Hall of Fame:
1983-present
Bill Chinnock
"Livin' In The Promised Land"
Released in 2003
Bill Chinnock was a bluesy rock artist from New Jersey who had soulful vocals. He became a legend in Maine where he lived for decades until his death from Lyme Disease. He was one of the musicians who honed his craft at the old Upstage Club in Asbury Park.
In the 1960s, Bill had bands with several musicians who would later be part of the E Street Band. One was The Storytellers which included Danny Federici and Vini Lopez. Those two also played with Bill in The Downtown Tangiers Band.
This was Bill Chinnock's first album in over a decade and sadly would be his final release. It's soulful and bluesy and reaches some very high highs. Even though the New Jersey native had long since become a Maine legend by the time this was released, it's a record that should be in every Jersey music fan collection.
My favorites include "When You Love Somebody", "Kings of the Highway", "How Great the Fire", "Still Dreamin of You", and "Blues Fallin Down Like Rain".
Sadly, I could not find any tracks online.
I interviewed Bill after the release of "Livin In The Promised Land" in 2003 for the first issue of Upstage Magazine. That feature is available here.
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