Nicky Chinn facts for kids

Nicholas Barry Chinn (born May 16, 1945) is a famous English-American songwriter and record producer. He is best known for working with Mike Chapman. Together, they wrote many hit songs in the 1970s and early 1980s. Their songs became number-one hits in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman wrote songs for many popular artists. These include bands like The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Mud, Smokie, and Racey. They also wrote for singers like Tina Turner and Toni Basil.

Nicky Chinn's Music Career

Nicky Chinn was born in London. He came from a family that owned gas stations and car dealerships. From a young age, he showed a great talent for writing pop songs. Soon after he started, he co-wrote two main songs for a movie called There's a Girl in My Soup in 1970.

Around this time, Chinn met Mike Chapman. Chapman was a musician and songwriter. They decided to work together. They soon joined Mickie Most's RAK record label. They started writing songs for a new glam rock band called The Sweet. All of The Sweet's early hit songs were written by Chinn and Chapman.

Chinn and Chapman's Hit Songs

Chinn and Chapman's songwriting style was very popular. The Sweet had many million-selling hits. These included "Co-Co", "Little Willy", "Wig-Wam Bam", "Blockbuster!", "The Ballroom Blitz", "Hell Raiser", and "Teenage Rampage". "The Ballroom Blitz" was very special because it entered the UK Singles Chart at number two. "Little Willy" and "Ballroom Blitz" also became top five hits in America.

Chinn and Chapman stopped working with The Sweet in 1975. But they found even more success with Suzi Quatro. They wrote many hits for her, like "48 Crash" and the number-one songs "Can the Can" and "Devil Gate Drive".

Their next big success was with Mud. Mud had several hits between 1973 and 1975. Two of these, "Tiger Feet" and "Lonely This Christmas", reached number one.

Smokie was Chinn and Chapman's next project. They had many hit singles with Smokie from 1975 to 1978. One of their biggest worldwide hits was "Living Next Door to Alice".

In 1978, Chinn and Chapman had their first number-one hit in the United States. It was "Kiss You All Over" by Exile. Also that year, Suzi Quatro's song with Smokie's singer Chris Norman, "Stumblin' In", reached number four.

In 1982, "Mickey" by Toni Basil became their second American number-one hit. In the mid-1980s, they had top ten hits with Tina Turner's "Better Be Good to Me" and Huey Lewis's "Heart and Soul".

Later Years and New Projects

Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman slowly stopped working together in the early 1980s. They officially split up in 1983. During their 12 years together, Chinn co-wrote over fifty songs that made it into the Top 40 charts. In 1983, he co-wrote "Dancing in the Dark", a hit song in the UK for Kim Wilde.

Chinn and Chapman won three Ivor Novello Awards for their songwriting. These awards celebrate great achievements in music. In 1997, they received the Jimmy Kennedy award for their amazing career.

Nicky Chinn took a break from his career in the late 1980s and 1990s due to health issues. He returned to music in 2004. He started working with other writers, like Jorgen Elofsson. They wrote "You Must Have Had a Broken Heart" for Westlife's 2006 album, Back Home. This album became number one in the UK Albums Chart.

Chinn now spends time in Nashville, Tennessee, working with many writers there. He co-wrote "Live Like There's No Tomorrow" for Selena Gomez's 2010 album, A Year Without Rain. This album reached number 4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The song was also in her Disney movie Ramona and Beezus. In Nashville, he also co-wrote "A Beautiful Life". This song was recorded by Donny and Marie Osmond for their 2010 album, Donny & Marie.

Notable Singles Written by Chinn and Chapman

• 1971:
  • New World: "Tom Tom Turnaround", "Kara, Kara"
  • The Sweet: "Funny Funny", "Co-Co", "Alexander Graham Bell"
• 1972:
  • Peter Noone: "Shoo Be Doo Ah"
  • New World: "Sister Jane", "Living Next Door to Alice"
  • The Sweet: "Poppa Joe", "Little Willy", "Wig-Wam Bam"
• 1973:
  • Mud: "Crazy", "Hypnosis", "Dyna-mite"
  • New World: "Rooftop Singing"
  • Suzi Quatro: "Can the Can", "48 Crash", "Daytona Demon"
  • The Sweet: "Block Buster!", "Hellraiser", "The Ballroom Blitz"
• 1974:
  • Arrows: "Touch Too Much", "Toughen Up"
  • Mud: "Tiger Feet", "The Cat Crept In", "Rocket", "Lonely This Christmas"
  • Suzi Quatro: "Devil Gate Drive", "Too Big", "The Wild One"
  • The Sweet: "Teenage Rampage", "The Six Teens", "Turn It Down"
• 1975:
  • Mud: "The Secrets That You Keep", "Moonshine Sally"
  • Suzi Quatro: "Your Mama Won’t Like Me", "I Bit Off More Than I Could Chew"
  • Smokie: "Pass It Around", "If You Think You Know How to Love Me", "Don't Play Your Rock 'n' Roll to Me"
• 1976:
  • Smokie: "Something's Been Making Me Blue", "Wild Wild Angels", "I'll Meet You at Midnight", "Living Next Door to Alice"
• 1977:
  • Exile: "Try it On"
  • Smokie: "Lay Back in the Arms of Someone", "It's Your Life"
  • Suzi Quatro: "Tear Me Apart"
• 1978:
  • Exile: "Kiss You All Over", "You Thrill Me"
  • Smokie: "For a Few Dollars More", "Oh Carol"
  • Suzi Quatro: "If You Can't Give Me Love"
  • Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman: "Stumblin' In"
  • Racey: "Lay Your Love on Me"
• 1979:
  • Exile: "How Could This Go Wrong", "The Part of Me That Needs You Most"
  • Racey: "Some Girls"
  • Suzi Quatro: "Don't Change My Luck", "She’s in Love with You"
• 1981:
  • Exile: "Heart and Soul"
  • Toni Basil: "Mickey"
• 1983:
  • Huey Lewis and the News: "Heart and Soul"
• 1984:
  • Tina Turner: "Better Be Good to Me"
• 2024:
  • Cyril: "Stumblin' In"
  • Rosé and Bruno Mars: "Apt."

See also

In Spanish: Nicky Chinn para niños