Tracy Chapman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tracy Chapman | |
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 Tracy Chapman at TED conference 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Tracy Chapman |
| Born | March 30, 1964 |
| Origin | Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Genre(s) | Folk, blues, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, harmonica |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Label(s) | Elektra Records |
| Website | Official Site |
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles, "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" "The Promise" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.[1]
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[edit] Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Tracy Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of eleven. She was accepted into A Better Chance, the national resource for identifying, recruiting and developing leaders among academically gifted students of color, which enabled her to attend Wooster School in Connecticut, and was eventually accepted to Tufts University.[2]
In May 2004, Tufts honored her with an honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, for her contributions as a socially conscious and artistically accomplished musician.
Chapman often performs at and attends AIDS charity events such as amfAR and AIDS/LifeCycle.
Although Chapman has never spoken publicly about her sexuality, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker discussed her love affair with Chapman in an interview with The Guardian on December 15th, 2006. She explained why they did not go public with their relationship at the time (the mid 1990s), and said "[the relationship] was delicious and lovely and wonderful and I totally enjoyed it and I was completely in love with her, but it was not anybody's business but ours."[3]
[edit] Career
During college, Chapman began street-performing and playing guitar in coffeehouses in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After graduating from Tufts college, she signed to Elektra Records, releasing Tracy Chapman (1988). The album was critically acclaimed, and she began touring and building a fanbase. Soon after she performed it at the televised Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert in June 1988, Chapman's "Fast Car" began its rise on the US charts, eventually becoming a Top 10 pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100. "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution," the follow-up, charted at #75, and was followed by "Baby Can I Hold You," which peaked at #48. The album sold well, going multi-platinum and winning three Grammy Awards, including an honor for Chapman as Best New Artist. Later in 1988, Chapman was a featured performer on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. According to the VH1 website, "her album helped usher in the era of political correctness -- along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late '80s".[4]
Her follow-up album Crossroads (1989) was less commercially successful, however still critically acclaimed and it achieved platinum status. By 1992's Matters of the Heart, Chapman was playing to a small and devoted audience. However, Chapman's fourth 1995 album New Beginning proved successful, selling over 3 million copies just in the U.S. This 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 to date, peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following album was 2000's Telling Stories, which featured more of a rock sound than folk. Its hit single "Telling Stories" received heavy airplay on European radio stations, and on Adult Alternative and Hot AC stations in the United States. Her sixth album was Let It Rain (2002), in support of which she toured in Europe and the US in 2003.
Where You Live, Chapman's seventh studio album, was released in September 2005. A brief supporting tour took place in major cities across the US in October and continued throughout Europe over the remainder of the year. The "Where You Live" tour was extended into 2006, the 28 date European tour featured summer concerts in Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, Finland, Norway, U.K, Russia and more. On 5 June 2006, she performed at the 5th Gala of Jazz in Lincoln Center, New York, and in a session at the 2007 TED (short for Technology Entertainment Design) conference in Monterey, California.
For 2008, Chapman, who was at the opening of ACT's "Sweeney Todd," has composed and recorded music for the play "Blood Knot". [5]
[edit] Musical style
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This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Chapman's debut album began a musical style which she has followed diligently throughout her later releases. Many classify this style as Folk, as it tends to focus on social injustices within modern American culture. A prominent example of this is her breakthrough single "Fast Car". Other recurring themes are those of love and relationships, carried by Chapman's deep and rich alto voice.
[edit] Band
As of summer 2006:
- Tracy Chapman - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Joe Gore - guitar, keyboards
- Quinn[6] - drums, percussion
- Kiki Ebsen - bass guitar, backing vocals
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album | UK Albums Chart | Billboard Top 200 | Swiss Album Chart | France Album Chart | RIAA certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Tracy Chapman | 1 | 1 | 1 | 27 | US X6 Platinum |
| 1989 | Crossroads | 1 | 9 | 2 | — | US Platinum |
| 1992 | Matters of the Heart | 19 | 53 | 10 | — | US Gold |
| 1995 | New Beginning | — | 4 | 22 | 44 | US X5 Platinum |
| 2000 | Telling Stories | 85 | 33 | 2 | 9 | US Gold |
| 2000 | Telling Stories (2 CD Tour Edition) | 93 | – | – | – | — |
| 2001 | Collection | 3 | — | 4 | — | — |
| 2002 | Let It Rain | 36 | 25 | 4 | 3 | — |
| 2003 | Let It Rain (2 CD Tour Edition) | 171 | – | – | – | — |
| 2005 | Where You Live | 43 | 49 | 4 | 7 | — |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | UK singles | U.S. singles | Swiss singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Fast Car" | 6 | 5 | — | Tracy Chapman |
| "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" | 85 | 75 | — | ||
| "Baby Can I Hold You" | 94 | 48 | — | ||
| 1989 | "All That You Have Is Your Soul" | — | — | — | Crossroads |
| "Crossroads" | 61 | 90 | 18 | ||
| 1990 | "Subcity" | — | — | — | |
| 1992 | "Bang Bang Bang" | — | — | — | Matters Of The Heart |
| "Dreaming on a World" | — | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "Give Me One Reason" | 127 | 3 | — | New Beginning |
| 1996 | "New Beginning" | — | 106 | — | |
| "The Promise" | — | — | — | ||
| "Smoke and Ashes" | — | 119 | — | ||
| 2000 | "Telling Stories" | — | 108 | 76 | Telling Stories |
| "It's OK" [US Radios Only] | — | — | — | ||
| "Wedding Song" [US Radios Only] | — | — | — | ||
| 2001 | "Baby Can I Hold You" [Re-release] | — | —- | — | Collection |
| 2002 | "You're the One" | 146 | — | — | Let It Rain |
| 2003 | "Another Sun" [UK Promo only] | — | — | — | |
| 2005 | "Change" | 191 | — | — | Where You Live |
| 2006 | "America" [Promo Only] | — | — | — |
[edit] Contributions
Duet songs:
- "The Thrill Is Gone" with BB King from his album Deuces Wild
- "Give Me One Reason" with Eric Clapton from the album A Very Special Christmas Live
- "Baby Can I Hold You" with Pavarotti from the DVD/Album Pavarotti and Friends for Cambodia and Tibet
- "Ain't No Sunshine" with Buddy Guy from his album Bring 'em In
- "Trench Town Rock" with Stephen and Ziggy Marley at the One Love Bob Marley All Star Tribute.
Covered songs:
- "House Of The Rising Sun" — Rubáiyát (LP)
- "The Times They Are A Changin" — Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Celebration. (LP)
- "O' Holy Night" — A Very Special Christmas 3 (LP) & A Very Special Christmas Live. (LP)
- "Three Little Birds" — Live at the One Love Bob Marley All Star Tribute.
- "Get Up Stand Up" — by Bob Marley featured on the Let It Rain tour edition CD2 (LP).
- "Stand By Me" — by Bill Withers on the XM Hear Music Radio Sessions Volume 1 (LP).
Cover versions:
- "Baby Can I Hold You?" — reached number 2 on the UK chart in 1997 performed by Boyzone
- "Talkin' Bout a Revolution" — Reel Big Fish, "Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album", Disc 1, 2006
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jody Watley |
Grammy Award for Best New Artist 1989 |
Succeeded by Milli Vanilli |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Whitney Houston for "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" |
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance 1989 for "Fast Car" |
Succeeded by Bonnie Raitt for "Nick of Time" |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steve Goodman for Unfinished Business |
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album 1989 for Tracy Chapman |
Succeeded by Indigo Girls for Indigo Girls |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette for "You Oughta Know" |
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song 1997 for "Give Me One Reason" |
Succeeded by Jakob Dylan for "One Headlight" |
[edit] References
- ^ GRAMMY Winners Search
- ^ About Tracy Chapman
- ^ "No Retreat", The Guardian, December 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-14.
- ^ http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/chapman_tracy/bio.jhtml Vh1.com Retrieved on 05-21-07
- ^ American Conservatory Theater: Blood Knot - By Athol Fugard with Charles Randolph-Wright and Tracy Chapman
- ^ http://www.orisonmusic.com Orionmusic.com Retrieved on 05-21-07
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Discussion Forum
- Tracy Chapman unofficial website
- Tracy Chapman Online
- Tracy Chapman Artist pages on Atlantic Records site.
- Fan Channel on YouTube
