Michael Chapman | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1941-01-24)24 January 1941 |
| Died | 10 September 2021(2021-09-10) (aged 80) Greenhead, Northumberland, England |
| Genres | Blues rock,folk rock,jazz rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, banjo, piano, percussion |
| Years active | 1966–2021 |
| Labels | Mooncrest,Secret,Harvest,Deram, Criminal, Black Crow,Strange Fruit,Mooncrest,Demon, Rural Retreat,Secret,Market Square,Blast First Petite,Tompkins Square |
Partner | Andru Chapman[1] |
| Website | michaelchapman |
Michael Chapman (24 January 1941 – 10 September 2021)[2][3] was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist who released 58 albums, displaying a "fusion of jazz, rock, Indian and ragtime styles [that] made him a cult hero".[4] He began playing withjazz bands, mainly in his home town ofLeeds, and became well known in thefolk clubs of the late 1960s, as well as on theprogressive music scene. Having celebrated fifty years as a professional musician in 2016, he continued to regularly tour the UK, Europe and US.
The significance of Chapman's work underwent several favourable reappraisals, particularly in the 1990s and 2010s.[5]Thurston Moore, with whom Chapman collaborated, cited him as an inspiration in the formation ofSonic Youth.
Michael Chapman was born inHunslet, Leeds,Yorkshire, the son of James Chapman, a steelworker, and Jane (nee Wheelan), who worked for a mail-order company. While at Cockburn grammar school he played in a skiffle group, before attending Leeds College of Art.[4] A move toBolton College followed, where he taught in the photography department. At this time, Chapman "started a relationship with one of his students, Andru Makin", who was to remain with him for the rest of his life. He played jazz guitar standards, and was heavily influenced by American performers. Listening to other English guitar players such asRalph McTell, Chapman evolved his own distinctive style of playing incorporating jazz, folk and ragtime stylings.
Chapman first appeared on the London andCornwall folk music circuits in 1967, including the Piper's Folk Club inPenzance, alongsideJohn Martyn andRoy Harper. His first album wasRainmaker (1969), produced byGus Dudgeon, who also worked withElton John,David Bowie andSteeleye Span, and released on the EMI progressive labelHarvest.[2]
While living inKingston upon Hull, Chapman recorded a further three albums for Harvest.Fully Qualified Survivor (1970), again produced by Dudgeon and with lush strings arranged byPaul Buckmaster, received much critical acclaim from the likes ofBBC Radio 1 DJJohn Peel, and contained his best-known track, "Postcards of Scarborough".[2] It "included some of his finest and most varied songs" and featuredMick Ronson on guitar, who collaborated with David Bowie immediately afterwards, with some critics noticing similarities in Bowie'sHunky Dory (1971).[4][5][6]Rick Kemp played bass andBarry Morgan was on drums and congas.[7]Keef Hartley was a frequent collaborator during this period.
Window (also 1970) andWrecked Again (1971) quickly followed, the latter having aMemphis flavour and featuring brass arrangements on the title track and "Shuffleboat River Farewell". After a tour of the United States with Kemp, Chapman signed toDecca's subsidiary,Deram, recording an increasingly rockier set of albums.[2] Championed byCharles Shaar Murray and John Peel, he retained a high profile, a lively draw on the college circuit in the UK and across mainland Europe. The record producerDon Nix worked on the albumSavage Amusement, which included several songs from the past. Chapman and Kemp used the album's title for a band in the mid 1980s.[2]
Chapman's Decca deal ended with the release ofThe Man Who Hated Mornings (1977), which was almost immediately re-issued as part of his association with Criminal Records, in 1978.[2] He followed this with an LP of guitar instruction, and continued giving concerts andrecording in a variety of styles, and with varying formations.[2] Chapman then started a period of prolific recording activity, recording for numerous smaller record labels, and playing the folk and club circuits. The 1980s was a quieter time for Chapman. He continued to make recordings that straddled musical genres and pushed his guitar playing to the fore, but had neither the profile nor sales of the previous decade, and "for a while he supplemented his income by delivering cars".[4]
The late 1990s onwards represented a period of continued rebirth for Chapman. He embraced the "elder statesman" role and enjoyed critical acclaim for albums likeNavigation,Dreaming Out Loud andStill Making Rain (a wrypun title that looked back to his debut album). Chapman released albums about every two years, receiving praise but without great sales, ending with the 1997 releaseDreaming Out Loud.[2] Bands likeSupergrass acknowledged Chapman's material and playing as a formative influence.
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The new century saw Chapman exploring his guitar player roots and releasinginstrumental albums alongside his song-based sets.Americana andWords Fail Me feature soundscapes that recalled travels in America, and featured a dexterity and inventiveness on the guitar equal to the classic Harvest and Decca periods.
In February 2008, he hosted a charity dinner/auction where a limited editionVanity and Pride was released featuring Ursa who added her own contribution to Chapman's music.
A tribute album titledOh Michael, Look What You've Done: Friends Play Michael Chapman was released in 2012 on Tompkins Square Records. It includes contributions fromLucinda Williams,Maddy Prior,William Tyler,Hiss Golden Messenger andSonic Youth'sThurston Moore.
Chapman's back catalogue forHarvest has been re-released by US based labelLight in the Attic in both heavyweight vinyl and CD formats. He also recorded several instrumental albums forTompkins Square Records, includingFish in 2015.
His website stated:"I had an art college education and on a rainy night in 1966 I went into a pub inCornwall, but I couldn't afford to pay to go in. So I said, I'll tell you what, I don't want to stay outside in the rain, I'll play guitar for half an hour for you. They offered me a job for the rest of the summer and I've been at it ever since."[8]
Michael and Andru Chapman never married but entered a civil partnership in 2020, having lived "in a farm house in Northumbria, just south of Hadrian’s Wall" since the early 1970s.[4][1] He died at his home on 10 September 2021, at the age of 80.[3][9][10]
Albums
Singles
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