Tracy Chapman Biography

Tracy Chapman was instrumental in bringing singer-songwriters back into the mainstream in the 1980s. Chapman's multi-platinum first album from 1988 was unexpected, and it had a lasting influence. Chapman's songs were new and strong, propelled by simple melodies and moving lyrics, despite the fact that she was working from the same confessional singer-songwriter base that had been established in the 1970s. There were just a few singers effectively executing such a style at the time of her first album, and her popularity ushered in a new age of singer/songwriters that lasted far into the 1990s. Her record also helped usher in the era of political correctness, since Chapman's liberal politics, like those of 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., were hugely popular on American college campuses in the late 1980s. Of course, with such connotations, Chapman's following records were met with mixed reviews, but she managed to make a triumphant comeback in 1996 with her fourth album, New Beginning, after several years away from the spotlight. Chapman grew up in a working-class area in Cleveland, Ohio, where she learned to play the guitar as a youngster and soon began writing her own songs. She received a minority placement scholarship after high school and went on to Tufts University to study anthropology and African studies. She grew interested in folk-rock and singer-songwriters while at Tufts and began playing her own songs in coffeehouses. At the campus radio station, she eventually produced a series of demos. Brian Koppelman, one of her classmates, heard Chapman perform and suggested her to his father, Charles Koppelman, who runs SBK Publishing. She joined with SBK in 1986, and Koppelman was able to obtain a management deal with Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. In 1987, Roberts and Koppelman assisted Chapman in signing with Elektra Records. Chapman collaborated with David Kershenbaum to make her debut album, which was released in the spring of 1988. Tracy Chapman was met with rapturous applause and embarked on a tour in favor of 10,000 Maniacs. Within a few months, she was performing at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday party, which was broadcast worldwide, and her performance was met with tremendous acclaim. The single Fast Car quickly rose to the top of the charts. The album's sales surged in tandem with the single's, and the album was certified multi-platinum before the end of the year. The album went on to win four Grammys the next year, including Best New Artist. Chapman went into seclusion after her second album, Crossroads, and returned in 1992 with Matters of the Heart. She reappeared three years later with New Beginning, which got more positive reviews than its predecessor. The bluesy Give Me One Reason was chosen as the album's first single, and it gradually became a smash, propelling it into the Top Ten in the United States in early 1996. It was a modest, effective comeback from an artist who had been relegated to cult status by most onlookers. In early 2000, Telling Stories was released. Two years later, Let It Rain was released. Chapman collaborated with Tchad Blake to co-produce Where You Live in 2005. Chapman and Larry Klein co-produced the film Our Bright Future, which was released in 2008.

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