Harry Chapin was a producer, songwriter, and humanitarian from the United States. He was best known for his pop rock and folk rock songs. His popularity reached its peak in the seventies. Along with his popularity, he was one of the highest-paid musicians in the whole country. He sold more than sixteen million records throughout the world. He was competent at playing several instruments piano, guitar, harmonica, and trumpet.
Today, he is remembered as one of the most beloved music performers in the history of the music industry in the United States. He is often credited as one of the most socially and politically active performers in the late 1970s. In 1987, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold medal. The reason for his award was his humanitarian works throughout the world. If you are interested in learning more about Harry Chapin, stay with us until the end of our article.
Private Life
Harry Chapin was born on the 7th of December 1942. He was born in New York City, and throughout his life, he was always closely associated with his home town. His full name was Harry Forster Chapin. He was the second oldest of four. His parents were Jim Chapin, a legendary percussionist, and Jeanne Elspeth.
Both his parents were of English ancestry. His two brothers are Steven and Tom Chapin who are musicians. He initially intended to be a documentary film-maker. However, he ultimately decided to become a musician. That doesn’t mean he didn’t direct any movie. He directed “Legendary Champions” back in 1968, and he was nominated for the documentary Academy Award.
On the 26th of November 1977, he married Sandy Chapin and they had two children together. Because of his philanthropy and signing, he was frequently associated with Dolores Hope. He died on the 16th of July 1981 in Jericho, New York.
Career
He composed many popular songs like “Flowers are Red” and “Taxi”. One more of his songs “Cat’s in the Cradle” was frequent on the top of the Billboard top 100. He released 11 solo albums. In 1972, he signed a multi-million contract with Elektra Records.
This was one of the biggest contracts in the music industry at the time. That same year he released his first solo album called “Heads & Tales”. The song “Taxi” was the biggest hit on the album. However, his career started picking up really fast the year after, 1973, he released his 3rd album “Short Stories”.
This album had another hit “W O L D”. This song was popular throughout the world. His most successful album was released in 1974. It had the name “Verities and Balderdash”. This album was sold in 2.5 million copies. The most popular song from this album was “Cat’s in the Cradle”. In 1975, he released his fifth album “Portrait Gallery”. His last album was released in 1980 and it was called “Sequel”.
Net Worth
According to several sources, Harry Chapin’s net worth was estimated at $2 million. Don’t be fooled, this was a huge money back then. He left huge mark on the music industry in the US.
