Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, widely known for her hit singles "Fast Car" (1988) and "Give Me One Reason" (1995).

She was signed to Elektra Records by Bob Krasnow in 1987.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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, she 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.

Her 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 her 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. Her most recent studio album, Our Bright Future, was released in 2008. The remastered compilation album Greatest Hits, which she curated,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was released in 2015.

In 2023, Chapman became the first black person to score a country number one with a solo composition, and to win the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year, when Luke Combs covered her song "Fast Car".

Early life and education

Chapman was born in Cleveland and was raised by her mother, who bought her a ukulele at age three.<ref name=biog>Template:Cite web</ref> Her parents divorced when she was four years old.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite magazine</ref> She 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.<ref name=Ado>Template:Cite news</ref> In her native Cleveland, she experienced frequent bullying and racially motivated assaults as a child.<ref name="Fleming">Template:Cite news</ref>

Raised a Baptist, she attended an Episcopal high school<ref name=Ado/> 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.<ref name=biog /><ref name="auto"/><ref name=ambio>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While a student at Tufts, she busked in nearby spots, including Harvard Square and on MBTA Red Line platforms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chapman recorded demos of songs at the Tufts University radio station, WMFO, for copyright purposes while she was a student at Tufts, in exchange for the station's right to play her songs.<ref name="rollingstone">Template:Cite web</ref>

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.<ref name="McLaughlin">Template:Cite news</ref> Another Tufts student, Brian Koppelman, heard her playing and brought her to the attention of his father, Charles Koppelman, showing him a demo tape he had smuggled from her college radio station containing the song "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution". Charles Koppelman, who ran SBK Publishing, signed her in 1986. After she graduated from Tufts in 1987, he helped her to sign a contract with Elektra Records.<ref name=ambio/><ref name="rollingstone"/>

File:Tracy-Chapman 1988 by Zoran Veselinovic.jpg

Chapman in Budapest, Hungary, 1988

At Elektra, she released Tracy Chapman (1988).<ref name="auto" /> The album was critically acclaimed,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and she began touring and building a fanbase.<ref name="auto" /> "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 in London in June 1988. At the concert, she 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This appearance is credited with greatly accelerating sales of the single and album.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Fast Car" became a No. 6 pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 27, 1988.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 167 on their 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "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.<ref name="grammys.com">Template:Cite web</ref> The album sold well, going multi-platinum<ref name="riaa">Template:Cite certification</ref> and winning three Grammy Awards, including an honor for her as Best New Artist.<ref name=grammys.com/> Later in 1988 she was a featured performer on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour.<ref name="auto" />

Her follow-up album, Crossroads (1989), was less commercially successful than her debut had been, but it still achieved platinum status in the U.S.<ref name=riaa/> In 1992, she released Matters of the Heart.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her fourth album, New Beginning (1995), proved successful, selling over five million copies in the U.S. alone.<ref name=riaa/> The album included the hit single "Give Me One Reason", which won the 1997 Grammy for Best Rock Song and became her most successful single in the U.S. to date, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and going Platinum.<ref name=riaa/> Her fifth album, Telling Stories, was released in 2000, and later went gold.<ref name=riaa/> She released her sixth album, Let It Rain, in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

She 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Atlantic Records released her eighth studio album, Our Bright Future (2008).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album the following year.<ref name=grammys.com/>

File:Photograph of Tracy Chapman and Eric Clapton Performing at a White House Special Olympics Dinner - NARA - 6037507.jpg

Chapman and Eric Clapton on stage at a White House Special Olympics dinner, December 1998

She was appointed a member of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary jury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Chapman clapping and smiling

Chapman at a 2007 performance

On November 20, 2015, she released Greatest Hits, consisting of 18 tracks including the live version of "Stand by Me". The album is her first global compilation release.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed

In October 2018, she sued the rapper Nicki Minaj over copyright infringement, alleging that Minaj had sampled her song "Baby Can I Hold You" without permission.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 her complaint, stating that Minaj's experimentation with Chapman's song constituted fair use rather than copyright infringement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On the eve of the 2020 United States presidential election she performed "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" on Late Night with Seth Meyers, encouraging people to vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

When Luke Combs' version of her 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards in November 2023, she became the first Black woman to ever take home a CMA Award, winning Song of the Year for "Fast Car", which also made her the first Black songwriter to win that award.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="cma">Template:Cite news</ref> During the 66th Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, she joined Combs onstage to sing "Fast Car".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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."<ref name=Ado/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That same year she 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, she performed and rode in the AIDS/LifeCycle event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed

She has been involved with Cleveland's elementary schools, producing an educational music video highlighting achievements in African-American history. She sponsored "Crossroads in Black History", an essay contest for high school students in Cleveland and other cities.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

She received an honorary doctorate from Saint Xavier University in Chicago in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004 she was given an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by her alma mater, Tufts University, recognizing her commitment to social activism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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 her "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.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Chapman often performs at charity events such as Make Poverty History, amfAR, and AIDS/LifeCycle. She is a feminist.<ref name="Fleming" />

Personal life

Although Chapman has never publicly discussed her sexual orientation, writer Alice Walker has said she and Chapman were in a romantic relationship during the mid-1990s.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Chapman maintains a strong separation between her personal and professional life.<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="auto"/> "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."<ref name="auto1"/> Chapman lives in San Francisco.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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	Template:Won	<ref name=grammys.com/>
	Tracy Chapman	Album of the Year	Template:Nom
		Best Contemporary Folk Album	Template:Won
	"Fast Car"	Record of the Year	Template:Nom
		Song of the Year	Template:Nom
		Best Female Pop Vocal Performance	Template:Won
1990	Crossroads	Best Contemporary Folk Album	Template:Nom	<ref name=grammys.com/>
1997	New Beginning	Best Pop Album	Template:Nom	<ref name=grammys.com/>
	"Give Me One Reason"	Record of the Year	Template:Nom
		Song of the Year	Template:Nom
		Best Female Rock Vocal Performance	Template:Nom
		Best Rock Song	Template:Won
2010	Our Bright Future	Best Contemporary Folk Album	Template:Nom	<ref name=grammys.com/>

Other awards and nominations

Year	Ceremony	Award	Nominated Work	Result	Ref
1988	Billboard Music Awards	Best Female Video	"Fast Car"	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1989	Soul Train Music Awards	Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Album of the Year, Female	Tracy Chapman	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Danish Music Awards	Best International Album		Template:Won
	BRIT Awards	Best International Breakthrough Act	Herself	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		Best International Solo Female		Template:Won
	Edison Awards	Best Singer/Songwriter		Template:Won
	MTV Video Music Awards	Best Female Video	"Fast Car"	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	American Music Awards	Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist	Herself	Template:Won	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
		Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist		Template:Nom
1993	ECHO Awards	Best International Female		Template:Nom
1996	MTV Video Music Awards	Best Female Video	"Give Me One Reason"	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	APRA Music Awards	Most Performed Foreign Work		Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2001	California Music Awards	Outstanding Female Vocalist	Herself	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2002	IFPI Platinum Europe Music Awards	Album Title	Collection	Template:Won
2006	Meteor Ireland Music Awards	Best International Female	Herself	Template:Nom
2009	SXSWi: Web Awards Honor	Pop Music	Herself	Template:Nom
2023	Country Music Association Awards	Song of the Year	"Fast Car"	Template:Won	<ref name="cma"/>
2024	Academy of Country Music Awards	Song of the Year		Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
	Induction and Awards Gala	Songwriters Hall Of Fame	Herself	Template:Nom	<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

External links

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• Template:Discogs artist
• Template:MusicBrainz artist