Tracy Chapman
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Tracy Chapman is a multi-Grammy award-winning artist and a multi-platinum singer-songwriter.
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[edit] About
Born on March 30, 1964 in Cleveland, Ohio, Tracy Chapman learned to play the piano, ukulele, and eventually the guitar and started writing her own songs. She attended Wooster School in Connecticut where she graduated in 1982 and continued her education at Tufts University in Medfold, Massachusetts. She majored in Anthropology and African studies. During college, Chapman performs in coffeehouses at Cambridge, Massachusetts and joined an African drum ensemble. Fellow student, Brian Koppelman, recommended her to his father, Charles Koppelman, the president of SBK Records and later on, introduced to producer David Kershen and manager Elliot Roberts. She signed a contract with SBK Records
On April 1988, she had a recording contract with Elektra Records and released her self-titled debut album. The album was a worldwide success especially when she performed at a tribute concert for Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday on June 11, 1988 at Wembley Staium, Wembley, Great Britain. It resulted in 12,000 units sold in just 2 days, Grammy awards and her single Fast Car began to rise in the US charts, eventually becoming a top 10 hit followed by Takin' A Revolution at number 75 and Baby Can I Hold You at number 48 (successfully revived by the Irish-boyband Boyzone ). The album went 4x platinum. Since then, she has participated in various concerts such as Human Rights Now! World Tour for Amnesty International (with Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'Dour ), AIDS Benefit Concert, Bridge School Concert Benefit III and V at Shoreline Amphitheater, to name a few.
In 1989, she released her sophomore effort, Crossroads which she co-produced and feature artists such as Marc Cohn and Neil Young. By November of the same year, it was a certified platinum. She released her third album after three years, Matters Of The Heart was less successful. However, her fourth album, released in 1995, New Beginning proved to be another success, selling three million copies in the US alone. It was a certified multi-platinum, peaking at number 4 in the Billboard 200 with the hit single, Give Me One Reason. She won Record of the Year with Give Me One Reason, which is her fourth Grammy award, in 1997.
Her follow-up album, Telling Stories (2000) went certified gold. Let It Rain, released in 2002 and in support of which, she toured the U.S. and Europe in 2003.
Her seventh studio album Where You Live was released on September 2005. She toured major cities in the U.S. and Europe, which was extended until 2006 in support of her album.
Tracy Chapman served as an example of true musical integrity with only her guitar, wonderful voice and desire to spread an honest message, she proved to be a true diva.
[edit] Awards & Certifications
| Year | Awards | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Bay Area Music Awards | 1988 Critics Poll |
| 1989 | American Music Awards | Favorite New Artist Pop/Rock |
| Brit Awards | Best International New Comer | |
| Grammy Awards | Best Pop Vocal Performance, Best Contemporary Folk Recording, Best New Artist | |
| SKC Boston Music Awards | Female Vocalist, Top Song (Talkin' Bout A Revolution), Rock Album | |
| 1996 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Song (Give Me A Reason) |
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Record of the Year |
| Bay Area Music Awards | Best Album (New Beginning), Outstanding Song (Give Me A Reason), Best Female Vocalist, Musician of the Year |
| Year | Album | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Tracy Chapman | Platinum |
| 1989 | Crossroads | Platinum |
| 1992 | Matter Of The Heart | Gold |
| 1995 | New Beginning | Multi-Platinum |
| 2000 | Telling Stories | Gold |
[edit] Nominations
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Grammy Awards | Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Pop Album for New Beginning |
| 2001 | California Music Awards | Outstanding Female Vocalist |
[edit] Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | The Billboard Hot 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Fast Car | 6 | Tracy Chapman |
| Baby Can I Hold You | 48 | Tracy Chapman | |
| Talkin' Bout a Revolution | 75 | Tracy Chapman | |
| 1989 | Crossroads | 90 | Crossroads |
| 1996 | Give Me One Reason | 3 | New Beginning |
[edit] News
[edit] Tours & Concerts
No Tours To Date
[edit] Announcements
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
 1988 Elektra |
 1989 Elektra |
 1992 Elektra |
 1995 Elektra |
 2000 Elektra |
 2002 Elektra |
 2005 Atlantic/WEA |
[edit] Singles
| Date | Title | Label | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Fast Car | Elektra | Tracy Chapman |
| Talkin' Bout A Revolution | Elektra | Tracy Chapman | |
| Baby Can I Hold You | Elektra | Tracy Chapman | |
| 1989 | All That You Have Is Your Soul | Elektra | Crossroads |
| Crossroads | Elektra | Crossroads | |
| 1990 | Subcity | Elektra | Crossroads |
| 1992 | Bang Bang Bang | Elektra | Matters Of The Heart |
| Dreaming On A World | Elektra | Matters Of The Heart | |
| 1996 | Give Me One Reason | Phantom Sound & Visi | New Beginning |
| New Beginning | Elektra | New Beginning | |
| The Promise | Elektra | New Beginning | |
| Smoke and Ashes | Elektra | New Beginning | |
| 2000 | Telling Stories | Elektra | Telling Stories |
| 2002 | You're The One | Elektra | Let It Rain |
[edit] Compilations & Live Releases
 2001 WEA International |
[edit] Other artists
[edit] Similar artists
[edit] Influences
[edit] Contemporaries
[edit] Trivia
- Tufts University honored Tracy Chapman with honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts.
