She has also done some cool recordings with Buddy Guy and BB King. She knows how to work a vocal line.
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Tracy Chapman
- Thread starter cronker
- Start date
I have no clue about whatever Record Companies may or may not have done in regards to Tracy Chapman's development?
I can however honestly tell you that I went to the same High School with her in Danbury, CT.
She was musically mature way beyond me and all my rock-n-roll pals at the time. This would have been 1982-83.
I don't really think she was held back from anything because I recall just a few years after she graduated she had been killing it in clubs in Boston. I turned on MTV in on Sept 2, 1988 and she was onstage singing alongside Sting and Bruce Springsteen. A remarkable thing for someone just a couple years out of college.
Spring forward to December of '89 and on my 24th Bday (12/4) I saw her headline and practically steal the show at the 2nd of Neil Young's Bridge School Benefits.
The other acts on the bill were CSN, Billy Idol, Tom Petty, Jerry Garcia with Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman and Bob Dylan.
A little after that she got her first of four Grammies.
I can however honestly tell you that I went to the same High School with her in Danbury, CT.
She was musically mature way beyond me and all my rock-n-roll pals at the time. This would have been 1982-83.
I don't really think she was held back from anything because I recall just a few years after she graduated she had been killing it in clubs in Boston. I turned on MTV in on Sept 2, 1988 and she was onstage singing alongside Sting and Bruce Springsteen. A remarkable thing for someone just a couple years out of college.
Spring forward to December of '89 and on my 24th Bday (12/4) I saw her headline and practically steal the show at the 2nd of Neil Young's Bridge School Benefits.
The other acts on the bill were CSN, Billy Idol, Tom Petty, Jerry Garcia with Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman and Bob Dylan.
A little after that she got her first of four Grammies.
It takes a strong artist to stand up to the magnificence of Sting's golden mane.
W
We do Give Me One Reason with our girl lead singer. Three chords but it's a good tune people know.
We do Give Me One Reason with our girl lead singer. Three chords but it's a good tune people know.
Good enough has nothing to do with it... A better word is marketable first, music second...
Been hearing that since the beginning of time
I don't think I believe it. We may not like certain songs or certain acts, but if people are buying it, it appeals to someone. And I've seen a whole lot of acts who had their look and marketing totally together, had all the right connections, had plenty of money behind them, and still their music stiffed. Paris Hilton and Brooke Hogan immediately come to mind, but there are others we never heard of who didn't fail in such a spectacular fashion. Meanwhile a little red-headed nerd with an acoustic guitar who isn't particularly handsome and didn't have any money is currently the world's top singer/songwriter. Truth is, it's a lot easier to do a song that nobody likes than it is to write one that a million people like. Talent has to be a major part of the equation, at least that's the way I see it.
Been hearing that since the beginning of time
I agree. Ultimately, talent wins out. Talent can mean many things of course. Being a killer song writer, being a superior musician or maybe just have the knack for writing a hook that stands the test of time. Locally when I was gigging big time and heavily involved in the local music scene two bands were coming up and you could tell that one of them were going places. The other had big money to spend, great marketing and a minor hit. The other had a bunch of dudes who were reckless and focused. The first mentioned band was Steel Breeze. The second was City Kid, that became Tesla. All of daddies money couldn't buy Steel Breeze success.
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I saw her locally at a mid-sized venue a few years ago and she put on a great show - not only is she a soulful singer but she has serious guitar chops. Go see her if you ever get the chance.
Been hearing that since the beginning of time
A part of it yes... A major part. I'm not sure... Talent, when not nurtured or displayed properly has a hard time standing out... IMO..
Thanks man...now I've got "You Don't Want Me Anymore" going through my brain and it won't go away
Amen, Jimmy. There is no substitute for talent. (And when it's paired up with hard work and a little luck, it's hard to keep success from happening.)
That much is true, too. But people have to WANT to nurture or display you properly, and of course you have to be willing to do your part and then some as well. Some acts turn people off by their bad personalities or being too demanding at a level that isn't commensurate with their talent or success. Some aren't willing to work hard enough. And again, some (most) people just don't have what it takes in the talent department and can't compensate in other ways. IMHO there's way more to it than evil record execs holding someone back, although there are some very evil record execs throughout history, indeed.
Wow, I haven't heard that tune in ages, had forgotten how good it was!
About the difference between her career and somebody like Perry or Gaga, she is a contemporary of Madonna's, albeit a few years younger. I know next to nothing about the music industry but it seems to me that huge pop stars like Madonna or Perry live in a different orbit than blues or folk singers. The target market for the pop megastar is different than for the coffeehouse blues woman; the former is teenage girls (and teenage guys who pretend to like all that pop stuff because teenage girls do), the latter is a more mature audience.
I may be wrong.
- Jan 26, 2014
- 1,525
- 1,946
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- I teach lessons and perform live music in and around San Diego CA. Sometimes I even make money doing it!
Gaga's legit. She was employed as a songwriter long before she was famous, serious chops on several instruments and a truly excellent voice. Granted it's not Marvin Gaye earth-shattering stuff but if you're not immediately turned off by electronic music, there's some good stuff there. My LA friends call what she does non-music, which is funny, and somewhat accurate, but their consensus is she's really good at it. Katy Perry? Now that sounds like like the pinnacle of formulaic product music to me, not sure of her background but the triteness of her lyrics make Gaga look like Leonard Cohen.
Tracy Chapman... Fast Car is an American treasure. What's a better American folk/pop song? The Boxer? Like a Rolling Stone? It's right up there in my book. She has a smattering of other brilliant tunes. I don't understand the mass appeal of "gimme one reason," but I'm glad a blues tune made it to #1 in my lifetime, that's pretty cool.
I would almost put Gaga and Chapman in a similar category of talent and musicianship (Gaga's the more versatile by far), I think Katy's a good singer with some... tangibles... that make her saleable, but other than a couple songs it's pretty unlistenable for me.
Gaga, in my opinion, is in a class above Tracy. If you listen to this performance her vocals are phenomenal. She writes, sings, and plays multiple instruments.
