Chi-Pig was a new wave

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...

hailing from

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

that formed in 1977.

History

Before Chi-Pig

During the 1960s and 1970s, Susan Schmidt (daughter of Marjorie H. Schmidt of The Co-eds) and Deborah Smith were active in several area bands, notably The Poor Girls, Cinderella's Revenge, and Friction.Riegel, Richard (2004)
Are We Not Zen? We Are Repo!
, ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'', August 31, 2004. Retrieved January 26, 2014Heylin, Clinton (1993) ''From the Velvets to the Voidoids: a Pre-punk History for a Post-punk World'', Penguin Books Ltd., , p. 59, 298 Smith and Schmidt formed The Poor Girls with Pam Johnson and Esta Kerr in 1965, while studying at Litchfield Junior High School, the first significant rock band to come from Akron and the first to consist only of women.Adams, Deanna R. (2002) ''Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection'', Kent State University Press, , pp. 159-162 They played regularly, were profiled by Jane Scott in ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. In fall 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily and 15th on Sunday. As of Ma ...

'', and opened for bands such as

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

and Steppenwolf.Wolff, Carlo (2006) ''Cleveland Rock & Roll Memories'', Grau & Company Publishers, , p. 58 The group continued during their time at

Firestone High School Firestone Community Learning Center (Firestone CLC), previously known as Harvey S. Firestone High School, is a public high school located on the northwest side of Akron, Ohio. It is one of seven high schools in the Akron Public Schools. The high ...

, until splitting up in 1969.Endres, Kathleen L., Herman, Carolyn H., and Fox, Penny L. (2005) ''Images of America: Akron Women'', Arcadia Publishing, , p. 119 Schmidt and Smith played in numerous bands throughout the 1970s, including Cinderella's Revenge and Friction with

Peter Laughner Peter Laughner (August 22, 1952 – June 22, 1977) was an American guitarist, songwriter and singer. A native of Bay Village, Ohio, Laughner was described by Richie Unterberger as "probably the single biggest catalyst in the birth of Clev ...

Chi-Pig

Around 1977, Schmidt and Smith teamed up with Richard Roberts to form Chi-Pig, taking their name from a local barbecue restaurant that sold both chicken and pork (whose sign featured a cartoon drawing of a pig with wings).Lewis, Dave
Chi-Pig Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

. Retrieved January 26, 2014 The band was known for wearing flamboyant

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura an ...

-style Latin-American outfits, even though this had nothing to do with their musical style. The band released a single, "Bountiful Living" b/w "Ring Around the Collar," with lyrics by

Mark Mothersbaugh Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead singer and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 2 ...

, of Devo, in 1978. Schmidt and Smith also co-wrote the song "Gates of Steel" from the 1980 Devo album ''Freedom of Choice'' with Mothersbaugh and

Gerald Casale Gerald Vincent "Jerry" Casale ( ) ( ''né'' Pizzute; born July 28, 1948) is an American musician. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, co-lead vocalist, and bass player of the new wave band Devo, which released a top 20 hit in ...

. Despite active participation in the local music scene and national interest in the Akron area due to the popularity of

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau ...

and Tin Huey, Chi-Pig was unable to land a record deal, ultimately splitting up in 1981. During the fall of 1979, they recorded an album at

Criteria Studios Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...

in Miami with Bruce Hensal. Although the album was not released at the time, in 2004 the band released a CD of the Criteria recordings along with their earlier recordings, including "Apu-Api (Help Me)" that appeared on the

Stiff Records Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stiff ...

album ''The Akron Compilation''. Their CD,
Miami
', was critically acclaimed as "25 years ahead of its time even now" b
Richard Riegel
in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

''. Chi-Pig's music was made up of smart pop rock songs addressing the concerns of women living in a consumerist society with just a touch of humor on the side. Musically, Schmidt and Smith had developed a tight sound over their many years of playing together. Unfortunately, the band fell apart just as other female led groups such as

The Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Beli ...

and

The Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

were breaking out. In 2005, the band appeared in the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

documentary, '' If You're Not Dead, Play'', which detailed the

Akron Sound The Akron Sound refers to the independent music, largely new wave and punk rock, coming out of Akron, Ohio, in the late 1970s. In the late 1970s, following the international success of local band Devo, talent scouts combed the city. Soon, severa ...

that sprung out of the Ohioan punk rock and new wave scene in the second wave during the 1980s. "Bountiful Living" was used in the soundtrack of the

Klaus Nomi Klaus Sperber (January 24, 1944 – August 6, 1983), known professionally as Klaus Nomi, was a German countertenor noted for his wide vocal range and an unusual, otherworldly stage persona. In the 1970s Nomi immersed himself in the East Villag ...

documentary film, ''The Nomi Song'' (2004).

Other work

Chi-Pig members Susan Schmidt and Deborah Smith co-wrote the Devo song " Gates of Steel" with

and

. Smith went on to a career as a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

. Schmidt (now Susan Schmidt-Horning) earned a PhD in History at

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Res ...

and taught at the

Cleveland Institute of Art The Cleveland Institute of Art, previously Cleveland School of Art, is a private college focused on art and design and located in Cleveland, Ohio. History The college was founded in 1882 as the Western Reserve School of Design for Women, at fir ...

and at Case before joining the department of history a
St. John's University
in Queens, New York. Schmidt-Horning has published numerous scholarly articles about music and technology, and her first book
''Chasing Sound''
was published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Members

*Richard Roberts - drums, vocals *Susan Schmidt - guitar, keyboard, vocals *Deborah Smith - bass, vocals

Discography

Albums

*''Miami'' (2004), Chi-Pig

Singles

*"Bountiful Living"/"Ring Around the Collar" (1978), Chi-Pig

Compilation appearances

*"Apu Api" on ''Akron Compilation'' (1978), Stiff

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Akron, Ohio Musical groups disestablished in 1982