Tribute: Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin was an American singer-songwriter, widely popular in the 1970s. His composition, "Cat's in the Cradle", was an instant classic of that era's introspective, folk-inspired balladry. Chapin used his fame and fortune helping those in need, becoming as well known for his philanthropy as for his music. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work. Unfortunately, Chapin died young (age 38), in an automobile accident that remains somewhat suspicious. Read on to learn more about Harry Chapin's career, philanthropic work, and tragic death. 

Career

Harold Forster Chapin was born on 7 December 1942 in New York City. In 1972, Chapin signed a multi-million dollar recording contract with Elektra Records. The same year, Chapin released his debut album, Heads & Tales, which sold over one million copies. The album contained the singles, "Taxi", which reached #24 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Could You Put Your Light On, Please". Chapin was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist.

Chapin's next album, Sniper and Other Love Songs, was also released in 1972. Notable songs from this sophomore effort include "Sniper", a semi-fictional account of the University of Texas tower shooting, "Sunday Morning Sunshine", and "Better Place to Be". In 1973, Chapin released the album, Short Stories. The album sold over 1 million copies and contained the single, "W.O.L.D.", which reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album, Verities and Balderdash, produced the song that Harry Chapin would forever be known for - "Cat's in the Cradle". The song reached #1 on the charts, and the album sold 2.5 million copies, reaching #4 on the US Billboard 200. ("Cats in the Cradle" - no apostrophe - was covered by the band, Ugly Kid Joe, in 1992 and reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.) The song earned Chapin a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and he was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Other singles from the album were "I Wanna Learn a Love Song" and "What Made America Famous?".

In 1975, Chapin released Portrait Gallery, containing the single, "Dreams Go By". That year, Chapin wrote and performed a Broadway play, The Night That Made America Famous. The play earned two Tony Award nominations and two Drama Desk Award nominations. He also released a book of poetry, Looking ... Seeing.

Chapin released his first live album in 1976, Greatest Stories Live. The album sold 2.1 million copies. Then Elektra Records underwent a change in management and neglected to promote the artist's later albums. Chapin decided to concentrate more on touring while still releasing albums.

Accident

On the afternoon of 16 July 1981, Harry Chapin was driving on the Long Island Expressway (outside Jericho, NY) to a free benefit concert at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York. At 12:27 p.m., according to witnesses, Chapin put on his hazard lights, dropped his speed to roughly 15 mph, and weaved from the left lane to the center lane, narrowly avoiding a collision with another vehicle. He then swerved back to the left lane, and then back again into the center lane, when his vehicle was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer truck. The force of the collision crushed the rear of the vehicle, ruptured the fuel tank, and dragged the car several hundred feet. The ruptured fuel tank, coupled with the sparks from the mangled metal dragging on the pavement, ignited the vehicle. Two passers-by and the truck driver managed to help the unconscious Chapin through the window of his flaming (blue) 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit. He was taken by helicopter to Nassau County Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:05 p.m. His cause of death was indicated as a heart attack. Harry Chapin was 38. Speculation exists that Chapin may have suffered a heart attack or another significant medical event, explaining his behavior prior to the crash. Some eyewitnesses believe the car was at fault, malfunctioning in some way and resisting efforts by Chapin to control it. The question is, did Harry Chapin experience cardiac arrest causing the accident, or as a result of it? Afterward, Sandra Chapin won 12 million dollars in a negligence lawsuit against Supermarkets General, the owners of the truck involved in the crash.

Did Chapin prophesize his death? In one of his final interviews, he used an analogy to describe the political circumstance in the United States at the time. To illustrate how people tend to prepare for problems, rather than remedy the problem itself, Chapin said imagine a car that bursts into flames when struck from behind. (He added, not that that would ever happen...) He went on, people would prepare for the accident - increase medical support, improve response time, etc. - rather than correct the problem of the car bursting into flames. To see the portion of the interview, you can watch this YouTube video. Skip to the 13:44 mark to get to it.

Harry Chapin is buried in the Huntington Rural Cemetery in Huntington, New York. (A photo is provided at the bottom of this page.) His epitaph is from his song, "I Wonder What Would Happen to This World":

Oh if a man tried

To take his time on Earth

And prove before he died

What one man's life

could be worth

I wonder what would happen

to this world

Humanitarianism

Upon Chapin's death, it was monetarily difficult to maintain the causes for which he raised more than three million dollars in the last six years of his life. Thus, The Harry Chapin Foundation was formed.

Harry Chapin co-founded the organization, World Hunger Year, with radio personality Bill Ayres. More than half of Chapin's concerts were benefit performances and proceeds were used to support World Hunger Year. He donated an estimated third of his paid concerts to charitable causes, often performing alone with his guitar to reduce costs. Chapin’s wife, Sandra, reportedly said "Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, 'Money is for people,' so he gave it away."

Chapin was essential in the formation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. Supposedly, Chapin was the only member who attended every meeting. He was also the inspiration for the projects USA for Africa and Hands Across America, which were organized by Ken Kragen, Chapin's manager. Kragen said, "I felt like Harry had crawled into my body and was making me do it."

Numerous organizations award honors in Harry Chapin's name to people recognized for their humanitarian efforts.

Several Long Island locations have been named in honor of Chapin and his work toward ending world hunger. The Lakeside Theatre at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, New York, was renamed Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre during a memorial concert held one month after his death. A graduate-student apartment complex at Stony Brook University, a theater in Heckscher Park in Huntington, New York, and a playground in Brooklyn Heights are other locations.

The village of Croton-on-Hudson, New York, has hosted the Harry Chapin Run Against Hunger since 1981.

On December 7, 1987, on what would have been his 45th birthday, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his campaigning on social issues, particularly his highlighting of hunger around the world and in the United States. (The Congressional Gold Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, are the highest civilian awards in the United States.)

A bust of Chapin was unveiled at the Long Island Cares Harry Chapin Food Bank in 2022.

The ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) bestows an annual Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, "given for humanitarian contributions" (according to the society's website).

Musical Accolades

1973 - Awarded Billboard's Trendsetter Award.

1976 - Won the Public Service Award from the Rock Music Awards.

1986 - Won the Presidential Merit Award from the Grammy Awards.

2001 - "Cat's in the Cradle" was ranked number 186 of 365 on the Recording Industry Association of America list of Songs of the Century.

2006 - Chapin was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

2011 - Inducted into the Grammy Awards Hall of Fame.