Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman | |
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![]() Chapman performing in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | March 30, 1964
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instruments |
|
Years active | 1986–present |
Labels | Elektra |
Website | tracychapman |
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. Chapman is best known for her hit singles "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason".
Chapman was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987.[1] The following year she released her debut album, Tracy Chapman, which became a commercial success, boosted by her appearance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert, and was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album received six Grammy Award nominations, including one for Album of the Year, three of which she won: Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single "Fast Car”, and Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 1989, Chapman released her second album, Crossroads, which earned her an additional Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her third album, Matters of the Heart, followed in 1992.
Chapman's fourth album, New Beginning, was released in 1995 and became another worldwide success. It was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA and yielded the hit single "Give Me One Reason", which earned Chapman the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Five years would pass before the release of her fifth album, Telling Stories (2000). Let It Rain and Where You Live followed in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Chapman's most recent studio album is Our Bright Future, was released in 2008. The remastered compilation album Greatest Hits, which was curated by Chapman herself,[2] was released in 2015.
In 2023, 35 years after the original debuted, Luke Combs' cover of "Fast Car" reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and made Chapman the first female African-American songwriter to have a record atop the Country Airplay charts. [3] The cover also propelled her to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart.
Early life
Chapman was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents divorced when she was four years old.[4] Chapman was raised by her mother, who bought her a ukulele at age three.[5] Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs at age eight. She says that she may have been first inspired to play the guitar by the television show Hee Haw.[6] In her native Cleveland, Chapman experienced frequent bullying and racially motivated assaults as a child.[7]
Raised a Baptist, Chapman attended an Episcopal high school[6] and was accepted into the program A Better Chance, which sponsors students at college preparatory high schools away from their home communities. She graduated from Wooster School in Connecticut then attended Tufts University, majoring in Anthropology.[5][4][8][9] While a student at Tufts, she busked in nearby spots, including Harvard Square and on MBTA Red Line platforms.[10][11]
Career
Chapman made her major-stage debut as an opening act for women's music pioneer Linda Tillery at Boston's Strand Theatre on May 3, 1985.[12] Another Tufts student, Brian Koppelman, heard Chapman playing and brought her to the attention of his father, Charles Koppelman. Koppelman, who ran SBK Publishing, signed Chapman in 1986. After Chapman graduated from Tufts in 1987, he helped her to sign a contract with Elektra Records.[8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Tracy-Chapman_1988_by_Zoran_Veselinovic.jpg/170px-Tracy-Chapman_1988_by_Zoran_Veselinovic.jpg)
At Elektra, she released Tracy Chapman (1988).[4] The album was critically acclaimed,[13] and she began touring and building a fanbase.[4] "Fast Car" began its rise on the U.S. charts soon after she performed it at the televised Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, London, in June 1988. At the concert, Chapman initially performed a short set in the afternoon, but reached a larger audience when she was a last-minute stand in for Stevie Wonder, who had technical difficulties.[14][15] This appearance is credited with greatly accelerating sales of the single and album.[16] "Fast Car" became a No. 6 pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 27, 1988.[17] Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 167 on their 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[18] "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", the follow-up to "Fast Car", charted at No. 75 and was followed by "Baby Can I Hold You", which peaked at No. 48.[19] The album sold well, going multi-platinum[20] and winning three Grammy Awards, including an honor for Chapman as Best New Artist.[19] Later in 1988, Chapman was a featured performer on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/Photograph_of_Tracy_Chapman_and_Eric_Clapton_Performing_at_a_White_House_Special_Olympics_Dinner_-_NARA_-_6037507.jpg/220px-Photograph_of_Tracy_Chapman_and_Eric_Clapton_Performing_at_a_White_House_Special_Olympics_Dinner_-_NARA_-_6037507.jpg)
Chapman's follow-up album, Crossroads (1989), was less commercially successful than her debut had been, but it still achieved platinum status in the U.S.[20] In 1992, Chapman released Matters of the Heart.[21] Her fourth album, New Beginning (1995), proved successful, selling over five million copies in the U.S. alone.[20] The album included the hit single "Give Me One Reason", which won the 1997 Grammy for Best Rock Song and became Chapman's most successful single in the U.S. to date, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100,[22] and going Platinum.[20] Following a four-year hiatus, her fifth album, Telling Stories, was released in 2000, and later went gold.[20] Chapman released her sixth album, Let It Rain, in (2002).[23]
Chapman was commissioned by the American Conservatory Theater to compose music for its production of Athol Fugard's Blood Knot, a play about apartheid in South Africa, staged in early 2008.[24] Atlantic Records released Chapman's eighth studio album, Our Bright Future (2008).[25] The album earned Chapman a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album the following year.[19]
![Chapman clapping and smiling](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Tracy_Chapman_at_TED_conference_2007_by_jurvetson.jpg/220px-Tracy_Chapman_at_TED_conference_2007_by_jurvetson.jpg)
Chapman was appointed a member of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary jury.[26] Chapman performed Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" on one of the final episodes of the Late Show with David Letterman in April 2015. The performance became a viral hit and was the focus of various news articles including some by Billboard and The Huffington Post.[27]
On November 20, 2015, Chapman released Greatest Hits, consisting of 18 tracks including the live version of "Stand by Me", the album is Chapman's first global compilation release.[28][better source needed]
In October 2018, Chapman sued the rapper Nicki Minaj over copyright infringement, alleging that Minaj had sampled her song "Baby Can I Hold You" without permission.[29] Chapman stated that she had "repeatedly denied" permission for "Baby Can I Hold You" to be sampled. The lawsuit alleged that Minaj had engaged in copyright infringement (a) by creating the song "Sorry" and (b) by distributing it; she requested an injunction to prevent Minaj from releasing the song. According to the lawsuit, Chapman has a policy of declining all requests for permission to sample her songs. In September 2020, District Court Judge Virginia A. Phillips granted summary judgment in favor of Minaj on the first count of Chapman's complaint, stating that Minaj's experimentation with Chapman's song constituted fair use rather than copyright infringement.[30] However, the judge ruled that the second count of the complaint should go to trial. In January 2021, the dispute was settled when Minaj paid Chapman $450,000.[31]
On the eve of the 2020 United States presidential election, Chapman performed "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" on Late Night with Seth Meyers, encouraging people to vote.[32]
When Luke Combs’ version of Chapman’s song “Fast Car” hit number one on the Country Airplay chart in July 2023, Chapman became the first black woman to score a country number one with a solo composition.[33][34]
Social activism
Chapman is politically and socially active. In a 2009 interview with National Public Radio, she said, "I'm approached by lots of organizations and lots of people who want me to support their various charitable efforts in some way. And I look at those requests and I basically try to do what I can. And I have certain interests of my own, generally an interest in human rights."[6] In 1988, she performed in London as part of a worldwide concert tour to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with Amnesty International.[35] That same year, Chapman performed at a tribute concert in honor of South African activist and leader Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday, an event which raised money for South Africa's Anti-Apartheid Movement and several children's charities.[36] She also performed at the event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Amnesty International held in Paris on December 10, 1998, known as "The Struggle Continues...". She was one of the guest artists at Pavarotti & Friends for Cambodia and Tibet on June 6, 2000, at which she performed a critically acclaimed duet with Luciano Pavarotti of "Baby Can I Hold You Tonight".[37] In 2004, Chapman performed and rode in the AIDS/LifeCycle event.[38][better source needed]
Chapman has been involved with Cleveland's elementary schools, producing an educational music video highlighting achievements in African-American history. Chapman sponsored "Crossroads in Black History", an essay contest for high school students in Cleveland and other cities.[39]
Chapman received an honorary doctorate from Saint Xavier University in Chicago in 1997.[40] In 2004, Chapman was given an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by her alma mater, Tufts University, recognizing her commitment to social activism.[41]
I'm fortunate that I've been able to do my work and be involved in certain organizations, certain endeavors, and offered some assistance in some way. Whether that is about raising money or helping to raise awareness, just being another body to show some force and conviction for a particular idea. Finding out where the need is – and if someone thinks you're going to be helpful, then helping.
— Tracy Chapman[42]
On April 16, 2023, The South African Presidency announced that Chapman along with others would be bestowed with a National Order – The Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo which "recognizes eminent foreign nationals for friendship shown to South Africa. It is therefore an Order of peace, cooperation and active expression of solidarity and support." The Order was bestowed in Silver on Chapman "for her contribution to the fight for freedom by participating in efforts to free Nelson Mandela and raising awareness of human rights violations globally." An investiture ceremony for the bestowment was held on April 28, 2023.[43]
Chapman often performs at charity events such as Make Poverty History, amfAR, and AIDS/LifeCycle. She is a feminist.[7]
Personal life
Although Chapman has never publicly discussed her sexual orientation, writer Alice Walker has stated that she and Chapman were in a romantic relationship during the mid-1990s.[44] Chapman maintains a strong separation between her personal and professional life.[45][4] "I have a public life that's my work life and I have my personal life", she said. "In some ways, the decision to keep the two things separate relates to the work I do."[45]
Discography
- Studio albums
- Tracy Chapman (1988)
- Crossroads (1989)
- Matters of the Heart (1992)
- New Beginning (1995)
- Telling Stories (2000)
- Let It Rain (2002)
- Where You Live (2005)
- Our Bright Future (2008)
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Work | Award | Result | Ref | |
1989 | Herself | Best New Artist | Won | [19] | |
Tracy Chapman | Album of the Year | Nominated | |||
Best Contemporary Folk Album | Won | ||||
"Fast Car" | Record of the Year | Nominated | |||
Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance | Won | ||||
1990 | Crossroads | Best Contemporary Folk Album | Nominated | [19] | |
1997 | New Beginning | Best Pop Album | Nominated | [19] | |
"Give Me One Reason" | Record of the Year | Nominated | |||
Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
Best Female Rock Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||||
Best Rock Song | Won | ||||
2010 | Our Bright Future | Best Contemporary Folk Album | Nominated | [19] |
Other awards and nominations
Year | Ceremony | Award | Nominated Work | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1988 | Billboard Music Awards | Best Female Video | "Fast Car" | Won | [46] |
1989 | Soul Train Music Awards | Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Female | Tracy Chapman | Nominated | [47] |
Danish Music Awards | Best International Album | Won | |||
BRIT Awards | Best International Breakthrough Act | Herself | Won | [48] | |
Best International Solo Female | Won | ||||
Edison Awards | Best Singer/Songwriter | Won | |||
MTV Video Music Awards | Best Female Video | "Fast Car" | Nominated | [49] | |
American Music Awards | Favorite Pop Rock New Artist | Herself | Won | [50] | |
Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist | Nominated | ||||
1993 | ECHO Awards | Best International Female | Nominated | ||
1996 | MTV Video Music Awards | Best Female Video | "Give Me One Reason" | Nominated | [51] |
APRA Music Awards | Most Performed Foreign Work | Nominated | [52] | ||
2001 | California Music Awards | Outstanding Female Vocalist | Herself | Nominated | [53] |
2002 | IFPI Platinum Europe Music Awards | Album Title | Collection | Won | |
2006 | Meteor Ireland Music Awards | Best International Female | Herself | Nominated | |
2009 | SXSWi: Web Awards Honor | Pop Music | Herself | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Bob Krasnow, Veteran Record Executive, Has Died". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Greatest Hits – Tracy Chapman". AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
- ^ France, Lisa Respers (July 7, 2023). "'Fast Car' remake helps Tracy Chapman make country music history". CNN. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Pond, Steve (September 22, 1988). "Tracy Chapman: On Her Own Terms". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ a b Williamson, Nigel (March 11, 2008). "Tracy Chapman's Biography". About-Tracy-Chapman.net. Archived from the original on August 19, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ a b c Martin, Michael (August 20, 2009). "Without Further Ado, Songster Tracy Chapman Returns". NPR. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ a b Fleming, Amy (October 31, 2008). "Amy Fleming on Tracy Chapman, the quiet revolutionary". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2020 – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tracy Chapman". All Music Guide. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2009 – via Pandora.com.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman: Our 1988 Interview". Spin. August 18, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman: On snakes, faith and busking for food". The Independent. February 23, 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (November 26, 2003). "To Chapman, underground music is pure performance". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ McLaughlin, Jeff (May 1, 1985). "Linda Tillery's 'healing music'". Boston Globe. Boston, MA. p. 78.
- ^ Murphy, Peter. "On this day in 1988: Tracy Chapman starts a three-week run at No. 1 with her eponymous debut album". Hotpress. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Clayton, Richard (September 26, 2016). "The Life of a Song: 'Fast Car'". Financial Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Springer, Jacqueline (June 12, 2018). "BBC Radio 4 – Front Row, Tracy Chapman: remembering her remarkable debut 30 years on". BBC. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ Clayton-Lea, Tony. "Tracy Chapman: 'Being in the public eye is uncomfortable for me'". The Irish Times. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. August 27, 1988. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Tracy Chapman, 'Fast Car'". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Tracy Chapman". The Recording Academy. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "American certifications – Tracy Chapman". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ^ Browne, David (May 1, 1992). "Matters of the Heart". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. June 15, 1996. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "CD: Tracy Chapman, Let It Rain". The Guardian. October 18, 2002.
- ^ Jessica Werner Zack (2008). "A Guiding Hopefulness: An Interview with Tracy Chapman on Blood Knot" (PDF). American Conservatory Theater. pp. 28–30. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 22, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Happy Birthday To Danbury's Tracy Chapman". Danbury Daily Voice. March 30, 2014.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman, Dana Stevens, Bryan Singer, Max Mayer and More Among 2014 Sundance Film Festival Jurors". Broadway World. January 9, 2014. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ Pitney, Nico (June 12, 2015). "Tracy Chapman Singing 'Stand By Me' Will Break Your Heart". HuffPost. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman Greatest Hits releases on November 20, 2015". About Tracy Chapman. October 16, 2015. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman sues Nicki Minaj over unauthorised sample". The Guardian. October 23, 2018. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ Maddaus, Gene (September 16, 2020). "Judge Rules in Favor of Nicki Minaj in Tracy Chapman Copyright Dispute". Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ Brodsky, Rachel (January 9, 2021). "Nicki Minaj to pay Tracy Chapman $450k in 'Sorry' copyright infringement lawsuit". The Independent. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman makes rare TV appearance as she urges Americans to vote". The Independent. November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ Newman, Melinda (July 3, 2023). "Tracy Chapman Now First Black Woman to Hit No. 1 on Country Airplay as Sole Writer — Who Is the Only Black Male Writer to Have Achieved the Same?".
- ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (June 30, 2023). "Tracy Chapman Will Become the First Black Woman to Score a Number One Country Song as Sole Writer". RollingStone.com.
- ^ Paul Paz y Miño (January 24, 2014). "An Activist Remembers the Concert That Moved a Generation". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Live Aid's Legacy of Charity Concerts". BBC News. June 30, 2005. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ McGregor, Claire (July 11, 2022). "Tracy Chapman and Luciano Pavarotti's Gorgeous Duet of Baby Can I Hold You". The Music Man. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
- ^ "AIDS LifeCycle 2004". Online Posting. YouTube. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "School Uses Video To Teach Black History". Curriculum Review. 29 (8): 11. 1990.
- ^ "Previous honorary degree recipients". Saint Xavier University. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Commencement Speaker Announced". E-News. Tufts University. May 23, 2004. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ Younge, Gary (September 28, 2002). "A Militant Mellow". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ "Announcement of the 2023 National Order Awards nominated names by Director-General of The Presidency, Phindile Baleni". Presidency of South Africa. April 16, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Wajid, Sara (December 15, 2006). "No retreat". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ^ a b "2002 – Tracy Chapman still introspective?" Archived August 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, About Tracy Chapman, October 15, 2002.
- ^ "Billboard Music Awards – 1988 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Soul Train Awards – 1989 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Brit Awards – 1989 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards – 1989 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "American Music Awards – 1989 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards – 1996 Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
- ^ "Nominations – 1996". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) | Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS). Archived from the original on September 18, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
- ^ "Tracy Chapman @ California Music Awards 2001". About Tracy Chapman. April 26, 2001. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
External links
- Official website
- Tracy Chapman at AllMusic
- Tracy Chapman discography at Discogs
- Tracy Chapman at Curlie
- Atlantic Records page
- Tracy Chapman
- 1964 births
- 20th-century African-American women singers
- 21st-century African-American women singers
- 20th-century American women guitarists
- 20th-century American guitarists
- 21st-century American women guitarists
- 21st-century American guitarists
- 20th-century American women singers
- 21st-century American women singers
- African-American women singer-songwriters
- African-American feminists
- American feminists
- African-American guitarists
- American street performers
- American acoustic guitarists
- American contraltos
- American folk guitarists
- American folk rock musicians
- American folk singers
- Atlantic Records artists
- Blues rock musicians
- Brit Award winners
- Elektra Records artists
- Fast Folk artists
- Feminist musicians
- Grammy Award winners
- Guitarists from Ohio
- Living people
- Musicians from Cleveland
- Singer-songwriters from Ohio
- Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences alumni
- 20th-century American singers
- 21st-century American singers
- Recipients of the Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo