Harry Chapin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harry Chapin | ||
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 Harry Chapin
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| Background information | ||
| Born | December 7, 1942 in New York City, New York, USA | |
| Died | July 16, 1981, New York, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Soft Rock, Folk rock | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-Songwriter | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocal, guitar, piano | |
| Years active | 1971-1981 | |
| Website | http://www.harrychapin.com/ | |
Harry Chapin (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer, songwriter, and humanitarian. He originally intended to be a documentary film-maker, and directed Legendary Champions in 1968, which was nominated for a documentary Academy Award. In 1971, he decided to focus on music. With Big John Wallace, Tim Scott and Ron Palmer, Chapin started playing in various local nightclubs in New York City.
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[edit] Education
Chapin graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School along with the class of 1960, and was among four other inductees in the 2000 Alumni Hall Of Fame. He briefly attended the United States Air Force Academy and then was an intermittent student at Cornell University. He did not complete a degree.
[edit] Music career and life
Chapin's debut album was Heads and Tales (1972), which was a success thanks to the single "Taxi." His follow-up album, Sniper and Other Love Songs, was less successful, but his third, Short Stories, was a major success. Verities & Balderdash, released soon after, was even more successful, bolstered by the chart-topping hit single "Cat's in the Cradle" (co-written by his wife). He also wrote and performed a Broadway musical, The Night That Made America Famous.
In the mid 1970s, Chapin focused on his social activism, including raising money to combat hunger in the United States and co-founding the organization World Hunger Year, before returning to music with On the Road to Kingdom Come. He also released a book of poetry, Looking...Seeing, in 1977.
He was married to Sandy Chapin, and was stepfather to her children as well as having children of his own with her. The story of their meeting and romance is told in his song "I Wanna Learn a Love Song."
[edit] Death
Chapin died on July 16, 1981 in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway at the age of 38. He was headed to perform a concert in Eisenhower Park in Nassau County when his car was struck by a truck. An autopsy showed that he had suffered a heart attack, but it could not be determined whether that occurred before or after the collision. Although Chapin was a notoriously poor driver, Supermarkets General, the owner of the truck, paid $12 million to his widow in the ensuing litigation.
Chapin was interred in the Huntington Rural Cemetery, Huntington, New York. His epitaph is taken from his song "I Wonder What Would Happen to this World." It is:
- Oh if a man tried
- To take his time on Earth
- And prove before he died
- What one man's life could be worth
- I wonder what would happen
- to this world
[edit] Legacy
Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 1987 for his campaigning on social issues, particularly his highlighting of hunger around the world and in the United States. His work on hunger included being widely recognized as a key player in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977.
Chapin often remarked that he came from an artistic family. His father Jim Chapin and brothers Tom Chapin and Steve Chapin are also musicians, as are his daughter, Jen Chapin, and two of his nieces (see the Chapin Sisters). His grandfather was an artist who illustrated Robert Frost's first two books of poetry.
A biography of Chapin entitled Taxi: The Harry Chapin Story, by Peter M. Coan, was released following his death. Although Chapin had co-operated with the writer, following his death the family withdrew their support. There is some debate about the accuracy of the details included in the book.
In 1989, the Local United Network to Combat Hunger, one of the world's largest and most successful Harry Chapin tribute groups, was founded by Bill Pere. The group, based in Mystic, Connecticut, has a close relation with the Chapin family and has raised over $500,000 for both local and worldwide hunger relief efforts in Chapin's memory.
"Cat's in the Cradle" was re-recorded by hard rock group Ugly Kid Joe in 1992 and once again topped the charts. A country version was also recorded by Ricky Skaggs in 1995. It would be sampled by Darryl McDaniels of Run DMC and Canadian diva Sarah McLachlan in 2006 on the rapper's recent discovery that he was adopted in infancy.
He was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on Oct 15, 2006.
[edit] Extended family
Chapin has several notable musicians in his extended family included Jim Chapin, Tom Chapin, Steve Chapin, Jen Chapin, and the Chapin Sisters.
[edit] Discography
- Chapin Music (1966, Rock-Land Records)
- Heads and Tales (1972, Elektra)
- Sniper and Other Love Songs (1972, Elektra)
- Short Stories (Harry Chapin) (1973, Elektra)
- Verities & Balderdash (1974, Elektra)
- Portrait Gallery (1975, Elektra)
- Greatest Stories Live (Double Album, 1976, Elektra)
- On the Road to Kingdom Come (1976, Elektra)
- Dance Band on the Titanic (Double Album, 1977, Elektra)
- Living Room Suite (1978, Elektra)
- Legends of the Lost and Found (Double Album, 1979, Elektra)
- Sequel (1980, Boardwalk Records)
- Anthology of Harry Chapin (1985, Elektra)
- Remember When the Music (1987, Dunhill Compact Classics)
- The Gold Medal Collection (1988, Elektra)
- The Last Protest Singer (1988, Dunhill Compact Classics)
- The Bottom Line Encore Collection (1998, Bottom Line / Koch)
- Story of a Life (1999, Elektra)
