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester, England

Nickname:    Biggie, Pigs, Mastermind

Instrument:    Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, Drums

Notes: Nigel was the eldest of nine children born to Kurt and Lynne Biggs. A precocious child who was always getting into trouble, Nigel was a born leader. Unfortunately, he was usually leading other children into mischief and then getting away so the blame would fall on others. He was jailed briefly at age 10 for "borrowing" a milk lorry and driving it around town to impress his friends. He fractured his skull jumping out a third-story window at age 14 to escape the wrath of a girl's father when he discovered them in flagrante delicto. Kurt Biggs referred to his son as "the criminal mastermind" and thought it fitting that Nigel's first band would be called "The Thieves.” Nigel was not a good student and ended up cutting more secondary school than he attended, finally dropping out at age 16 to work in the Victoria Mills cotton mill with his father. He bought his first bass guitar at 16 and his first electric guitar at 17. He became the band's most versatile musician, sometimes even sitting in on the drums.

Nigel was a close friend of Brian Epstein. A familiar fixture at the local (gay) pub, The Wicked Vicar. Nigel began experimenting with marijuana and other drugs with George St. John in 1964. After the break-up of the Dover Souls he moved back into his parents house in Manchester. Nigel came "out of the closet" in 1966 and moved in with his life-partner, Gordon Jenkins. He was arrested, along with George St. John, at United States Customs in New York in July 1975 for drug possession, and spent three weeks in federal detention before charges were dropped. He returned to England where he co-owned and operated a gallery with Jenkins.

Nigel died, along with Anthony Smithe-Jones and Ian Tolliver, on July 25, 1978, in a small plane crash outside of Clovis, California. They were enroute to perform as the "special guest" opening act for The Rolling Stones concert on July 26, 1978 at the Oakland Coliseum.