Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

CHAPIN, Harry

(b 7 December 1942, NYC; d 16 July 1981, Long Island) US singer-songwriter, guitarist. His father was Jim Chapin, a Swing Era drummer; brother Tom is also singer/songwriter (albums Let Me Back Into Your Life '87 on Flying Fish, I've Got Your Number on Arabesque, also children's albums on Sony and A&M). Harry attended the Air Force Academy, Cornell U; he became a pilot, and with Jim Jacobs made a silent documentary film about boxers Legendary Champions which was nominated for an Oscar '69.

Involved with music all the while, he wrote songs for a Chapin Brothers LP on Epic '70; always willing to try something new, he rented an NYC venue for the summer '71 instead of renting himself out as an entertainer (the band included brother Steve), leading to a deal with Elektra: Heads And Tales '72 included 'Taxi', followed by Sniper And Other Love Stories '72, Short Stories '73 (including. 'W.O.L.D.', about an ageing disc jockey); Verities And Balderdash '74 was a no. 4 LP including no. 1 hit 'Cat's In The Cradle', about a father too busy to give time to his children. Portrait Gallery '75, two-disc Greatest Stories -- Live '76, On The Road To Kingdom Come '76, two-disc Dance Band On The Titanic all charted well in top 100 LPs, but the latter concept set was over-ambitious and perhaps suffered from his furious activity: as well as heavy touring he mounted a Broadway show The Night That Made America Famous '75 (nominated for awards), Hollywood revue Chapin '77; he also worked supporting politicians not according to party but to what they proposed to do about world hunger. Album Living Room Suite '78 was back on form but did not make the top 100 LPs; neither did two-disc Legends Of The Lost And Found -- New Greatest Stories Live '79. Storytelling folk-rockers were old hat by then in chart terms, but his last album Sequel '80 (on Boardwalk) was back up to no. 58, title track a 'Sequel' to 'Taxi'. He was killed in a car crash, still sorely missed for his talent and a spirit of optimism.