Editing Tracy Chapman (section)

==Career==
Chapman made her major-stage debut as an opening act for [[women's music]] pioneer [[Linda Tillery]] at Boston's [[Strand Theatre (Boston)|Strand Theatre]] on May 3, 1985.<ref name="McLaughlin">{{cite news |last=McLaughlin |first=Jeff |date=May 1, 1985 |title=Linda Tillery's 'healing music' |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |location=Boston, MA |page=78}}</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 Records|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|thumb|upright|Chapman in Budapest, Hungary, 1988]]
At Elektra, she released ''[[Tracy Chapman (album)|Tracy Chapman]]'' (1988).<ref name="auto" /> The album was critically acclaimed,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/day-1988-tracy-chapman-starts-three-week-run-no-1-eponymous-debut-album-22778696 |title=On this day in 1988: Tracy Chapman starts a three-week run at No. 1 with her eponymous debut album |first=Peter |last=Murphy |website=Hotpress |access-date=April 7, 2020}}</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 (1923)|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>{{Cite news |last=Clayton |first=Richard |date=2016-09-26 |title=The Life of a Song: 'Fast Car' |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |url=https://www.ft.com/content/d6ce495a-81bb-11e6-8e50-8ec15fb462f4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/d6ce495a-81bb-11e6-8e50-8ec15fb462f4 |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-03-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Springer |first=Jacqueline |date=June 12, 2018 |title=BBC Radio 4 – Front Row, Tracy Chapman: remembering her remarkable debut 30 years on |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p069w23s |access-date=2022-03-21 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref> This appearance is credited with greatly accelerating sales of the single and album.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clayton-Lea |first=Tony |title=Tracy Chapman: 'Being in the public eye is uncomfortable for me' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/tracy-chapman-being-in-the-public-eye-is-uncomfortable-for-me-1.2433200 |access-date=2022-03-21 |newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] |language=en}}</ref> "Fast Car" became a No. 6 pop hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] for the week ending August 27, 1988.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Hot 100 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1988-08-27 |date=August 27, 1988 |access-date=November 3, 2020 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked the song at number 167 on their 2010 list of "[[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/tracy-chapman-fast-car-64246/ |title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time: Tracy Chapman, 'Fast Car' |access-date=July 21, 2019 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=April 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721195529/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/tracy-chapman-fast-car-64246/ |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</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">{{cite web |title=Tracy Chapman |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/tracy-chapman/878 |access-date=July 1, 2023 |publisher=[[The Recording Academy]]}}</ref> The album sold well, going [[RIAA certification|multi-platinum]]<ref name="riaa">{{cite certification |region=United States |certyear=2021 |artist=Tracy Chapman}}</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 (Tracy Chapman 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 (Tracy Chapman album)|Matters of the Heart]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/1992/05/01/matters-heart-2/ |title=Matters of the Heart |first=David |last=Browne |date=May 1, 1992 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> Her fourth album, ''[[New Beginning (Tracy Chapman 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 [[39th Annual Grammy Awards|1997 Grammy]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Song|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>{{Cite magazine |title=The Hot 100 Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1996-06-15/ |date=June 15, 1996 |access-date=January 1, 2022 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> and going Platinum.<ref name=riaa/> Her fifth album, ''[[Telling Stories (album)|Telling Stories]]'', was released in 2000, and later went gold.<ref name=riaa/> She released her sixth album, ''[[Let It Rain (Tracy Chapman album)|Let It Rain]]'', in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2002/oct/18/popandrock.artsfeatures5 |title=CD: Tracy Chapman, Let It Rain |date=October 18, 2002 |website=The Guardian}}</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>{{cite news |last=Zack |first=Jessica Werner |title=A Guiding Hopefulness: An Interview with Tracy Chapman on ''Blood Knot'' |publisher=American Conservatory Theater |url=https://www.act-sf.org/content/dam/act/education_department/words_on_plays/Blood%20Knot%20Words%20on%20Plays%20(2008).pdf |year=2008 |pages=28–30 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181222230127/http://www.act-sf.org/content/dam/act/education_department/words_on_plays/Blood%20Knot%20Words%20on%20Plays%20(2008).pdf |archive-date=December 22, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Atlantic Records released her eighth studio album, ''[[Our Bright Future]]'' (2008).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dailyvoice.com/connecticut/danbury/neighbors/happy-birthday-to-danburys-tracy-chapman/441215/ |title=Happy Birthday To Danbury's Tracy Chapman |date=March 30, 2014 |website=Danbury Daily Voice}}</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|thumb|left|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>{{cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Tracy-Chapman-Dana-Stevens-Bryan-Singer-Max-Mayer-and-More-Among-2014-Sundance-Film-Festival-Jurors-20140109 |title=Tracy Chapman, Dana Stevens, Bryan Singer, Max Mayer and More Among 2014 Sundance Film Festival Jurors |work=[[BroadwayWorld]] |date=January 9, 2014 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721195529/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/Tracy-Chapman-Dana-Stevens-Bryan-Singer-Max-Mayer-and-More-Among-2014-Sundance-Film-Festival-Jurors-20140109 |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> She performed [[Ben E. King]]'s "[[Stand by Me (Ben E. King song)|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>{{cite news |last=Pitney |first=Nico |author-link=Nico Pitney |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tracy-chapman-stand-by-me_n_7192080 |title=Tracy Chapman Singing 'Stand By Me' Will Break Your Heart |newspaper=[[HuffPost]] |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=July 21, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Tracy Chapman at TED conference 2007 by jurvetson.jpg|alt=Chapman clapping and smiling|thumb|Chapman at a 2007 performance]]
On November 20, 2015, she released ''[[Greatest Hits (Tracy Chapman album)|Greatest Hits]]'', consisting of 18 tracks including the live version of "Stand by Me". The album is her first global compilation release.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.about-tracy-chapman.net/tracy-chapman-greatest-hits-2015/ |title=Tracy Chapman Greatest Hits releases on November 20, 2015 |publisher=About Tracy Chapman |date=October 16, 2015 |access-date=July 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721201055/http://www.about-tracy-chapman.net/tracy-chapman-greatest-hits-2015/ |archive-date=July 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2020}}

In October 2018, she sued the rapper [[Nicki Minaj]] over copyright infringement, alleging that Minaj had [[Sampling (music)|sampled]] her song "Baby Can I Hold You" without permission.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tracy Chapman sues Nicki Minaj over unauthorised sample |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/23/tracy-chapman-nicki-minaj-lawsuit |access-date=July 21, 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=October 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719070236/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/23/tracy-chapman-nicki-minaj-lawsuit |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |url-status=live}}</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>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/nicki-minaj-copyright-lawsuit-tracy-chapman-1234772693/ |title=Judge Rules in Favor of Nicki Minaj in Tracy Chapman Copyright Dispute |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=September 16, 2020 |first=Gene |last=Maddaus |access-date=September 18, 2020}}</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>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/nicki-minaj-tracy-chapman-copyright-lawsuit-sorry-b1784702.html |title=Nicki Minaj to pay Tracy Chapman $450k in 'Sorry' copyright infringement lawsuit |last=Brodsky |first=Rachel |work=[[The Independent]] |date=January 9, 2021 |access-date=January 9, 2021}}</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>{{cite web |date=2020-11-03 |title=Tracy Chapman makes rare TV appearance as she urges Americans to vote |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/tracy-chapman-seth-meyers-performance-vote-us-election-b1554908.html |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</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>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/country/tracy-chapman-first-black-woman-sole-writer-no-1-on-country-airplay-1235366302/ |title=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? |first=Melinda |last=Newman |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=July 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Bernstein |first=Jonathan |date=June 30, 2023 |title=Tracy Chapman Will Become the First Black Woman to Score a Number One Country Song as Sole Writer |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/tracy-chapman-fast-car-luke-combs-number-one-song-1234781760/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> At the [[57th Annual Country Music Association Awards]] in November 2023, she became the first Black woman to ever take home a [[Country Music Association Awards|CMA Award]], winning [[Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] for "Fast Car", which also made her the first Black songwriter to win that award.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Yahr |first=Emily |date=2023-11-09 |title=CMA Awards 2023: Complete list of winners, best and worst moments |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2023/11/09/cma-awards-2023-best-worst-moments/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name="cma">{{Cite news |last=Ives |first=Mike |date=2023-11-09 |title=35 Years After Its Debut, Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' Wins a Song of the Year Award |language=en-US |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/09/arts/music/tracy-chapman-cma-awards-fast-car.html |access-date=2023-11-09 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During the [[66th Grammy Awards]] on February 4, 2024, she joined Combs onstage to sing "Fast Car".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/tracy-chapman-luke-combs-fast-car-2024-grammys-performance-1234957795/|title=Tracy Chapman Performs 'Fast Car' Live for First Time in Nine Years at 2024 Grammys With Luke Combs|last=Hudak|first=Joseph|date=2024-02-04|access-date=2024-02-04|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Flam |first=Charna |last2=Wenger |first2=Stephanie |date=4 February 2024 |title=Tracy Chapman Delivers Rare 'Fast Car' Performance with Luke Combs at 2024 Grammys |url=https://people.com/2024-grammys-luke-combs-and-tracy-chapman-perform-duet-of-fast-car-at-2024-grammy-awards-8558351 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205033248/https://people.com/2024-grammys-luke-combs-and-tracy-chapman-perform-duet-of-fast-car-at-2024-grammy-awards-8558351 |archive-date=5 February 2024 |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]]}}</ref>