Harry Chapin Died 30 Years Ago Today

[no_hypocrisy]

The epitaph on Harry Chapin’s gravestone is a lyric taken from his song “I Wonder What Would Happen to this World.” Carved into the speckled gray stone, under his name and the years 1942-1981, are the lyrics, “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.” Today, Saturday, July 16, marks 30 years since Brooklyn-born folk singer/songwriter Harry Chapin died in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway, but the tireless philanthropic work he did when he was alive has transcended time and made a man consistent with his epitaph.

“Chapin’s legacy to finding an end to hunger has lasted because he went after the cause with such passion,” says Paule T. Pachter, executive director of Long Island Cares, the organization Chapin founded in 1980. “Harry was walking through the halls of congress when he was talking about hunger. No one has come by with that kind of passion and conviction. There really hasn’t been another voice to fill his void.”


In memory of the 30th anniversary of Chapin’s death, Long Island Cares has created a 10-day celebration of Chapin’s life running from July 8-18, which will culminate over the next three days, beginning with a concert today and closing on Monday. Today, the anniversary of Chapin’s death, members of the Chapin family will gather at the Chapin Rainbow Stage in Heckscher Park, Huntington for a concert to support Long Island Cares. The concert is free but donations are appreciated. For a donation of $100 per person to Long Island Cares, each donor will receive an invitation to a special Meet and Greet reception with the Chapin Family one-hour prior to the concert at the Heckscher Museum. On Sunday, Pat Fenton, author of “Harry Chapin’s America, Remember When the Music,” will join musician Paul Gomez at Borghese Winery in Cutchogue for a tribute to Chapin from 2-4 p.m. Gomez will perform some of Chapin’s songs and Fenton will read excerpts from his book. And at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 18, a free Harry Chapin tribute concert will take place at The Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre in Eisenhower Park, East Meadow.


-snip-

“He established the first food bank on Long Island,” says Pachter. “In 1980 there were only two other food banks in downstate . He was also so accessible. If you saw him, he stopped and he spoke to you. That resonates with Long Islanders. He influenced people to be that way. Harry was just there and he was tremendously passionate about this island. This was his home.”

-more-

http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/07/16/harry-chapin-died-30-years-ago-today/

[smokey nj]

1. My oldest sister and her late husband were huge Harry Chapin fans. I remember how upset they

were when he died. I was 11 at the time. RIP Harry :(

[no_hypocrisy]

2. At the time of Harry's death, we were still reeling from the assasination of

John Lennon. WNEW played almost all of Harry's songs for 24 hours. All you could think of was "It just can't be true . . . "

[monmouth]

6. WNEW was the only station I listened to. Loved Harry's songs. Was

William B. still alive then?

[no_hypocrisy]

9. He was. You meant William B. Williams on 1130 AM WNEW, right?

Scott Muni was on WNEW-FM.

[monmouth]

13. Yes, 1130 AM. I listened to he and Jonothan Schwartz and the

fellow who was married to the "redhead"..That was a great lineup. Elvis was going on at the time but I just couldn't get into him. I loved the old standards..

[Faygo Kid]

3. Wow. I feel really old today because of this. Plus, I lost $25 when he was alive.

When "Piano Man" first came out, I bet a friend $25 that Harry Chapin sang it. It sounded just like him, but of course it was Billy Joel, and I lost. Twenty-five bucks back then was a lot of money to a struggling college student. But I paid up. RIP, Harry. 30 years. Wow.

[Wilms]

4. Taxi (Live)

"Baby's so high that she's skying, yeah she's flying afraid to fall,
I'll tell you why Baby's crying, 'cause she's dying aren't we all."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfqjKDRQvWI

[sendero]

5. Harry Chapin.

... was a great songwriter and a great man. They say "only the good die young", and sometimes I think "they" are right.

[Morning Dew]

7. Crying here.

But that happens often when I think of Harry. He mattered and he still matters.

A Better Place To Be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgpbIPQl7CA

Mail Order Annie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spGFdXGMw58

Chapin - in his own words

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plqdi0pAbsE&feature=related

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. I love/loved Harry and was fortunate enough to see him a couple of times in concert. Circle

was part of my sons' lullaby repertoire. The thought that he has been gone from this planet for the last 30 years is mind boggling.
You were an incredible human being dear Harry. xxxooooxxxooo

My absolute favorite Harry Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIBpnF0rmxo

[no_hypocrisy]

10. Harry Chapin's Riches: The Troubadour Who Laughed at Fame & Gave Away His Fortune

They called Harry Chapin a troubadour, but he was more of a novelist. He wrote short, poignant, biographical novels and set them to music. Novels about taxi drivers who have chance encounters with their first loves and choose not to go home. Novels about fathers and children who start out not getting close to each other and end up not even getting next to each other. Novels about lovers who get swept away in the heat of the moment. Novels about snipers and disc jockeys and heroic true believers who never lose touch with who they are.

And yesterday, when Harry Chapin died in a car wreck, he left behind the sort of novel that he wrote about so well. A man whose life ended abruptly in the middle. Between the search and the goal. Between the promise and the gift. Not yet there, but on the way.

He'd be giving a concert, and he'd sit on a stool, his guitar resting on his right knee, and he'd joke with the audience about the kind of songs he'd written. He knew that most of the critics thought he was a lightweight, and while that judgment offended him, it never discouraged him. He thought it hilarious that one rock performer was reviewed this way, "He was a rich man's Harry Chapin." Harry would laugh and say, "Look at where they've got me. They've got me as a standard for comparison. If anyone is lower than me, he has to be at the very bottom of the ocean." He'd blush and tell the audience that when he was younger he had the nickname "Gapin' Chapin." And he'd call himself "a third-rate rock star." And then he'd turn up his energy higher, much higher than his amps, and sing his songs. "Taxi." "Cat's in the Cradle." "I Wanna Learn a Love Song." "Sniper." "W*O*L*D". And in his own way, for his special audience, he was every bit as popular and loved, and even worshiped like a Bruce Springsteen.

Harry Chapin could have been a millionaire.


-more-

http://www.angelfire.com/mn/arin/harry5.html

This is Harry's obit, originally published in The Washington Post the day after his death.

[spanone]

11. blink of an eye....remember it like yesterday..

[Omaha Steve]

12. Marta and I saw him in concert once

We heard on the radio he died. We were on the way to sneak peak of Zorro the Gay Blade.

K&R for his charity work.