William Chinnock (November 12, 1947 – March 7, 2007), also referred to as Bill Chinnock or Billy Chinnock, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Essex County communities of

East Orange East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...

and Millburn. He was a prominent member of the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

music scene during the late 1960s, leading bands that included future members of the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

. He subsequently moved away from the Shore and spent time in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, before eventually settling in

Yarmouth, Maine Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, it was part of Massachusetts, and remained as such for 213 years. In 18 ...

. In 1987 he won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

after his song "Somewhere in the Night" was used as the theme on ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show focu ...

''. "Hold On To Love", a duet he recorded with

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

, was also featured as a theme song on ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

''.

Jersey Shore bandleader

In 1967 Chinnock was living in Millburn, NJ and leading a band called The Storytellers which also featured Jim Meltzer (lead vocals), Bill Wolf (bass) and Chip Gallagher (drums). They later recruited

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as the organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player and a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In 2014, Federici was posthumously induct ...

(keyboards) and

Vini Lopez Vincent Lopez (born January 22, 1949), nicknamed Mad Dog, is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen's first two albums ...

also auditioned to join this band. The Storytellers released a single, "Cry With Me" / Little Boy Sad", on

Kama Sutra Records Kama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The "Kama Sutra" is an ancient Sanskrit text.Alan Betrock ''Girl groups: the story of a sound'' 1982 p.1 ...

which was a hit on the

. It led to regular gigs at the '' Hullabaloo'' clubs in

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

, Middletown and

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

and local TV appearances. Next Chinnock led the Downtown Tangiers Band which also featured Federici, Lopez and Wendell John (bass). In 1968 they recorded an album with Koppelman & Rubin Records but the producer allegedly disappeared with the recordings and it remains unreleased. Among the songs believed to be recorded were Chinnock originals "Snake Bite", "Burn Baby Burn" and "Crown Liquor". They also played the

Electric Circus ''Electric Circus '' (also known as ''EC'') was a Canadian live dance music television program that aired on MuchMusic and Citytv from September 16, 1988 to December 12, 2003. The name originated from a nightclub that once existed at Citytv's fir ...

and toured with the Joshua Light Show. Towards the end of the band's lifetime Johns was replaced by

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being bass player and founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band si ...

but the band broke up when Chinnock briefly moved to

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. Federici and Lopez subsequently formed

Steel Mill A steel mill or steelworks is an industrial plant for the manufacture of steel. It may be an integrated steel works carrying out all steps of steelmaking from smelting iron ore to rolled product, but may also be a plant where steel semi-finish ...

with

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

and Vinnie Roslin. Among the songs Steel Mill played in concert was Chinnock's "Crown Liquor". By 1969 Chinnock had returned from Maine and formed a new band, Glory Road, with Tallent, Bobby Williams (drums) and Danny Mansolino (keyboards). On June 21, 1970 they played at the Clearwater Swim Club in

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey Atlantic Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, in the Bayshore Region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 4,385,David Sancious David Sancious (born November 30, 1953) is an American musician. He was an early member of Bruce Springsteen's backing group, the E Street Band, and contributed to the first three Springsteen albums, and again on ''Human Touch'' (1992), '' Trac ...

but they eventually broke up after Chinnock got

hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver tissue. Some people or animals with hepatitis have no symptoms, whereas others develop yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pa ...

and

mono Mono may refer to: Common meanings * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono * Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single Music Performers * Mono (Japanese b ...

. He was confined to bed for eight months and nearly died. Meanwhile, Tallent and Sancious, together with Lopez and Federici, went on to play together in several short lived bands based out of The Upstage in

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

. They included Bruce Springsteen & The Friendly Enemies, The Sundance Blues Band, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom and The Bruce Springsteen Band. These bands would eventually evolve into the

. ''Backstreets'' #28 Spring 1989: ''Billy Chinnock's Badlands'' Although Chinnock later moved away from the Shore, he would return to play there regularly throughout his recording career, appearing at

Recording career

After recovering from illness, Chinnock left the

and briefly moved to

before settling in

. He was eventually signed to Paramount Records on the recommendation of John H. Hammond. Hammond had earlier signed

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

. He released his debut album ''Bill Chinnock Blues'' in 1975. He also recorded a second album, ''Road Master'', with Paramount that was produced by

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recording ...

, which to date remains unreleased. In 1976 he released an EP, ''Alive At The Loft'', on the North Country label. In 1977 Chinnock released ''Badlands'', his third full-length LP, on his own label, North Country Records. The album featured performances from

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

, and a young

Irene Cara Irene Cara Escalera (March 18, 1959 – November 25, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and actress of Black, Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Cara rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film '' Fame'', and f ...

providing some backing vocals. Shortly after its release, Chinnock ignited a battle between several major record labels looking to sign him. After signing with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

, the label insisted on remixing the album, adding strings, additional studio musicians, and backing vocalists. Many fans were disappointed with Atlantic's "sweetening" of the “raw and gutsy” sound that made the original so special. Unfortunately for Chinnock, the album's major-label re-release coincided with the release of

's hit album ''

Darkness on the Edge of Town ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' is the fourth studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album marked the end of a three-year gap between albums brought on by contractu ...

'', which also featured a song called "

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...

", which negatively impacted the reception of Chinnock's album. The original 1977 mix of the album was reissued on remastered CD form for the first time since its initial release in 2019. His 1980 album ''Dime Store Heroes'' was released on the Atlantic, North Country and

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

labels and saw him work with, among others,

David Sanborn David William Sanborn (born July 30, 1945) is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album ''Taking Off'' in 1 ...

Howie Wyeth Howard Pyle Wyeth (April 22, 1944 – March 27, 1996), also known as Howie Wyeth, was an American drummer and pianist. Wyeth is remembered for work with the saxophonist James Moody (saxophonist), James Moody, the rockabilly singer Robert Gordon ( ...

Will Lee William Lee (born William Lubovsky; August 6, 1908 – December 7, 1982) was an American actor who appeared in numerous television and film roles, but was best known for playing Mr. Hooper, the original store proprietor of the eponymous Hoope ...

Tony Levin Anthony Frederick Levin (born June 6, 1946) is an American musician and composer, specializing in electric bass, Chapman Stick and upright bass. He also sings and plays synthesizer. Levin is best known for his work with King Crimson (since 1 ...

and Andy Newmark. During the early 1980s Chinnock moved to

to work with producer

Harold Bradley Harold Ray Bradley (January 2, 1926 – January 31, 2019) was an American guitarist and entrepreneur, who played on many country, rock and pop recordings and produced numerous TV variety shows and movie soundtracks. Having started as a session ...

who subsequently produced his next two albums. Originally released by a Nashville-based label, Alliance Records, his 1985 ''Rock & Roll Cowboys'' was subsequently re-mixed and re-released by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. Among the guest musicians was

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' a ...

. The 1987 Epic release ''Learning To Survive In The Modern Age'' produced a minor hit single with "Somewhere In The Night". The song was also used as the theme song for the soap ''

'', resulting in Chinnock winning an

in 1987. Despite this Chinnock subsequently found himself dropped by Epic and his next album, ''Thunder In The Valley'' saw him return to Atlantic. The 1990 album was credited to Billy & The American Suns, a group that included

Craig Krampf Craig Krampf (born October 22, 1954) is an American drummer, percussionist, arranger, record producer and songwriter. The majority of his notable credits are as a studio drummer. Since the 1970s, he has played on albums by other artists ranging f ...

(drums), Steve Hill (bass), Rex Stemn (guitar) and Clayton Ivy (piano). Like his two previous albums, it was recorded in Nashville. The song "Just Another Falling Star" was originally performed by Chinnock with the Downtown Tangiers Band. In 1991 Chinnock returned to

and the following year released ''Out On The Borderline'' on his own label, East Coast Records. Among the guest musicians was

Michael Hossack Michael Joseph Hossack (October 17, 1946 – March 12, 2012) was an American drummer for the rock band The Doobie Brothers. Biography Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Hossack was known as "Big Mike" to his former band members. He started playin ...

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

who also co-wrote the song "Take This Heart of Mine". In 1988 ''Backstreets'', a Springsteen fanzine, reported that Chinnock had actually joined the Doobie Brothers as a replacement for Michael McDonald ! In 1992 Chinnock,

and

also attempted to revive the Downtown Tangiers Band and recorded some sessions but nothing has been released to date.''Backstreets'' #24 Spring 1988 Chinnock's final album ''Livin' In The Promised Land'' was released in 2003 again on East Coast Records. One of Chinnock last recording's was "No Christmas in New Orleans", a re-working of

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

' "No Christmas in Kentucky", recorded in 2005 in aid of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

victims.

Later years

Towards the end of his life Chinnock believed that he suffered from

chronic Lyme disease Chronic Lyme disease (CLD) is the name used by some people with "a broad array of illnesses or symptom complexes for which there is no reproducible or convincing scientific evidence of any relationship to ''Borrelia burgdorferi'' infection" to ...

, a diagnosis not supported by mainstream doctors. On March 7, 2007 it was reported that Chinnock had died. His manager, Paul Pappas, later told WCSH-TV that Chinnock had committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. Chinnock was survived by his wife, Terry, and sons William and John. His mother, who lived with Chinnock, had died ten days before. In April 2010, a remastered version of ''Dime Store Heroes'' CD was released. The CD contained four never before released live tracks from Chinnock's 2003 concert at

The Stone Pony The Stone Pony is a New Jersey music venue in Asbury Park, New Jersey known for launching the careers of many New Jersey music legends, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes.Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

to celebrate the life and music of Bill Chinnock.

Discography

*Bill Chinnock ** ''Bill Chinnock Blues'' (1974) ** ''Road Master'' (1975 - Unreleased) ** ''Alive at the Loft'' (EP) (1976) ** ''Badlands'' (1977 - Reissued 1978) ** ''Dime Store Heroes'' (1980) ** ''Rock & Roll Cowboys'' (1985) ** ''Learning to Survive in the Modern Age'' (1987) ** ''Out on the Borderline'' (1992) ** ''Livin in the Promised Land'' (2003) *Billy & the American Suns ** ''Thunder in the Valley'' (1990) *The Storytellers **"Cry to Me" / "Little Boy Sad" (1968)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinnock, Bill 1947 births 2007 suicides American blues singers American folk singers American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters Emmy Award winners Jersey Shore musicians Musicians from Portland, Maine Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Musicians from East Orange, New Jersey People from Millburn, New Jersey Musicians from Newark, New Jersey Writers from Portland, Maine Suicides in Maine 20th-century American singers 20th-century American guitarists Songwriters from Maine Guitarists from Maine Guitarists from New Jersey 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from New York (state)