UMPG UK legendary songwriter Nicky Chinn is featured in Spotify’s new Secret Genius series, which profiles and interviews songwriting talent behind some of the biggest musical success stories.
As half of the super-successful Chinnichap team (along with Mike Chapman), Chinn wrote some of the biggest pop and glam rock hits of the 70’s. The team was behind a string of million selling hits, writing for acts such Sweet (‘Ballroom Blitz’, ‘Teenage Rampage’), Suzi Quatro (‘Can the Can’ ’48 Crash’), Mud (‘Tiger Feet’, 'Lonely This Christmas’) and Smokie (‘Living Next Door To Alice’). In one week 1974, the top three singles in the UK Charts were all Chinnichap songs – representing nearly a quarter of all singles sold in Britain that week.
Listen to Spotify’s Rob Fitzpatrick sit down with Nicky to talk songwriting, hit singles and ask – one hundred million sales later – how did he do it?