Harry Chapin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harry Chapin
Chapin in 1980
Born	(1942-12-07)December 7, 1942 New York City, U.S.
Died	July 16, 1981(1981-07-16) (aged 38) East Meadow, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Cornell University, no degree
Musical career
Genres	Folk rock pop rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter philanthropist
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano trumpet harmonica
Years active	1950s–1981
Labels	Elektra Boardwalk Sequel Records DCC Compact Classics Chapin Productions

Harry Forster Chapin (CHAY-pin; December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter. He was also a philanthropist, which means he worked to help others. Harry Chapin was known for his folk rock and pop rock songs. He became very famous around the world in the 1970s.

Harry Chapin won a Grammy Award and is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. He sold over 16 million records worldwide! He released 11 albums between 1972 and his death in 1981. All 14 of his single songs became hits on music charts. Some of his most famous songs are "Taxi" and "Cat's in the Cradle."

Harry Chapin was a dedicated humanitarian, someone who actively works to improve human welfare. He fought hard to end world hunger. He helped create the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. After he passed away, Chapin was given the Congressional Gold Medal in 1987 for his amazing work helping people.

About Harry Chapin's Life

Harry Forster Chapin was born in New York City on December 7, 1942. He was the second of four children. His father, Jim Chapin, was a percussionist (someone who plays drums). Harry's brothers, Tom and Steve, also became musicians.

Harry's parents divorced in 1950. His mother raised him and his brothers. Harry's first music lessons were for the trumpet. He later met "Big" John Wallace, who became his bassist and backing singer. Harry started performing with his brothers when he was a teenager. Their father sometimes joined them on drums.

Harry graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1960. He briefly attended the United States Air Force Academy and Cornell University, but he didn't finish a degree.

Before music, Harry wanted to be a documentary filmmaker. He directed a film called Legendary Champions in 1968. It was even nominated for an Academy Award! In 1971, he decided to focus on music. He started playing in New York City nightclubs with John Wallace and other musicians.

Harry Chapin's Music Career

Starting Out in Music (1971–1972)

In 1972, Harry Chapin signed a big record deal with Elektra Records. It was one of the largest deals at that time. That same year, he released his first album, Heads & Tales. This album was a huge success worldwide. It sold over one million copies!

The album's success was thanks to the song "Taxi." This song became a top-25 hit in the U.S. and a top-5 hit in Canada. A radio personality named Jim Connors helped make the song popular. It was the most requested song for 10 weeks in a row! Harry even performed "Taxi" on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He was called back to perform again the next night, which was a first for the show!

When asked if "Taxi" was a true story, Harry said it was "emotionally true." He imagined a taxi driver meeting an old girlfriend who had given up her dreams. The song was so popular that Harry was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist.

Later in 1972, Harry released his second album, Sniper and Other Love Songs. The song "Sniper" on the album was based on a real-life event. The single from this album, "Sunday Morning Sunshine," became a top-40 hit. This album sold 350,000 copies. It also included the popular song "Circle."

Career Highlights (1973–1975)

In 1973, Harry Chapin released his third album, Short Stories. This album sold over 1 million copies. It featured another international hit, "W.O.L.D.." This song is about an older radio DJ who gave up his family for his career. Harry wrote the song after hearing a radio DJ call his ex-wife on the air. "W.O.L.D." became a top-40 hit in the U.S. and a top-10 hit in Canada. Other popular songs from the album included "Mr. Tanner" and "Mail Order Annie."

Harry's most successful album, Verities and Balderdash, came out in 1974. It sold 2.5 million copies! This was thanks to his number one hit song, "Cat's in the Cradle." The song tells the story of a father who is too busy for his son. As the son grows up, he becomes just like his father, too busy for his own dad. This song earned Harry another Grammy nomination and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The album also included "I Wanna Learn a Love Song," which is a true story about how Harry met his wife, Sandra Chapin. Another well-known song from the album was "30,000 Pounds of Bananas." Even though it wasn't a single, it was requested a lot on the radio. It was based on a real truck crash involving bananas.

In 1975, Harry released his fifth album, Portrait Gallery. It had a top-40 hit called "Dreams Go By." Harry also wrote and performed a Broadway play called The Night That Made America Famous. It was nominated for two Tony Awards!

Later Years in Music (1976–1981)

By 1976, Harry Chapin was one of the most popular singers. He released his first live album, Greatest Stories Live, which sold 2.1 million copies. Even though his record company changed management, his later albums still sold well.

Towards the end of the 1970s, Harry focused more on touring and performing live. He still released one album each year. He was one of the highest-paid artists in the world. In 1980, he signed a new record deal and released his ninth studio album, Sequel. This album was very successful. Three songs from it became hits. The first single, "Sequel," was a top-25 hit and was a follow-up to his famous song "Taxi."

Harry Chapin's Charity Work

Harry Chapin wanted to make a positive difference in the world, especially on Long Island where he lived. He believed in supporting the arts and helping people.

In the mid-1970s, Harry spent a lot of time working for social causes. He raised money to fight hunger in the United States. His daughter, Jen, said he saw hunger as an "insult to America." He helped start an organization called World Hunger Year with radio personality Bill Ayres.

More than half of Harry's concerts were benefit performances. This means the money from the concerts went to charity. For example, he performed to help save the Landmark Theatre and to support food banks. Money from his concert merchandise also went to World Hunger Year. He even helped filmmaker Michael Moore fund his newspaper by performing benefit concerts.

On October 15, 1977, Harry Chapin performed in a special concert called "Four Together - Concert for World Hunger." He was joined by other famous singers like Gordon Lightfoot, James Taylor, and John Denver. The concert raised money to fight world hunger.

Harry often gave away a lot of his earnings to charity. His wife, Sandy, said that Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, "Money is for people," so he gave it away. After he died, the Harry Chapin Foundation was created to continue his important work.

Harry Chapin's Death

Harry Chapin's gravestone in Huntington, New York

On July 16, 1981, Harry Chapin was driving to a free benefit concert in East Meadow, New York. Around 12:27 p.m., his car was hit from behind by a large truck on the Long Island Expressway. The crash was very serious. Passers-by helped the unconscious Harry out of his car. He was taken to a hospital by helicopter but sadly passed away at 1:05 p.m. due to internal bleeding.

Harry Chapin is buried in the Huntington Rural Cemetery in Huntington, New York. His gravestone has words from his 1978 song "I Wonder What Would Happen to This World":

Oh if a man tried
To take his time on Earth
And prove before he died
What one man's life could be worth
I wonder what would happen
to this world

Harry Chapin's Legacy

A playground in New York City named after Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin's work against hunger was very important. He was a key person in creating the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. He was the only member who attended every meeting!

Harry also inspired other anti-hunger projects like USA for Africa and Hands Across America. These were organized by Ken Kragen, who was Harry's manager. Kragen felt like Harry was guiding him to do this important work.

After Harry's death, many efforts continued in his name. A radio station in New York City, WNEW-FM, held an annual "Hungerthon" every Thanksgiving to benefit Harry Chapin's World Hunger League. At the "U.S. Live Aid" concert in 1985, Kenny Loggins received the first "Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award" for his work. Since then, many other artists have received the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award for their charity work.

Several places and organizations have been named in Harry's honor. The Lakeside Theatre at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York, was renamed the Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre. There's also a graduate student apartment complex at Stony Brook University and a playground in Brooklyn Heights named after him.

The village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York, has hosted the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger since 1981. This event includes a 10k, 5k, and fun run.

On December 7, 1987, which would have been his 45th birthday, Harry Chapin was given the Congressional Gold Medal. This was to honor his work on social issues, especially fighting hunger around the world.

In 1994, a food bank in Florida was renamed the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. This was to honor his passionate fight against hunger. In 2001, his song "Cat's in the Cradle" was ranked among the "Songs of the Century" by the Recording Industry Association of America. Harry Chapin was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

A children's picture book was even created using the lyrics of his song "Mr. Tanner." In 2020, a documentary film about his life, Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something, was released.

Harry Chapin's Family

Harry Chapin's wife, Sandy, is now the chair of the Harry Chapin Foundation. She continues to work to keep his legacy alive. His son, Josh, and other family members are also involved with the foundation.

Harry often said he came from an artistic family. His father, Jim, and brothers, Tom and Steve, are musicians. His daughter, Jen Chapin, is also a musician. His nieces, Abigail and Lily Chapin, perform as the Chapin Sisters. His paternal grandfather was an artist, and his maternal grandfather was a philosopher.

Harry's brothers sometimes performed with him throughout his career. They played with him before he became a solo artist and were credited on some of his albums. After his death, Tom and Steve continued to perform together. Country singer Mary Chapin Carpenter is also a distant cousin of Harry Chapin.

Awards and Recognition

Grammy Awards

Rock Music Awards

Billboard

Rockies

Other Awards and Honors

• Harry Chapin ASCAP Award
• Congressional Gold Medal of Honor
• Long Island Music Hall of Fame
• Ten Outstanding Young Americans, 1977

Discography

Studio Albums

• Heads & Tales (1972)
• Sniper and Other Love Songs (1972)
• Short Stories (1973)
• Verities & Balderdash (1974)
• Portrait Gallery (1975)
• Greatest Stories Live (Double Album, 1976)
• On the Road to Kingdom Come (1976)
• Dance Band on the Titanic (Double Album, 1977)
• Living Room Suite (1978)
• Legends of the Lost and Found (Double Live Album, 1979)
• Sequel (1980)

Posthumous Album (Released After His Death)

• The Last Protest Singer (1988)

Compilation Albums (Collections of Songs)

• Anthology of Harry Chapin (1985)
• The Gold Medal Collection (1988)
• Harry Chapin Tribute (1990)
• The Bottom Line Encore Collection (1998)
• Story of a Life (1999)
• Onwards and Upwards (2000)
• VH1 Behind the Music: The Harry Chapin Collection (2001)
• Songwriter (2002)
• The Essentials (2002)
• Classic Hits of Harry Chapin (2003)
• Heads & Tales / Sniper and Other Love Songs (2004)
• Introducing ... Harry Chapin (2006)
• Bottom Line Archive Series: Live 1981 (2015)
• The Singles A's & B's (2019)

Singles (Individual Songs Released)

• "Taxi"
• "Could You Put Your Light On, Please"
• "Sunday Morning Sunshine"
• "A Better Place to Be"
• "W.O.L.D."
• "Cat's in the Cradle"
• "What Made America Famous?"
• "I Wanna Learn a Love Song"
• "Dreams Go By"
• "A Better Place to Be (Live)"
• "Flowers Are Red"
• "Sequel"
• "Remember When the Music"
• "Story of a Life"

Video and DVD Releases

• An Evening With ... Harry Chapin (also known as "The Book of Chapin") (1998)
• Rockpalast Live (2002)
• Remember When: The Anthology (2005)
• You Are the Only Song (also known as "The Final Concert") (2006)
• Cotton Patch Gospel