By Jesse Neo, PhDJun 24th, 2024
Harry Forster Chapin (December 7, 1942 - July 16, 1981) was an American musician known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He became famous globally in the 1970s. Chapin, who won a Grammy Award and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, has sold more than 16 million records around the world.
Chapin made 11 albums from 1972 to 1981. All 14 singles he put out were popular on national music charts. His famous songs are "Taxi" and "Cat's in the Cradle."
Chapin was a strong advocate for stopping world hunger. He played an important role in setting up the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. In 1987, Chapin was given the Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to help people in need.
Early life and career
Harry Forster Chapin was born on December 7, 1942 in New York City. He was the second of four children. His father, Jim Chapin, was a percussionist, and his mother, Jeanne Elspeth, was the daughter of literary critic Kenneth Burke. Both of Harry's brothers, Tom and Steve, would also go on to become musicians.
The first Chapin to arrive in America was Samuel Chapin. He became the initial deacon in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1636. His other grandparents on his mother's side came to America in the late 1800s. Samuel Chapin's parents got divorced in 1950. His mother kept custody of their four sons since his father, Jim, was often away touring as a drummer for Big Band groups like Woody Herman. A few years later, Chapin's mother married Henry Hart, the editor of Films in Review magazine.
Chapin's first music lessons were on the trumpet with Mr. Karesick at The Greenwich House Music School. His younger brothers Tom and Steve sang in the choir at Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn Heights. Through them, Chapin got to know "Big" John Wallace, a talented baritone singer, who eventually became his bassist, backing vocalist, and comedy partner during performances.
Chapin started playing music with his brothers when he was a teenager. Sometimes, their dad would play the drums with them. He finished high school in 1960 at Brooklyn Technical High School. In 2000, he was honored as one of the five people in the school's Alumni Hall of Fame. Chapin went to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs for a short time and later studied at Cornell University, but he didn't finish his degree.
Chapin first wanted to make documentary films and worked at The Big Fights, a company managed by Bill Cayton that had many classic boxing films. He made Legendary Champions in 1968, which got nominated for an Academy Award. In 1971, he switched his focus to music and began performing with John Wallace, Tim Scott, and Ron Palmer at different New York City nightclubs.
In 1972, big music companies Columbia and Elektra were fighting over Chapin. Elektra won and gave Chapin a very large contract to make recordings. This deal was one of the biggest at that time, giving Chapin benefits like free recording time.
In the same year, Chapin came out with his first album called Heads & Tales. It did really well worldwide, with over one million copies sold. The album became a hit largely because of the song "Taxi," which made it to the top 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Canada, "Taxi" even reached the top 5. The song's success in the United States is thanks to American radio host Jim Connors. He supported the song on air, even though it was long, helping it stay on the charts for 16 weeks.
It was the top requested song for 10 weeks straight. The song was played on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and it got so many calls that Chapin came back the next night. This was the first time a performer was called back the next night in the show's history. It was also one of the first performances on The Midnight Special, hosted by John Denver.
When someone asked if the song was true, Chapin said "It's emotionally true, if not literally true. I've been in the film business on and off for a lot of years and wasn't doing well at one point. So, I went out and got a hack license for bread, and during the month that I was waiting for it to come through, I heard an old girlfriend of mine had gotten married and instead of becoming an actress, she married a rich guy. I envisioned some night I'd be driving a cab in the big city streets and this lady would get in the back, and I'd turn and look at her and she'd look at me and know we both sold out our dreams."?Billboard ranked "Taxi" as the 85th song of the year. "Taxi" also earned Chapin a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist of the Year.
The next album, Sniper and Other Love Songs, came out in 1972. The title track, "Sniper," tells a story based on the University of Texas tower shooting. The song "Sunday Morning Sunshine" from the album made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became a top-40 hit on Billboard Adult Contemporary.
The new album didn't do as well as the previous one, selling 350,000 copies. It featured the popular song "Circle" by Chapin. In 2004, a double album called Sniper and Other Love Songs and Heads & Tales came out. This album included songs that had not been released before from both albums.
Peak of music career
In 1973, Chapin put out his third album, Short Stories. The album was a big success, selling over 1 million copies. It also featured the popular song "W.O.L.D.," which is about an older DJ who prioritized his job over everything else in his life, including his family. The song is told from the perspective of the DJ, singing to his former wife. Chapin got the idea for the song from radio host Jim Connors, who he heard contacting his ex-wife while on-air at WMEX.
The song did well on the charts in the U.S. and Canada, and also in other countries. Some other good songs on the album are "Mr. Tanner," "Mail Order Annie," and "They Call Her Easy." The song "Mr. Tanner" was inspired by concert reviews of singer Martin Tubridy in the New York Times in 1971 and 1972.
In 1974, Chapin released his most successful album,Verities and Balderdash, which sold 2.5 million units because of the number 1 hit "Cat's in the Cradle." The song is about a father who does not find time for his son during the boy's childhood; ultimately the son grows up to be just like his father, not making any time for his dad. The song earned Chapin another Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and Chapin was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame.
Verities and Balderdashreached the fourth spot on theBillboard 200 chart. The next single, "I Wanna Learn a Love Song," landed at number 7 on theBillboard Adult Contemporary chart. This song tells the real story of how Chapin met his wife,Sandra Chapin. Also on the album was "30,000 Pounds of Bananas," which became a top-requested song for a few weeks, even though it wasn't released as a single.
It's a made-up story about a truck crash that happened in Scranton, Pennsylvania, while carrying bananas. It's kind of inspired by a real accident that took place on March 18, 1965, involving a truck driver named Gene Sesky. Some other popular songs from the album are "Shooting Star," "Halfway to Heaven," and "Six String Orchestra."
In 1975, Chapin came out with his fifth album, called Portrait Gallery. It included the hit song "Dreams Go By," which made it to the top 40 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Though not as popular as his previous album, this one still sold 350,000 copies. Chapin also created a Broadway show titled The Night That Made America Famous, which received two nominations for Tony Awards and two for Drama Desk Awards.
Later years of career
Back in 1976, Chapin was known as one of the top singers of the time. He put out his first live album,calledGreatest Stories Live.That album sold 2.1 million copies. However,Elektra Recordswent through some changes in management and didn't promote his later albums much. Still, each of those albums sold at least 250,000 copies and did well on the charts.
By the end of the 1970s, Chapin focused more on going on tours than making hit singles, but he still put out one album every year. He made around $2 million annually (equivalent to about $11.75 million in 2017) until he passed away in 1981, which ranked him as one of the top-earning artists globally.
Chapin's albumDance Band on the Titanicdidn't sell well, but it was chosen as Album of the Year byThe Timesof London.In 1980, his contract with Elektra ended. Chapin then signed a short contract withBoardwalk Recordsand put out his ninth album,Sequel, which was said to be his most popular album yet.
Three songs were released, and all of them were successful. The first song, "Sequel," was a popular hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is a continuation of the song "Taxi." The second song, "Remember When the Music," was a hit on the Adult Contemporary Chart. The final song, "Story of a Life," was successful on the Bubbling Under chart. The album sold 500,000 copies.
Charity and philanthropic work
Chapin decided he wanted to make a mark on Long Island. He imagined a Long Island where the arts thrived, universities grew, and people talked kindly to each other. "He believed Long Island was a great chance", Sandy, Chapin's wife, mentioned.
In the mid-1970s, Chapin devoted much time and effort to social activism, including raising money to combat hunger in the United States. His daughter Jen said: "He saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America.
He helped create World Hunger Year with radio host Bill Ayres and later returned to music with On the Road to Kingdom Come. In 1975, he published a book of poetry called Looking ... Seeing. Over half of his concerts were for good causes, like saving the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York, and supporting food banks to fight hunger. Proceeds from concert merchandise went to support World Hunger Year. He even assisted filmmaker Michael Moore by funding his newspaper startup, The Flint Voice, through benefit concerts in 1977.
On October 15, 1977, a special concert called Four Together - Concert for World Hunger took place at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Mich. It featured Chapin and three famous folk and country rock singers: Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, and John Denver. The concert, broadcasted live on KLW AM 800, lasted almost three hours and raised funds to fight against world hunger.
Chapin sometimes argued with his band members because of his work for social issues. He gave around one-third of his concert earnings to charities, usually performing solo with his guitar to save money.
According to one report, shortly after Harry Chapin's death, his widow mentioned that he supported many relatives, associations, foundations, and charities. Harry believed in giving money rather than saving it. He raised over $3 million in the last six years of his life for causes he cared about, but he left little money behind. This led to the creation of the Harry Chapin Foundation.
Net worth of Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin was a famous American singer and songwriter. When he passed away in 1981, his net worth was $1 million. He is most famous for his song "Cat's in the Cradle".
Harry Chapin was born in New York City, New York in December 1942 and passed away in July 1981. He played the guitar, piano, trumpet, and harmonica. Chapin was one of the highest paid and most popular performers during the 1970s. He is a Grammy Award winner and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
He was committed to stopping world hunger and played a key role in establishing the Presidential Commission on World Hunger. He was also honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. Harry Chapin launched his first official album Heads & Tales in 1972. His album Verities & Balderdash came out in 1974 and achieved the #4 spot in both the US and Canada. Chapin's song "Cat's in the Cradle" climbed to the top position on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Harry Chapin died on July 16, 1981 in a car crash when he was 38 years old. His wife took legal action against the truck owners responsible and received $10 million in a settlement.
