Bill Chinnock

Bill Chinnock, a roots rock guitarist, keyboardist, and singer/songwriter, first came to attention through legendary producer John Hammond, Sr., who once called him "the real essence of American music." He ranked among the earliest architects of the Asbury Park, NJ, music scene. His initial groups featured notable players such as Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, Vini Lopez, and David Sancious. After Chinnock relocated to Maine, those same musicians formed the core of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. He released his first album, Blues, in 1975 and followed it the next year with Alive at the Loft. Badlands arrived in 1978, then Dime Store Heroes in 1980. A five-year gap preceded Rock & Roll Cowboys in 1985. He stayed out of view until resurfacing in 1992 with Out on the Borderline, which appeared on his own East Point Records imprint. The record featured keyboardist Chalmer Davis from Little Richard's band and Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack, who co-wrote "Take This Heart of Mine." In 1987 Chinnock earned an Emmy for musical direction and composition on the song "Somewhere in the Night," and he received another Emmy nomination the year after that. During the early '90s he cut a duet with New York-based soul singer Roberta Flack that served as the theme for the soap opera Guiding Light. Chinnock died on March 7, 2007, in Yarmouth, ME, at age 59.