Terry Alton:
Terry picked up the guitar at age 10—and hasn’t put it down since. After performing with several local bands and working the bar circuit with a trio in the 1970s, he moved to Los Angeles to study at the prestigious Guitar Institute of Technology.
Returning to Vancouver in the 1980s, Terry played with numerous bands, including Idle Eyes and The CFOX Electric Lunch Orchestra. In the early 2000s, he and his wife, Tonnie Stewart, took their music to the high seas, performing as a duo on cruise ships around the world with a repertoire of over 200 songs.
Now based in the West Kootenays, Terry continues to share his lifelong passion for music—because for him, playing guitar isn’t just a skill, it’s pure joy.
Tonnie Stewart:
Tonnie started piano lessons when she was 4. End of story…
Almost! Picture this: pianos, accordions, drums, guitars, amps, bongos, music books and lyric sheets strewn throughout the house. Polkas and waltzes flowed as Tonnie snuck out of bed to peer down at her parents creating music and friendship. With this background, it was natural for Tonnie to take the stage as a lead singer at 14.
Graduating with honours from Selkirk College Music Program, Tonnie hit the road to promote her debut album, ‘Little Sister – Cheyenne Calling’, with singles “Believe in Me”, “I hear the Children Play” and “Stallion”. This experience would foster music videos, radio airplay and of course, more writing. She gravitated to the acoustic guitar and found yet another outlet to write. Writing and co-writing with (and for) other artists, like Jason Thomas, Lisa Nicole & Jaydee Bixby, the writing venture for Tonnie is always ‘to be continued’.
In 1995, enter ‘the Boys’. This was a pivotal moment in Tonnie’s musical momentum, as she stepped out of the original scene and transformed into a versatile and prolific cover artist. Going back several decades to learn the Boys set list forced her to hone her craft even deeper and find a new appreciation for the heroes and lords of rock in an era gone by. This merger also created an opportunity for the guys to recognize female legends, such as Patsy, Linda, Pat, Ann & Nancy, Melissa, Alannah (and now artists like P!nk).
In 2000, Terry and Tonnie ventured out as a duo, TnT, entertaining primarily in Washington State and BC’s lower mainland, then travelling the world on cruise ships playing for audiences around the globe.
Meeting Brian, John and Terry was the beginning of deep and connected friendships, and Tonnie is grateful for the chance to play music with her boys once again!
Brian Nicholson
Music has been woven into Brian’s life from the very beginning. His grandmother played piano and organ for silent films, and both of his parents were accomplished pianists. Growing up, there was a steady flow of students coming through the house for piano lessons with his mother—a constant soundtrack of music that sparked his early passion.
At 13, Brian received a guitar for Christmas, and by the next year, he had already formed his first band. By grade 11, he was involved in seven different bands and choirs, all while expanding his skills on piano, clarinet, saxophone, and bass guitar.
He went on to earn a diploma in Professional Music from Vancouver Community College, majoring in voice, and later a diploma in Recording Production from Fanshawe College in London.
Over the past 50 years, Brian has worn many hats in the music and entertainment industry—performer, manager, promoter, and recording engineer. He has played bass, guitar, and keyboards, often doubling as lead vocalist, and worked with organizations such as CBC, VTV, Knowledge Network, Post Modern Sound, and Finale Post. His engineering credits include television shows like Lonesome Dove, Madison, Highlander, Hawkeye, and Super Dave Osborne, as well as feature films.
Brian is perhaps best known as Producer for the LG Morning Zoo on LG73/CFOX, where he was the primary musician and vocalist behind more than 150 song parodies that aired daily for nearly eight years.
Today, when he’s not performing with The AlTonNicks, Brian can be found in his home studio writing and recording original music under the name TuneNick—available on most streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
John Nicholson:
At the age of 15 John, Brian and Terry started playing every style of music that was popular in the local Legion and clubs before heading to the high school dance circuit, dance halls, and cabarets, playing what would become classic rock and roll.
John went on to performing arts school and then released an original record and accompanying video with the NewWave band the Aircuts, playing the club circuit in Vancouver. Later musical adventures saw him get back together with Brian and Terry working on different band projects before adding a talented up and comer, Tonnie Stewart, to the long running party band Atlantis.