Folk singer and artist Tracy Chapman turns 60 today
Her beautifully crafted modern folk songs marked the difference back in the 1980’s
Folk singer and artist Tracy Chapman turns 60 today
Tracy Chapman was born on March 30, 1964, in Cleveland, Ohio. Chapman became one of the faces of a new rising generation of Folk artists and singer-songwriters. Alone with her guitar, she composed some of the most popular Pop Folk anthems. some of her most popular songs are “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution”, “Baby Can I Hold You”, “Crossroads”, “New Beginning” and “Telling Stories”. She released her debut self-titled album “Tracy Chapman” in 1988, that produced the hits “Fast Car”, “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution”, and “Baby Can I Hold You”, the album was critically acclaimed, and brought Chapman worldwide success. The album won three Grammy Awards, including an honor for Chapman as Best New Artist. Later in 1988, Chapman was a featured performer on the worldwide Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. According to the VH1 website, “Her album helped usher in the era of political correctness—along with 10,000 Maniacs and R.E.M., Chapman’s liberal politics proved enormously influential on American college campuses in the late ’80’s.” In 1989 she released her second album “Crossroads” that proved to be another hit release for Chapman. Though during the 1990’s her fame started to decrease due to the lack of hits as the ones featured on her first album, Chapman remained and remains one of the most respected singer-songwriters with a loyal fan-base worldwide. She’s also a very active activist, for political and social causes and in 2004, she was given an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by her alma mater, Tufts University, recognizing her commitment to social activism. Tracy Chapman is a strong believer in separating her career from the personal life, however, during the mid-1990’s it was known that she was in a relationship with writer Alice Walker who confirmed it. Tracy’s latest album “Our Bright Future” was released in 2008. In 2023, Chapman became the first Black person to score a country number one with a solo composition, and to win the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year, when Luke Combs covered her song “Fast Car”. She turns 60 today.
Look back at the 1988 music video for “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
Listen to the 2015 compilation “Tracy Chapman Greatest Hits” on Spotify
Watch more music related videos
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