Harry Chapin followed in a great tradition of story
tellers. His music touched a generation of fans, his
unique singing and song writing ability endeared him
to many. The critics never understood as they often
don't, they labeled Harry overly sentimental, yet it
was this very sentimentality that made him so
popular.
Harry began singing in High School in Brooklyn
Hights. At this point he had formed a band with his
brothers, but once off to collage he pursued a career
as a film maker, it is perhaps in this love for film that
Harry developed his ability as a story teller. One of
the films Harry directed, Legendary Champions,
received an Oscar nomination.
But in 1971 He longed to return to music. After
placing an ad in the New York newspaper the Village
Voice, Harry has rounded up a band consisting of
Tim Scott, John Wallace, and Ron Palmer. This new
group attracted the attention of Elektra records, after
spending time playing the New York club scene they
were offered a recording contract.
The first release was titled Heads and Tails. This
1972 release spawned a hit with the song “taxi", and
the album sold well. It was Harry’s third album Short
Stories, that propelled him on to the charts aided by
the hit song “W.O.L.D.”
From there Harry produced his next album Verities
and Balderdash which proved to be Harry’s most
successful record by landing the number 4 spot on
the Billboard charts. The album contained one of
Harry’s most famous songs “Cat’s in the Cradle”,
which tells the story of workaholic father’s distant
relationship with his son. The song is said to have
been inspired by a poem written by Harry’s wife.
Taking a break from recording and touring Harry
began working on a musical "The Night that Made
America Famous". The musical earned him two Tony
nominations and ran for 2 months with 75
performances.
After the close of the musical Harry released Portrait
Gallery, which was followed up the next year by
Greatest Stories Live. Greatest Stories, went gold
and hit number 48 on Billboard.
In 1980 Harry Released Sequel, the title tract was the
sequel to Harry’s first hit "Taxi". The song was an
instant top 40 hit, sadly Harry’s last.
An Auto accident Claimed Harry’s life on July 16,
1981. This great Story teller and songwriter has been
greatly missed since. There have been a number of
tributes to Harry, the heavy metal band Ugly Kid Joe
took the song “Cat’s in the Cradle” back to the top of
the charts in the early 90’s with their remake.
One can not tell Harry’s story without including his
charity work. During his life Harry worked hard to
further causes he believed in. In 1975 he help found
the World Hunger Year, which pulled in over
$350,000 it’s first year in the quest to aid famine
victims. Harry also served as a Democratic Delegate
at the 1976 Presidential Convention, and later met
with President Carter to lobby for the establishment of
a Presidential Commission on Hunger. Harry also
won an Emmy award for Work he did on the
Childrens television program "Make a Wish".
After his death a memorial fund was established in his
name, with Elektra records donating $10,000 on
Harry’s behalf. The fund has raised millions for
causes that Harry cared deeply about.
Harry's stories have continued to live on as a new
generation of fans have discovered the magic of
Harry's work. With Harry's music now being played on
CD instead of vinyl, and fans enthusiastically
supporting Harry's charities, the circle continues....
Written by Keavin Wiggins (Managing Editor)
An excellent Bio of Harry can be found at the Harry
Chapin Fan Pages
