Tracy Chapman helped restore singer/songwriters to the spotlight in the
'80s. The multi-platinum success of
Tracy Chapman's eponymous 1988 debut was unexpected, and it had lasting impact.
Although
Tracy Chapman was working from the same confessional singer/songwriter foundation
that had been popularized in the '70s, her songs were fresh and powerful, driven
by simple melodies and affecting lyrics. At the time of her first album, there
were only a handful of artists performing such a style successfully, and her
success ushered in a new era of singer/songwriters that lasted well into the
'90s. Furthermore, her album helped usher in the era of political correctness --
along with
10,000 Maniacs and
R.E.M.,
Tracy Chapman's liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college
campuses in the late '80s. Of course, such implications meant that
Tracy Chapman's subsequent recordings were greeted with mixed reactions, but after
several years out of the spotlight, she managed to make a very successful
comeback in 1996 with her fourth album, New Beginning, thanks to the Top Ten
single "Give Me One Reason."
Raised in a working class neighborhood in Cleveland, OH,
Tracy Chapman learned how to play guitar as a child, and began to write her own
songs shortly afterward. Following high school, she won a minority placement
scholarship and decided to attend Tufts University, where she studied
anthropology and African studies. While at Tufts, she became fascinated with
folk-rock and singer/songwriters, and began performing her own songs at
coffeehouses. Eventually, she recorded a set of demos at the college radio
station. One of her fellow students, Brian Koppelman, heard
Tracy Chapman play and recommended her to his father, Charles Koppelman, who ran
SBK Publishing. In 1986, she signed with SBK and Koppelman secured a management
contract with Elliot Roberts, who had worked with
Neil Young and
Joni Mitchell. Roberts and Koppelman helped
Tracy Chapman sign to Elektra in 1987.
Tracy Chapman recorded her debut album with David Kershenbaum, and the resulting
eponymous record was released in the spring of 1988. Tracy Chapman was greeted
with enthusiastic reviews, and she set out on the road supporting
10,000 Maniacs. Within a few months, she played at the internationally
televised concert for Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday party, where her
performance was greeted with thunderous applause. Soon, the single "Fast Car"
began climbing the charts, eventually peaking at number six. The album's sales
soared along with the single, and by the end of the year, the record had gone
multi-platinum. Early the following year, the record won four Grammys, including
Best New Artist.
It was an auspicious beginning to
Tracy Chapman's career, and it was perhaps inevitable that her second album,
1989's darker, more political Crossroads, wasn't as successful. Although it was
well-reviewed, the album wasn't as commercially successful, peaking at number
nine and quickly falling down the charts. Following Crossroads,
Tracy Chapman spent a few years in seclusion, returning in 1992 with Matters of
the Heart. The album was greeted with mixed reviews and weak sales, and
Tracy Chapman had fallen into cult status. Three years later, she returned with
New Beginning, which received stronger reviews than its predecessor. The bluesy
"Give Me One Reason" was pulled as the first single, and it slowly became a hit,
sending the album into the U.S. Top Ten in early 1996. It was a quiet,
successful comeback from an artist most observers had already consigned to
forever languish in cult status. Telling Stories followed in early 2000. Let It
Rain followed two years later. For 2005's Where You Live, Chapman co-produced
the album with Tchad Blake. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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