Nicky Chinn

Nicky Chinn was one half of the most commercially productive songwriting team of Britain's glitter-rock era, partnering with Mike Chapman to pen a series of incessantly catchy, intentionally disposable hit singles. Born May 16, 1945, in London, Chinn was working with cars in 1970 when he first tried his hand at songwriting in tandem with Mike D'Abo, landing a bit of material on the soundtrack of There's a Girl in My Soup. That same year he met Chapman, a member of the group Tangerine Peel and a waiter at the restaurant Chinn frequented. The two found that they had similar aspirations, and decided to team up. They caught on with producer Mickie Most's RAK label in the fall, and were assigned to work with a new group called The Sweet. Chinn and Chapman penned two quick hits for the band in 1971, "Funny Funny" and "Co Co," which established their knack for big melodies and silly lyrics. New World also scored a hit with their "Tom Tom Turnaround," and the partnership was on its way.

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