Tracy Chapman is an American singer, songwriter, and a very famous personality in her own right in the folk rock scene.
She is a four-time Grammy Award winner and a multi-platinum musician. Tracy was born in Ohio to a middle-class family in Connecticut.
Her mother supported her musical endeavors. While Tracy was at Tufts University, where she studied anthropology and African studies, she began writing music.
At first, there were just lyrics for the songs, and then she began to perform in local coffee houses.
Through a friend at university, she met producers at Elektra Records, and her first album, Tracy Chapman, was released in 1988. The album was an instant hit, with the hit single "Fast Car" becoming an overnight sensation.
She has recorded a total of eight studio albums, including "New Beginning" and "Our Bright Future". Most of her albums are certified platinum.
The singer also holds a significant position in various charitable organizations around the world and participates in many charity concerts.
She is a human rights activist and claims that due to her status, she can help those in need and draw people's attention to some important humanitarian issues.
early life
Tracey Chapman was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 30, 1964. At a young age, she moved with her family to Connecticut.
She was raised by her mother, who was always on the side of her daughter. It was she who bought her music-loving three-year-old baby a ukulele, even though she had little money.
Chapman began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of eight. She says she may have been inspired by the TV show Hee Haw.
Raised as a Baptist, Chapman attended Bishops High School and was accepted into the A Better Chance program, which sponsors students at preparatory colleges away from their home.
While studying anthropology and African studies at Tufts University in Massachusetts, Chapman began writing her own music and performing in Boston, as well as recording songs on local radio station WMFO.
Musical career
For the singer, 1986 was a significant year. It was in this year that her friend's father introduced her to the manager of Elektra Records, with whom she recorded her first self-titled album.
The album was released in 1988. Tracy Chapman reached No. 1 in the United States and the United Kingdom, and her popular single "Fast Car" reached No. 5 in the UK charts and No. 6 in the US charts.
That same year, Chapman performed at a Nelson Mandela 70th birthday concert held in the UK.
The album's second single, "Talkin' Bout a Revolution", was also widely acclaimed and placed competitively on the Billboard music charts.
Chapman received several awards following the album's release, including three Grammy Awards in 1989—for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Despite the fact that the album won three Grammy awards and would be a real achievement for the first project of any musician,
Chapman wasted no time and quickly got busy with her next album.
In between performing songs from her Grammy Award-winning album, she continued to write and return to the studio to record Crossroads (1989).
Chapman dedicated one song to Mandela on her album, "Freedom Now." Although the album did not receive the same recognition as her first, it also charted on the Billboard 200, as well as other charts.
A little about the life of the singer
The singer's musical success declined slightly in 1992 with the release of Matters of the Heart, which peaked at No. 53 on the Billboard 200 and received no real international exposure.
The Matters of the Heart featured less catchy songs than Chapman's previous singles. Fans were not happy that she moved away from folk and blues, and concentrated more on alternative rock.
It was probably difficult for Chapman to predict what would happen three years after the release of her fourth studio album.
As the album's title, "New Beginning" (1995), suggests, it became more successful, selling about 5 million copies in the United States alone.
The album far exceeded listeners' expectations with the widely popular single "Give Me One Reason". The single with the soulful melody "Smoke and Ashes" was also a memorable hit.
And of course, it is worth mentioning the title song of the album “New Beginning”, in which the singer told her story.
Chapman received a fourth Grammy in 1997 for Best Rock Song ("Give Me One Reason"), as well as several Grammy nominations and other music awards.
Since the release of New Beginning, the artist has also released several albums, including Telling Stories (2000) and Our Bright Future (2008), and toured throughout 2009.
However, in recent years, Chapman has remained almost unnoticed.
social activist
Outside of her musical career, Chapman has long worked as an activist, speaking on behalf of several non-profit organizations including the AIDS Foundation and Circle of Life (no longer active).
During a 2003 event to benefit Circle of Life, Chapman duetted with Bonnie Raitt on John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery".
Awards and achievements
At the beginning of her career, Tracy was awarded three Grammy awards.
Her first studio album, Tracy Chapman, released in 1988, won three Grammys: Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performer, and Best Contemporary Folk Album.
She received her fourth Grammy in 1997 for Chapman's New Beginning. The singer also received an award for the song "Give Me One Reason" in the category "Best Rock Song".
Personal life and legacy
There have always been various speculations about Tracy's sexual orientation as she has never revealed her partners.
She often mentions that her personal life has nothing to do with the professional work that she does.
It was later revealed that she dated writer Alice Walker in the 1990s. Tracy is a well-known political and public figure.
She often uses her status to discuss important humanitarian issues. And later she admitted to being a feminist
