The American singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman was born in March 1964 in
Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She began early to write her own songs, starting with
organ and ukelele, soon passing on to the guitar. A special program called A
Better Chance enabled her, coming from a poor environment, to visit a highschool
in Connecticut, then moving on to Tufts University where she majored in
anthropology, in 1986. It was during these studies when she started to perform
with her voice and guitar on street and in clubs. Due to one of her fellow students whose father
worked for SBK Records and who was impressed by her music, she had the chance to record her
first album, Tracy Chapman for Elektra. It consisted of a variety of songs that she wrote in previous
years, starting as early as 1982.
The album was an immense and unexpected success, reportedly selling 11 millions worldwide.
Some reasons for this were that Tracy had the chance to perform at the first Nelson Mandela
Tribute Concert in London and that she was invited to join the 6 weeks Amnesty International
tour "Human Rights Now!" at the end of 1988, enabling her to give concerts all over the globe
with stars like Bruce Springsteen or Sting. However, it is important to see as well that Tracy
Chapman emerged at a time when there was an eager demand for someone who pinpointed social
problems, who did so in a sincere and humble way, at the end of the cold and materialistic 80's.
Since then, Tracy, who is a member of Amnesty International and politically aware since her
childhood, has released 3 other albums. Though they couldn't repeat the success of her first release,
she stays one of the most important socially-conscious writers of our time. Some fans mourn her
reclusiveness, yet has this enabled her to continue her life unhurt and without compromises to the
industry and media. If one wants to get to know more about her, consulting her artistic work will
give plenty of insight into her most private ideas.
Her latest album New Beginning (1995) shows that she is willingly to continue enriching our globe
with inspiring thoughts.
"I want to create discussion about the problems that surround us." is one of her statements
