Biography

Tracy Chapman’s life has been an extraordinary odyssey, one that took her from busking on the streets of Boston to headlining stages worldwide. Her music intertwines accounts of characters battling the odds to escape troubled circumstances with more intimate tales of romance longed for and sometimes found, along with forthright calls for social justice and equality. Chapman is both an evocative composer and a storyteller of exceptional insight and candor. And though she released her first album over 30 years ago, her songs continue to feel timely, honest, real – often as painfully to-the-point as today’s headlines. Chapman’s eponymous debut album was released in April 1988 and went on to sell more than 20 million copies worldwide and garner her three Grammy Awards. A mere two months after the album’s release, Chapman found herself in front of an audience of 72,000 people at London’s Wembley Stadium, singing at a historic anti-apartheid event marking the 70th birthday of Nelson Mandela, then still incarcerated. Alone on stage with her guitar, she was enthusiastically received by the live audience and by millions of television viewers around the globe. Following her initial global success, Chapman has amassed an impressive body of work, building upon the eloquent storytelling of her debut. She received a fourth Grammy Award in 1995 for ‘Give Me One Reason’ and was honored with an American Music Award, two Brits, and a Billboard Music Award, among other accolades.