Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman | |
|---|---|
 Chapman in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | March 30, 1964 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and songwriter |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels | Elektra |
| Website | tracychapman |
Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She has won four Grammy Awards.[1]
Her most famous songs are "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason." These songs went to the top of music charts in Canada.[2] They also went high on the Billboard charts (United States).[3] She has released 8 albums.
Chapman is a feminist.[4] She has never said what her sexuality is, but she dated Alice Walker in the mid 1990s.
Career[change | change source]
Chapman went to Tufts University. When she was a student there, she played music in public. In 1985, Chapman played music at a Linda Tillery concert.[5] Another student from Tufts heard her playing music at the concert. The student's father was Charles Koppelman, a music producer. Koppelman thought that Chapman made good music. After Chapman graduated from the university, Koppelman helped her join Elektra Records.[6]
She released her first album in 1988. It was named Tracy Chapman.[7] Many critics liked the album, and it was very popular.[8] She started playing more music at concerts. On June 11, 1968, she performed at a concert for Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday. Stevie Wonder was at the concert, but he did not play any music. This was because he had problems with his music equipment. Wonder was not able to play any music when it was time for him to. Because of this, Chapman played during Wonder's time. She played the song "Fast Car", and it became very popular.[9][10] Her album sold many copies, and she won three Grammy Awards for it.[11] "Fast Car" went on the Billboard Hot 100, an American music chart.[12] Two other songs from the album, "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution" and "Baby Can I Hold You", also went on the chart.
Chapman made a second album. This album was named Crossroads. It was released in 1989. It did not sell as many copies as her first album did. However, it was certified platinum by the RIAA.[13] After Crossroads, she made more albums. In 1992, she released Matters of the Heart. Her fourth album was named New Beginning. It was released in 1995. It was more successful than her second and third albums. Over 5 million copies of it were sold in the United States. The album had a song named "Give Me One Reason" on it. This song won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The song was number three on the Billboard Hot 100.[14]
Chapman did not make any music for four years. In 2000, she released her fifth album. It was named Telling Stories. Her sixth album was released in 2002. It was named Let it Rain. Both of these albums were certified gold. On November 2015, she released an album named Greatest Hits. This was a greatest hits album.
In 2018, Chapman sued Nicki Minaj for copyright infringement. Chapman said that Minaj sampled her song "Baby Can I Hold You" without Chapman saying that she could.[15] Chapman also said she told Minaj she could not sample the song many different times. The lawsuit said that Minaj did copyright infringement because she used "Baby Can I Hold You" in her song, "Sorry". She also sold copies of "Sorry". In September 2020, a judge said that Minaj using the sample in the song was fair use.[16] However, the judge also said that the lawsuit should go to court because Minaj sold copies of the song with the sample in it. In January 2021, Minaj paid Chapman $450,000.[17] This ended the lawsuit.
Studio albums[change | change source]
- Tracy Chapman (1988)
- Crossroads (1989)
- Matters of the Heart (1992)
- New Beginning (1995)
- Telling Stories (2000)
- Let It Rain (2002)
- Where You Live (2005)
- Our Bright Future (2008)
References[change | change source]
- ↑ "Past Winners Search". Grammy Awards. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Top Singles RPM Results". Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Tracy Chapman - Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ↑ Amy Fleming (October 31, 2008). "The quiet revolutionary". The Guardian. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
- ↑ McLaughlin, Jeff (May 1, 1985). "Linda Tillery's 'healing music'". Boston Globe. Boston, MA. p. 78.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tracy Chapman". All Music Guide. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2009 – via Pandora.com.
- ↑ Pond, Steve (September 22, 1988). "Tracy Chapman: On Her Own Terms". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ↑ Murphy, Peter. "On this day in 1988: Tracy Chapman starts a three-week run at No. 1 with her eponymous debut album". Hotpress. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ↑ Clayton, Richard (September 26, 2016). "The Life of a Song: 'Fast Car'". Financial Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ↑ Springer, Jacqueline (June 12, 2018). "BBC Radio 4 - Front Row, Tracy Chapman: remembering her remarkable debut 30 years on". BBC. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
- ↑ "Tracy Chapman". Grammy Awards. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ↑ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. August 27, 1988. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
- ↑ "American certifications – Tracy Chapman". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. June 15, 1996. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ↑ "Tracy Chapman sues Nicki Minaj over unauthorised sample". The Guardian. October 23, 2018. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
- ↑ Maddaus, Gene (September 16, 2020). "Judge Rules in Favor of Nicki Minaj in Tracy Chapman Copyright Dispute". Variety. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (January 9, 2021). "Nicki Minaj to pay Tracy Chapman $450k in 'Sorry' copyright infringement lawsuit". The Independent. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
Other websites[change | change source]
