Roger Chapman

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Roger Chapman at the Werner Race 2018

Roger Maxwell "Chappo" Chapman (born April 8, 1942 in Leicester , Leicestershire , England ) is a British rock singer who was first known as the singer of the progressive rock band Family . Over the course of his musical career, he has worked with many internationally renowned stars such as Mike Oldfield , Box of the Frogs , Mike Batt , John Wetton and Alvin Lee . Chapman has been a successful soloist since 1979. What is striking is his vibrato in his voice, which has become his trademark. He influenced other singers like Peter Gabriel .

Life

Roger Maxwell Chapman was called "Chappo" by his friends and later by his fans since he was a child. He grew up in poor conditions in Leicester, according to his statements he was pushed back and forth, temporarily placed in homes and finally raised by his grandparents.

"My upbringing was very, very poor. No home life at all.
I was shunted around from place to place and raised by my grandparents. "

- Roger Chapman, 2014

In Leicester he attended the All Saints Junior Primary School and the Ellis Intermediate Boys School together with his future bandmate and drummer Rob Townsend . At the age of 15 he began an apprenticeship as a painter and decorator, which he broke off after a short time and tried his hand at a steel fixer , where he was also dismissed after a short time. Basically, according to Chapman, he had difficulties accepting superiors as authorities. His LOVE and HATE tattoo on his knuckles came from this time . He also had a bad reputation in his neighborhood. His behavior changed only after he recovered from a cervical fracture, which he contracted in a serious car accident at the age of 18. Until he became a professional musician, he kept afloat as a factory worker and other simple jobs. In 1961, at the age of 19, he married his 17-year-old pregnant girlfriend and became a father a few months later. The marriage lasted until 1962.

Music career with family and street walkers

Roger Chapman 1974

In 1958, at the age of 15, Chapman literally tried his hand at street music with friends and took part in various song contests. They played songs by The Coasters , Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis and called themselves The Searchers . The next few years he joined The Rocking R's , which Ray Charles interpreted. Although Chapman did not aspire to a career as a professional musician, it finally began when he became the lead singer of The Farinas , the precursor to Family. The line-up that Chapman joined in 1966 consisted of John 'Charlie' Whitney (guitar), Harry Overnall (drums), Jim King (vocals, saxophone, harmonica) and Ric Grech (bass, violin). In the early days of their performances, on the advice of music manager Reg Calvert , they wore double-breasted suits and hats. The American record producer Kim Fowley attended one of their concerts and felt that they looked like gangsters and therefore in Family (eng. For family should) rename a synonym for Mafia . With Family, Chapman became internationally known as a singer. The band released seven successful albums until they broke up in 1973. All long players achieved high chart positions in Great Britain, including three top 10 albums ( Family Entertainment , 1969, 6th place; A Song for Me , 1970, 4th place; Anyway , 1970, 7th place). After a disappointing US tour in 1969, they did not have their big breakthrough in the USA and they also lost their bassist Ric Grech, who switched to Blind Faith . Grech was replaced by John Weider during the tour. However, Family managed two Billboard 200 chart positions with Fearless (1971 - 177th place) and Bandstand (1972 - 183rd place). After the end of the band, Chapman and his remaining bandmate Charlie Whitney founded the band Streetwalkers in 1974 , which finally broke up in 1977 for financial reasons and mismanagement. It also finally broke up the eleven-year musical collaboration between Whitney and Chapman. They still remained friends.

Solo career

Chapman finally had the " pissed off " (orig. English: pissed off ) to play in a band, to constantly compromise and to produce albums under pressure and lack of time. In 1979 Chapman released his first solo album called Chappo , which was well received by his fans. Various titles on this album, such as Moth to a Flame or Who Pulled the Nite Down , remained integral parts of his live performances. A subsequent tour of the UK in 1979 was lauded by fans and the press. Chapman is more convincing than ever with his rock-R&B mix and that at the height of the English punk movement. Meanwhile he released the single Let's Spend the Night Together from the album Live in Hamburg (1979), a cover version of the Rolling Stones . Although it was received positively by the critics, it could not place itself in the German charts, in the UK, however, the song was regularly played on the radio. Chapman produced his solo albums with the band The Shortlist and went on tour with them as a backing band ("It's only an album / tour band, that's how it's gonna be."). The band was put together by Chapman's longtime friend and Streetwalkers keyboardist Tim Hinkley and consisted of constantly changing musicians, the guitarist Whitehorn remained loyal to Chapman as a studio and tour musician until 1986.

Cooperation with other artists

In the same year it came to cooperation with Mike Batt. On the album Mike Batt & Friends - Tarot Suite (1979) Chapman sang the tracks Imbecile and Run Like the Wind with Rory Gallagher on guitar. The latter title was published on August 3, 1979 and was able to play internationally with different placements in the charts. Chapman recorded two albums with the Riff Burglars in 1981 and 1983 , The Riff Burgler Album - The Funny Cider Session - Vol.1 (1982) and The Riffburglars - Swag (1983) . The albums can be assigned to blues rock and rock 'n' roll. They contained reinterpreted cover versions of classic rock songs, but also their own compositions Big Roll Daddy (Chapman / Seals), which was covered by Chapman's music idol Jerry Lee Lewis and made Chapman proud. The Riff Burglars consisted of musicians, some of whom played in renowned bands, such as Boz Burrell on bass (Streetwalkers, King Crimson and founding member of Bad Company ), the saxophonist Nick Pentelow ( Wizzard ), but also the shortlist guitarist Geoff Whitehorn (among others for Paul Rodgers , Manfred Mann's Earth Band ). Chapman sang with the Riff Burglers under his pseudonym Sonny Spider .

In 1983 Mike Oldfield collaborated on his album Crises . Oldfield hired a friend to speak to Chapman in his local pub to see if he would like to sing a song for his new album. Chapman said succinctly "of course, that can be done". In the studio, it was found that Oldfield had certain ideas about the song Shadow on the Wall , but was dissatisfied with the results and let him sing over and over until Chapman finally complained. With the exception of Great Britain (peak position 95), Shadow on the Wall was a top 10 hit across Europe. But especially in German-speaking countries, where it was ranked 3rd in Germany, 1st in Austria and 4th in Switzerland. Despite the success, there was no further collaboration between Mike Oldfield and Roger Chapman. They recorded the song, did a few television appearances and that's it, Chapman said in an interview with Tommy Millhome (2007). They were never bosom friends . Mike Oldfield once applied to Family as a bass player before starting his solo career and was not taken on at the time. He resented that to this day.

The band Box of Frogs was formed through the merger of the three former Yardbirds musicians Chris Dreja , Paul Samwell-Smith and Jim McCarty with John Fiddler as the front man. Chapman sang on their album Strange Land (1986), which was recorded with a top-class cast ( Steve Hackett , Jimmy Page , Rory Gallagher), the new version of the Yardbirds single Heart Full of Soul and the album title Strange Land.

He also worked with the blues guitarist Rainer Baumann and sang two pieces on his album Adorig Jimmy Reed (1982). Chapman recorded the song The Lucky Man Blues (1995) with the Viennese jazz musician Karl Ratzer and can be heard on the All Star Band album SAS Band (1998). There he shares the vocals with Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann's Earth Band) and Roger Taylor ( Queen ) on the piece Thats the Way God Planned It .

The 1980s

The 1980s were the most commercially successful years for Roger Chapman. The two albums Mail Order Magic (1980) and Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun (1981) with former Family and King Crimson member John Wetton on bass, were positively received by fans and critics, but did not reach the top 100 chart positions. However, Chapman was awarded a German music prize in 1982 for the best “non-German speaking singer” and the album Hyena's Only Laugh for Fun was named Rock Album of the Year.

On October 18, 1981, at 2:00 a.m., Roger Chapman & The Shortlist performed at WDR - Rockpalast in the Grugahalle Essen . The concert was broadcast live on radio and television across Europe in 14 countries at the same time and reached 25 million viewers, which made Chapman known throughout Europe and finally helped him achieve his breakthrough.

The albums Mango Crazy (1983), The Shadow Knows (1984), Zipper (1986) and Walking the Cat (1989) were well received by audiences and stayed in the German charts for weeks. On these albums, too, Chapman not only relied on his backing band The Shortlist , but also worked with the internationally known rock musicians Alvin Lee (guitar, Ten Years After ) and Mick Rogers (guitar, Manfred Mann's Earth Band ). The album The Shadow Knows also contained the single How How How. It stayed in the charts for seven weeks with the highest ranking at number 48. It remained his only self-released single in the top 100 singles charts. In Great Britain, where Roger Chapman has been considered a rock icon since his time with Family , none of his albums and singles got a place.

After the production of Zipper , Chapman separated from his guitarist Whitehorn, because his last albums sounded too much like metal , but he preferred the R&B. "I'm not blaming Geoff for anything, but I'm more into the R&B, even Country end of things, but not the heavier side of Rock 'n' Roll ..." "... but not Metal ..." - (Chapman)

The 1990s until today

Roger Chapman & The Shortlist (Vienna Jazz Festival, 2007)

Chapman brought out seven other records by 2014, so that he released 14 studio albums with changing line-ups of his backing band The Shortlist in his solo career . His penultimate release Hide Go Seek is a double album. 25 songs on this album were previously unreleased recordings from various decades of his career and their sound has been processed. However, some titles were alternative versions of songs that had already been released. Chapman's last album Peaceology (2014) is basically a new edition or remix of his album One More Time for Peace (2007) with a few additional songs and a changed track list. One More Time for Peace is much quieter than all of its predecessors, probably also due to its age. Chapman appeared more thoughtful in interviews. The song Oh Brother, Take Me! remind him of his age and that one day he too must die. The last title on both releases from 2007 and 2014 is the traditional song Jerusalem , also known as Hymn Jerusalem with a text by William Blake , which he heard at a church wedding. Although he doesn't believe in God, the song touched him emotionally and found it suitable for his album One More Time for Peace . The song is especially intended for his growing son, so Chapman in 2007 in an interview with Domradio.

Chapman and The Shortlist have been touring frequently and predominantly in Germany since the 1980s, occasionally in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Austria and France. On the stage he still presents himself with a powerful voice. Drugs and excessive alcohol are a thing of the past. However, his stage presence has diminished in recent years. Among other things, because after 40 years Chapman had strained his voice to the limit and beyond and had long suffered from severe laryngitis. As early as 2013, Chapman kept thinking about quitting, but he still enjoys his performances. In 2013 there were finally several reunion concerts with Family in the line-up of Roger Chapman, Rob Townsend, Poli Palmer and Jim Cregan as well as some guest musicians. Since 2015 he has only performed occasionally.

Chapman's voice, songwriting and style of music

Chapman's rough, smoky voice with a distinct vibrato is distinctive and unique in the music world. Songs are often sung by him screaming, and with ballads they are performed calmly in a hoarse voice. He was not aware of this peculiarity in the first years of his music career. At some point during the family production Music in a Doll's House (1968) the producer let him understand that he had a strange voice ("[He] gave me the impression there was something odd about my voice" - Chapman, 1994) At the time, however, he did not know how to interpret it. In 2017, however, Chapman confidently said of his voice: "I'm not Joe Cocker, I'm not Sting, I'm not this, I'm not that, I just sound like me." Chapman never took singing lessons, but he did take tenor saxophone and Learned the harmonica from professional players. He wrote his songs without musical instruments and in the past often “from the gut” (original: instinctive ). That posed big problems for him at the beginning of his songwriting ("... it was very difficult to write songs in that sense."). However, it means a lot to him to be accepted as a successful songwriter and his ambitions to stay creative. Chapman's texts often address his own life in a cryptic way. Musically it can be assigned to rhythm and blues (R&B) in the broadest sense , with the corresponding connections to rock 'n' roll, soul, folk, country, jazz, blues and gospel.

Private life

Chapman speaks sparingly about his family life in interviews. He is married to Leone, who also manages him, and has at least one son. He has a thing for expensive cars, scotch and beer and lives with his family in Barnes, in south-west London. In personal dealings, he is often described as energetic and sometimes unpredictable, but behind his behavior there is an individually friendly and good-natured person. Musician colleagues would adjust to him and in the past resisted pressure from record bosses to want to change Chapman's personality. “They [music business] never stoped to manipulate [me]…”, was Chapman's 2007 comment. Looking back on his musical life, he said in another interview: “Well, I feel good, have a nice house, have made millions, but also lost a lot of money. ”In the professional world, Roger Chapman's high professionalism, passion for rock music and perseverance are emphasized. He is someone who attracts his fans like moths to the light ("Moths to a Flame").

Discography (without sampler)

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Mango Crazy
  DE 37 05/02/1983 (10 weeks)
The Shadow Knows
  DE 24 09/24/1984 (10 weeks)
Zipper
  DE 48 04/07/1986 (2 weeks)
Walking the Cat
  DE 55 06/26/1989 (12 weeks)
Singles
Shadow on the Wall (with Mike Oldfield )
  DE 3 10/17/1983 (20 weeks)
  AT 1Template: Infobox chart placements / maintenance / NR1 link 11/15/1983 (16 weeks)
  CH 4th 10/30/1983 (13 weeks)
How How How
  DE 46 04/02/1984 (7 weeks)
  AT 18th 04/01/1984 (2 weeks)

Roger Chapman with family

Roger Chapman with the Streetwalkers studio albums

  • Chapman-Whitney - Streetwalkers (1974)
  • Downtown Flyers (1975)
  • Red Card (1976)
  • Vicious But Fair (1977).

Live albums Streetwalkers (selection)

  • In Concert BBC (1975)
  • Live Streetwakers (1977)

Roger Chapman with the Riff Burglars

Roger Chapman's solo albums

Live albums Roger Chapman (selection)

  • Live in Hamburg (1979)
  • He Was, She Was, You Was, We Was (Live 2 CD, 1982)
  • Live in Berlin (1989)
  • In My Own Time (Live 2 CD, 1999)
  • Rollin '& Tumblin' (2001)
  • Roger Chapman, Live - Opera House, Newcastle 2002 (2003)
  • Roger Chapman, Family and Friends (Comp. 5 CD + book, 2003)
  • Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 1: Manchester University 3/10/1979 Mystic (2006)
  • Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 2: Rostock 1983 Mystic (2006)
  • Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 3: London Dingwalls April 15, 1996 Mystic (2006)
  • Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 4: Live At Unca Po's Hamburg 5.3.1982 Mystic (2006)
  • Maybe The Last Time (Live, 2011)
  • Live in Hamburg [Markthalle Hamburg 28.08.1979] (2014)

Singles (selection)

  • Run Like The Wind (Mike Batt and Friends feat.Roger Chapman) - 1979
  • Imbecile (Mike Batt feat. Roger Chapman) - 1979
  • Let's Spend The Night Together - 1979
  • Unknown Soldier (Can't Get To Heaven) - 1980
  • Shadow On The Wall (Mike Oldfield and Roger Chapman) - 1983
  • Mango Crazy - 1983
  • How How How - 1984
  • Zipper - 1986
  • Is There Anybody Out There? - 1990

Video albums

  • Roger Chapman and Friends (Live NewCastle 2002) (2003)
  • Roger Chapman at Rockpalast (Live Hamburg 1979 & Essen 1981) (2004)

Web links

Commons : Roger Chapman  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Roger Chapman - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music. Retrieved February 3, 2019 (UK English).
  2. ^ Jean-Pierre Hombach: Phil Collins . 2008, ISBN 978-1-4716-2948-8 , pp. 65 ( preview in Google Book search).
  3. ↑ Tommy Millhome: Roger Chapman Interview with Tommy Millhome. In: youtube.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  4. ^ A b c Jo Kendall: Money: Roger Chapman. In: loudersound.com. July 16, 2014, accessed February 3, 2019 .
  5. ↑ Various Mojo Magazine: The Mojo Collection: 4th Edition . Canongate Books, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84767-643-6 , pp. 2016 ( preview in Google Book Search).
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h Roger Chapman | FamilyBandstand. April 4, 2009, Retrieved February 9, 2019 (American English).
  7. ↑ 21. Accessed February 8, 2019 .
  8. ^ Band members: B. In: badcatrecords.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
  9. ^ Roger Chapman - Family & Friends. Retrieved February 3, 2019 (UK English).
  10. ↑ FAMILY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 3, 2019 .
  11. ^ Artist Search for "family". Retrieved February 3, 2019 (American English).
  12. ↑ a b c 10: Interview with Roger Chapman - March 1979. Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Chappo - Roger Chapman | User reviews. Retrieved February 4, 2019 (American English).
  14. ^ Roger Chapman - Family & Friends. Retrieved February 4, 2019 (UK English).
  15. ↑ Chartsurfer.de: Chartsurfer.de. Retrieved February 4, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Mike Batt And Friends Featuring Roger Chapman - Run Like The Wind. Retrieved February 4, 2019 .
  17. ^ South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs (PR). Retrieved February 4, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Tommy Millhome: Roger Chapman. January 28, 2015, accessed March 18, 2019 .
  19. ^ Mike Oldfield - Shadow on the Wall | Music | SWR1 Baden-Württemberg. March 2, 2016, accessed February 5, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
  21. ↑ Chartsurfer.de: Roger Chapman - Songs. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Tommy Millhome: Roger Chapman. Retrieved February 5, 2019 .
  23. ^ Mike Oldfield - Shadow on the Wall | Music | SWR1 Baden-Württemberg. March 2, 2016, accessed February 5, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Box Of Frogs - Box Of Frogs / Strange Land. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
  25. ↑ Mail Order Magic - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved February 5, 2019 (American English).
  26. ^ Hyenas Only Laugh for Fun - Roger Chapman | Songs, reviews, credits. Retrieved February 5, 2019 (American English).
  27. ^ Roger Chapman - Family & Friends. Retrieved February 5, 2019 (UK English).
  28. ↑ Rockpalast Archive - Roger Chapman at Rockpalast. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
  29. ↑ Rockpalast Archive - 9th Rocknight 1981 english. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
  30. ↑ Search - Official German Charts. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
  31. ↑ Search - Official German Charts. Retrieved February 7, 2019 .
  32. ↑ 3. Accessed February 9, 2019 .
  33. ↑ Roger Chapman exclusive - An interview with (December 15, 2007) | DOMRADIO.DE. Retrieved February 9, 2019 .
  34. ^ Valentin steinbrecher: Roger Chapman - Shadow On The Wall & Shortlist - Live Werner Race 2018. Accessed on February 8, 2019 .
  35. ^ Roger Chapman & The Shortlist in the Nuremberg Hirsch 2011. In: music-on-net.de. August 27, 2015, accessed February 8, 2019 .
  36. ^ Roger Chapman and the Shortlist Concert Setlists (page 7). Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
  37. ↑ Roger Chapman celebrates his 75th birthday. Retrieved February 8, 2019 .
  38. ↑ Wrinkled Weasel: Rock Legacy: Roger Chapman - In His Own Time. In: Rock Legacy. December 1, 2011, accessed February 9, 2019 .
  39. ↑ Huber, Florian, 1967- author: The ghosts wait behind the doors: the German family drama of the post-war period . ISBN 978-3-8270-1331-6 ( worldcat.org [accessed March 18, 2019]).
  40. ↑ An interview with the musician Roger Chapman. Retrieved February 8, 2019 .
  41. ^ Roger Chapman and the Shortlist Concert Setlists. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
  42. ↑ Jay Strange: ART INTO DUST: Family an interview with Roger Chapman spring 1994. In: ART INTO DUST. August 26, 2008, accessed February 7, 2019 .
  43. ↑ Roger Chapman celebrates his 75th birthday. Retrieved February 8, 2019 .
  44. ↑ Jay Strange: ART INTO DUST: Family an interview with Roger Chapman spring 1994. In: ART INTO DUST. August 26, 2008, accessed February 10, 2019 .
  45. ↑ 1. Accessed February 10, 2019 .
  46. ↑ Tommy Millhome: Roger Chapman. Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
  47. ↑ 21. Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
  48. ↑ Tommy Millhome: Roger Chapman. Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
  49. ↑ fbandstand: Roger Chapman | FamilyBandstand. April 4, 2009. Retrieved March 18, 2019 (American English).
  50. ↑ nova concerts: Roger Chapman. (PDF) In: www.novaconcerts.com. January 31, 2011, accessed March 18, 2019 .
  51. ↑ a b Chart sources: Singles albums
personal data
SURNAME Chapman, Roger
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chapman, Roger Maxwell (full name); Chapman, Chappo (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British rock singer
DATE OF BIRTH April 8, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH Leicester , Leicestershire , England