Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an African American singer-songwriter, best known for a small number of enduring hits, such as "Fast Car" and "Give Me One Reason".
Cleveland-born Chapman began playing guitar as a child, and eventually began attending Tufts University. Chapman began performing in coffeehouses and soon signed to SBK, releasing Tracy Chapman (1988). The album was critically acclaimed, and she began touring and building a fanbase.
Soon after performing at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday party, Chapman's "Fast Car" began its rise on the US charts. Album and singles sales were strong, and the album went multi-platinum, as well as winning four Grammies.
The follow-up, Crossroads (1989) was less successful. By 1992's Matters of the Heart, Chapman was playing to a small and devoted cult. To the surprise of most industry-watchers, however, Chapman's 1995 album New Beginning included the hit single "Give Me One Reason" (1995). The following album was 2000's Telling Stories, more a rock sound than folk, hit single "Telling Stories" was heavily airplayed on European radios. Her latest album is Let It Rain (2002) for which she toured in Europe and the US in 2003.
