BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Michael Donald Chapman
Description: Composer of songs, Australia
Known For: Australian born record producer and songwriter
Music Styles: Rock
Location: Australia
Date Born: 13th April 1947
Location Born: Nambour, Queensland, Australia
CONTACT DETAILS
Web Site: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/07/21/3274675.htm
Other Links: For other links about this entertainer click on the Links button above
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Mike Chapman
An Australian born record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s.
Michael Donald “Mike” Chapman (born 13 April 1947, Nambour, Queensland, Australia) is an Australian record producer and songwriter who was a major force in the British pop music industry in the 1970s. He created a string of hit singles for artists including The Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud and Racey with co-writer and co-producer Nicky Chinn, creating a formularised sound that became identified with the “Chinnichap” brand. He later produced breakthrough albums for Blondie and The Knack.
Chapman was born in Queensland, Australia, and was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School. He emigrated to Britain where he became a member of the Downliners Sect and then in 1968 joined the group Tangerine Peel. They released an album in 1969 and had several near-hit singles between 1967 and 1970. In 1970 he met Nicky Chinn while working as a waiter at a London nightclub, Tramp. The pair struck up a song-writing partnership, and began working with producer Mickie Most on his RAK Records label, which quickly became home to a roster of artists including Suzi Quatro, Smokie, and Mud.
He created a string of hit singles for artists including Sweet, Suzi Quatro, Smokie, Mud and Racey with co-writer and co-producer Nicky Chinn, creating a formularised sound that became identified with the “Chinnichap” brand.
He later produced breakthrough albums for Blondie and The Knack.
Chapman was born in Queensland, Australia, but moved to Britain where he became a member of the group Tangerine Peel.
In 1970 met Nicky Chinn while working as a waiter at a London nightclub, Tramp.
The pair struck up a song-writing partnership, and began working with high-profile producer Mickie Most on his RAK Records label.
Chapman remained in demand through the 1980s and 1990s as a songwriter and producer. His compositions have included Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best”, “Better Be Good to Me” and “In Your Wildest Dreams” and Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” (all co-written with Holly Knight), while he has produced albums for Altered Images, Australian Crawl, Agnetha Fältskog, Divinyls, Rod Stewart, Lita Ford, Pat Benatar, Baby Animals, Material Issue and Bow Wow Wow.
Hit singles
Songs produced, or written and produced, by Chapman/Chinn or Chapman as sole producer which appeared on the UK Singles Chart:
1971:
New World: “Tom Tom Turnaround”, “Kara Kara”
The Sweet: “Funny Funny”, “Co-Co”, “Alexander Graham Bell”
1972:
The Sweet: “Poppa Joe”, “Little Willy”, “Wig-Wam Bam”
New World: “Sister Jane”
1973:
Mud: “Crazy”, “Hypnosis”, “Dyna-Mite”
Suzi Quatro: “Can the Can”, “48 Crash”, “Daytona Demon”
The Sweet: “Block Buster!”, “Hellraiser”, “The Ballroom Blitz”
1974:
Arrows: “Touch Too Much”
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 Sixteens”, “Turn It Down”
1975:
Mud: “The Secrets That You Keep”, “Moonshine Sally” (originally recorded in 1972), “One Night”
Suzi Quatro: “Your Mama Won’t Like Me”
Smokie: “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”, “I’ll Meet You at Midnight”, “Living Next Door to Alice”
1977:
Suzi Quatro: “Tear Me Apart”
Smokie: “Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone”, “It’s Your Life”, “Needles and Pins”
1978:
Suzi Quatro: “The Race is On”, “If You Can’t Give Me Love”, “Stumblin’ In” (with Chris Norman)
Racey: “Lay Your Love on Me”
Smokie: “For A Few Dollars More”, “Oh Carol”
Exile: “Kiss You All Over”
1979:
Suzi Quatro: “She’s in Love with You”
Racey: “Some Girls”
1980:
Suzi Quatro: “Mama’s Boy” (producer only), “I’ve Never Been in Love” (producer only)
1982:
Toni Basil: “Mickey”
1983:
Altered Images: “Don’t Talk To Me About Love” (sole producer only), “Love To Stay” (sole producer only)
Bow Wow Wow: “Do Ya Wanna Hold Me” (sole producer only)
Huey Lewis and the News: “Heart and Soul”
Pat Benatar: Love Is a Battlefield (co-written with Holly Knight)
1984:
Tina Turner: “Better Be Good to Me” (co-written with Holly Knight)
1990:
Tina Turner: “The Best” (co-written with Holly Knight), also reissued in 1993 as B-side to “I Don’t Wanna Fight No More”
1995:
Smokie featuring Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown: “Living Next Door to Alice” (spoof rendition).