Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her hits “Fast Car” and “Give Me One Reason”, along with other singles “Talkin’ ’bout a Revolution”, “Baby Can I Hold You”, “Crossroads”, “New Beginning”, and “Telling Stories”. She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist. In 1988, she released her critically acclaimed debut album Tracy Chapman, which became a multi-platinum worldwide hit. The album garnered Chapman six Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year, three of which she won, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single “Fast Car”, and Best New Artist. Chapman released her second album Crossroads the following year, which garnered her an additional Grammy nomination. (More from Wikipedia)
Women’s music performances became natural additions to gay and lesbian gatherings of all types and sizes; before long, Woodstock-style women’s music festivals began to take place as well. The most prominent is the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival – “womyn” is an alternate spelling of “women” without having to say “men” – and this one is still being held annually since its founding in 1976, although it is evidently more of a women-only, clothing-optional camping event now.
Women’s music artists for the most part are not particularly political or polemic – with the exception of Holly Near, and even she is normally not focused on gay/lesbian issues – so non–lesbian-identified performers have dropped by from time to time. Tracy Chapman is perhaps the most prominent; she was at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival during her meteoric rise to the top of the charts with her hit album Tracy Chapman (1988). The lead single “Fast Car” was a Top 10 hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.; and Tracy Chapman won a clutch of Grammies in 1989 also. Remarkably, Michael Collings, a contestant on the television series Britain’s Got Talent performed the song in April 2011; and Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” re-entered the U.K. charts and attained the same #4 peak as it had in 1988.
Tracy Chapman is from Cleveland, Ohio and was given a ukulele by her mother once she noticed her talent at a young age; she was writing songs by the age of 8. Tracy’s performance of “Fast Car” during the nationally televised Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute led to its quick rise up the music charts. Tracy Chapman’s biggest hit song, “Give Me One Reason” wasn’t released until 1995, though it had been part of her concert repertoire for many years, including a performance on Saturday Night Live in December 1989. To date, Tracy Chapman has released eight albums, and she has recorded duets with a host of prominent musicians that include B. B. King, Eric Clapton, Luciano Pavarotti, Buddy Guy, and Dave Matthews.
(January 2014)
