| Tracy Chapman | |
|---|---|
 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". Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Singer-songwriter is a term that refers to Performers who write, compose and sing their own material including Lyrics " Fast Car " is a Grammy -winning song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. " Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution' " is the second single from American contemporary folk artist Tracy Chapman. " Baby Can I Hold You' " is the third single from American contemporary folk artist Tracy Chapman, released in late 1988 " Give Me One Reason " is a song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. For the album by The Charlatans, see Tellin' Stories. Telling Stories is the fifth Album by American She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences [1]
Contents |
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Tracy Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of eleven. Cleveland is a City in the US state of Ohio and the County seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles 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. Wooster School is a private co-educational college-preparatory K-12 School in Danbury Connecticut, in the United States. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. [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. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa ( Latin: 'for the sake of the honour' is an Academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding
Chapman often performs at and attends AIDS charity events such as amfAR and AIDS/LifeCycle. amfAR The Foundation for AIDS Research (formerly The American Foundation for AIDS Research) is an International Non-profit organization for HIV
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. The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, Alice Malsenior Walker (born February 9 1944 is an American Author, self-declared Feminist and Womanist - the latter a term she herself The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. 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]
Career
During college, Chapman began street-performing and playing guitar in coffeehouses in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A coffeehouse ( French / Portuguese: café; Spanish: cafetería; Italian: caffè Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. After graduating from Tufts college, she signed to Elektra Records, releasing Tracy Chapman (1988). Elektra Records is a now-dormant American Record label owned by Warner Music Group (WMG and from 2004 on operating under WMG's Atlantic Records Tracy Chapman is the Self-titled debut Album by Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 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. The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute was a global broadcast event staged on June 11, 1988 at the Wembley Stadium, London "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. In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of Albums and singles sold through retail and The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Later in 1988, Chapman was a featured performer on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Human Rights Now! was a worldwide tour of twenty Benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place over six weeks in 1988 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". VH1 (known as VH-1 Video Hits One from 1985 to 1994 and VH1 Music First until 2003) is an American Cable television REM is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Michael Stipe ( lead vocals) Peter Buck ( Guitar [4]
Her follow-up album Crossroads (1989) was less commercially successful, however still critically acclaimed and it achieved platinum status. Crossroads is the second Album by African American Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989 By 1992's Matters of the Heart, Chapman was playing to a small and devoted audience. This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992 However, Chapman's fourth 1995 album New Beginning proved successful, selling over 3 million copies just in the U. See also 1995 in music (UK Musical groups established in 1995 Record 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 39th Grammy Awards were held on February 26, 1997. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year The following album was 2000's Telling Stories, which featured more of a rock sound than folk. See also 2000 in music (UK Musical groups established in 2000 Record labels For the album by The Charlatans, see Tellin' Stories. Telling Stories is the fifth Album by American Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Its hit single "Telling Stories" received heavy airplay on European radio stations, and on Adult Alternative and Hot AC stations in the United States. For the album by The Charlatans, see Tellin' Stories. Telling Stories is the fifth Album by American Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a Radio format broadcast mostly on FM. Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreviated AC, refers to styles of popular music that ranges from "lush Sixties pop often vocal -based and rooted in Her sixth album was Let It Rain (2002), in support of which she toured in Europe and the US in 2003. Let It Rain is the sixth Album by African American Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 2002 (see 2002 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002
Where You Live, Chapman's seventh studio album, was released in September 2005. Where You Live is Tracy Chapman's seventh studio album and was released September 13, 2005. Events January 1 - In most of Europe copyright expired on a number of classic pop and rock-and-roll songs recorded in 1954 and earlier including 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. Events 70 - Titus and his Roman Legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. TED ( Technology Entertainment Design) is an annual conference that defines its mission as "ideas worth spreading"
For 2008, Chapman, who was at the opening of ACT's "Sweeney Todd," has composed and recorded music for the play "Blood Knot". American Conservatory Theater ( ACT) is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions Sweeney Todd is a semi-fictional character who first appeared as one of the Protagonists of a Penny dreadful serial entitled The String of Pearls [5]
Musical style
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". " Fast Car " is a Grammy -winning song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. Other recurring themes are those of love and relationships, carried by Chapman's deep and rich alto voice.
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
Discography
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 | — |
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] | — | — | — |
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. Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, which is often contrasted with Speech. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a Musical keyboard. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A backing vocalist or backing singer (or especially in the US The UK Albums Chart is a list of Albums ranked by sales in the United Kingdom. The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of Albums and singles sold through retail and This is a list of notable events in Music that took place in the year 1988. Tracy Chapman is the Self-titled debut Album by Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1989 Crossroads is the second Album by African American Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1989 (see 1989 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992 This article is for the Tracy Chapman album For the Gospel music album by Commissioned see Matters of the Heart (album. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. For the album by The Charlatans, see Tellin' Stories. Telling Stories is the fifth Album by American 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Collection ( 2001) is a Greatest hits Album by Tracy Chapman. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Let It Rain is the sixth Album by African American Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 2002 (see 2002 in music Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Where You Live is Tracy Chapman's seventh studio album and was released September 13, 2005. The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry " Fast Car " is a Grammy -winning song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. " Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution' " is the second single from American contemporary folk artist Tracy Chapman. " Baby Can I Hold You' " is the third single from American contemporary folk artist Tracy Chapman, released in late 1988 B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE (born 30 March 1945 is an English Blues-rock Guitarist, singer Songwriter and Composer A Very Special Christmas Live is the fourth in a series of Christmas music -themed Compilation albums produced to benefit the Special WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes. Thank you--> Luciano Pavarotti, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( October 12, George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is a five-time Grammy Award-winning American Blues and rock Guitarist David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born October 17, 1968, Trenchtown, Jamaica) is a four time Grammy -winning Jamaican Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian
Covered songs:
- "House Of The Rising Sun" — Rubáiyát (LP)
- "The Times They Are A Changin" — Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Celebration. Rubáiyát is a Compilation album, released in 1990 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Elektra Records Record label. (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. Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian
- "Get Up Stand Up" — by Bob Marley featured on the Let It Rain tour edition CD2 (LP). Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian
- "Stand By Me" — by Bill Withers on the XM Hear Music Radio Sessions Volume 1 (LP). Bill Withers (born July 4, 1938) is an American Singer-songwriter who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985
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" |
References
- ^ GRAMMY Winners Search
- ^ About Tracy Chapman
- ^ "No Retreat", The Guardian, December 15, 2006. Boyzone are an Irish boy band who had popular mainstream success during the 1990s Jody Watley (born January 30, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American Singer, Songwriter, Record The Grammy for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1960 ( Bobby Darin being the first artist to win it Milli Vanilli were a pop and Dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988 fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Whitney Elizabeth Houston' (born August 9 1963 is an American Singer-songwriter, Actress, Film producer, Arranger and former " I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me " was released in May 1987 and is the first single from Whitney Houston 's second studio album Whitney The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category the first of which was " Fast Car " is a Grammy -winning song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American Blues Singer-songwriter who was born in Burbank, California Steve Goodman ( July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American Folk music Singer-songwriter from Unfinished Business is the second collaboration LP between R Kelly and Jay-Z (following The Best of Both Worlds The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was first awarded in 1987 Tracy Chapman is the Self-titled debut Album by Singer/songwriter Tracy Chapman, released in 1988 (see 1988 in music Indigo Girls are an American Folk rock duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Indigo Girls is the second studio Album by Indigo Girls. It was released in 1989 on Epic Records Glen Ballard (born 1953 in Natchez Mississippi, US) is a veteran Songwriter and Record producer, best known as the producer of Alanis Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1 1974 is a Canadian-born Singer-songwriter, Record producer, and Actress. " You Oughta Know " is a Grammy -winning song written by Alanis Morissette and Glen Ballard, and produced by Ballard for Morissette's third The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song has been awarded since 1992. " Give Me One Reason " is a song by the American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman. Jakob Luke Dylan, born December 9, 1969 in New York City, is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the famous Rock band The Wallflowers " One Headlight " is the second single from The Wallflowers ' 1996 album Bringing Down the Horse. Retrieved on 2007-06-14. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the
- ^ 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
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
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