Tracy Chapman Singer and composer Date of Birth: 30.03.1964 Country: USA

Tracy Chapman: A Sensation in Rock Music

Tracy Chapman, an American singer and composer, was born in 1964 in Cleveland. She is a proof that even to this day, there can be sensations in rock music: her rise to stardom in 1988 was swift. Tracy's childhood was a sad one: a lonely girl, who spent her time reading and listening to records by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, and Al Green. She attended a private school and later enrolled in a university in Massachusetts, where she began performing in various clubs in the early 1980s, singing the folk-rock that she loved since childhood. Representatives from SBK Publishing noticed her, and she recorded her first album, produced by David Kershenbaum, who had previously produced works by Joan Baez, Richie Havens, and Joe Jackson. Soon after, she was signed by Elektra Records and managed by Elliot Roberts (who had managed Neil Young and others), despite the fact that black folk singers were not in high demand by the public. However, Tracy Chapman's music and persona couldn't be ignored. After the release of her debut album on Elektra Records in 1988, Roberts decided to "launch" the singer in London, at a concert celebrating Nelson Mandela's birthday. Tracy was supposed to "fill in the gaps" between performances by established musicians, but due to a technical error, she ended up performing five songs instead of the scheduled three. In just a few minutes, she captivated a television audience of millions and thousands of listeners in the venue. Within a few days, her album reached the top 3 in the UK charts, and her single "Fast Car" made it to the top 10. That same year, she embarked on a worldwide tour with Bruce Springsteen, Sting, and Peter Gabriel, organized by Amnesty International, and her album sold two million copies. Her second album, as often happens, did not meet the overly high expectations placed on Tracy, but unlike many colleagues who would be disheartened by such a situation, she remained calm and continued to work diligently.