Since the early days of Pop Music, there have been songwriters that have made a mark on the history of music. People like Hal David and Burt Bacharach, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Neil Diamond, Carole King, Benny and Bjorn of ABBA, Carole Bayer Sager and Diane Warren come to mind. A duo that always seemed to buzz on the outer perimeter of MY musical spectrum was the talented pair of Mike Chapman and Holly Knight. I have actually known the work of the two for 25+ years, but didn't really know about the history of Mike Chapman... until recently. Let me explain...
I first knowingly discovered the work of Holly Knight and Mike Chapman, back in 1989. This was the year that I first heard the album "22B3", by DEVICE. Device was a band that featured Holly Knight, along with three male musicians. The bulk of the album was co-written by Holly Knight and Mike Chapman. In researching the work of Holly Knight, I discovered that the pair had written several pivotal songs, back in the 1980's. Included in these songs were, "LOVE IS A BATTLEFIELD" and "INVINCIBLE", by Pat Benatar, several songs by Heart and even the hits "BETTER BE GOOD TO ME" and "THE BEST", by Tina Turner. They are also credited for writing several lesser known hits for artists as diverse as The Divinyls, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oates, Animotion, Agnetha Faltskog, among others. Truth be told, Holly Knight is probably best known for the songs that she wrote and NOT the band that she fronted.
Mike Chapman's career is even more fascinating. Not only did he co-write this string of hits with Holly Knight, but he is also responsible for some well known songs of the 70's. Along with co-writer, Nicky Chinn, the team penned such classics as "BALLROOM BLITZ", by Sweet, Exile's "KISS YOU ALL OVER" and Nick Gilder's "HOT CHILD IN THE CITY". He was even responsible for writing the early 80's smash hit, "MICKEY", by Toni Basil.
In addition to his songwriting credits, which are extensive, he was also a sought after producer, having worked with such acts as Blondie and The Knack.
The following are links to more extensive biographies of Mike Chapman and Holly Knight. You will be amazed at the extent of impact these two collectively, and individually, made in the world of Pop music, over the past 40 years.
Mike Chapman: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Chapman
Holly Knight: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Knight
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