  Chikkin got its start when high school friends Eddy Valiquette (guitars), Greg Evans (bass), and drummer David Tomlinson began jamming around in the mid ’70s. By this point Tomlinson had already played on Klaatu’s “Dr Marvello” in ’73. The three Yorkville-area teens ended up taking a shot at the music biz more or less full-time, and did some shows around Toronto, then the rest of the area.They shopped themselves around but no one was buying, so they set up their own label, Egg Records in 1978. Fusing occasional experimental synthesizers into a straight-out rock sound, they released their only lp, WHICH CAME FIRST? later that year. The Valiquette-penned single, “I’m Not A Sin” was released, and along with the funk-driven lead off “Replica,” “Big Dream Sell” with a bit of French lyrics thrown in (presumably to hopefully get some Quebec airplay), and the jazz-twinged instrumental “Spacious.” Some decent marketing, including pressing a limited number on white vinyl with embossed lettering on the jacket, also helped add to the mystique. They carried on on the circuit for another year or so before packing it in, and going their separate ways and on to other projects. |
