Tom Chapin Celebrates “70”
WFDU-FMâs TRADITIONS Playlist for March 8, 2015
I have presented many guests on the show over the years, and with live radio (or even pre-recorded radio), you never know how the conversation and performance will go. However, whenever Tom Chapin comes on the show, I always know it will be a wonderful afternoon.
Tom joined me in the studio to share selections from his brand new CD 70. Tom turned 70 on Friday the 13th and the celebration took the form of a concert at the famed Towne Crier CafĂŠ in Beacon, New York. Tomâs daughters, who appear on the CD and perform professionally as The Chapin Sisters, joined him onstage.
It is hard to believe that I first met Tom 30 years ago. His hair might be grayer, and mine has become much thinner, but Tom still has the same charm, warm smile and incredible talent that continues to impress over the years.
Iâve often felt that Tom does not get enough recognition for the songs he has written or collaborated on over the years. That may seem like an odd thing to say about an artist whose career spans five decades, released 24 albums, won three Grammy Awards and many other awards, and has appeared on concert stages and festivals across the nation. As an actor, he has appeared in films, television and stage â including a stint on Broadway.
Tom first came to national attention in 1971 as the host of the acclaimed childrenâs TV series âMake a Wish.â He spent five years as host, during which the series won several Emmy Awards and a prestigious Peabody Award.
Although he was working as an actor, music was always a factor in his life and career. He came from an artistic family, his grandfather was author/critic Kenneth Burke and his father was notable jazz drummer Jim Chapin. Artistic pursuits were encouraged by his family, and growing up during the sixties, Tom and his brothers could be found in Greenwich Village soaking in the folk music that was being heard and led the siblings to form their own group â the Chapin Brothers. The group would disband, but the interest in music remained. By the mid-70s, Tom was balancing both acting and musical careers and he released his first solo CD in 1976.
Tom might be best known for his âfamilyâ music. In 1988 he released the album âFamily Tree.â At the time, Tomâs daughters were ages eight and six, and he wanted to create music that was geared toward this age group â the post toddler, pre-teens and their families. Since âFamily Treeâ was released, Tom has followed up with 12 additional family albums and performing family concerts for thousands of families. These albums have won numerous awards, and the most recent release, The Incredible Flexible You, has received a 2013 ParentsĘź Choice Gold Award, a Family Choice Award, a MomĘźs Choice Gold Award and a Creative Child CD of the Year Award.
Since I first met Tom in the mid-â80s, he has always been there for WFDU when we were running a fund drive. Tom performed at a number of benefit concerts for WFDU, donating his time and talent and helping WFDU raise much needed funds to help keep our unique programming on the air. His support has meant a great deal to me and the station, and we will always be grateful.
Yet, for all the wonderful work he has done, I still feel that Tomâs output for adults deserves even greater recognition. While I have become friends with many artists over the years, I do try to remain critical with their artistic output. When it comes to Tom, I find a body of work that reaches me on different emotional levels. Tomâs âadultâ songs share a trait with his âfamilyâ songs â they are life affirming. They speak of social and environmental issues, relationships, friends and family and getting through life. Tom is a powerful storyteller who uses humor and a keen sense of the human condition in his work.
His new CD 70 should not be looked at as a culmination of his lifeâs work, but rather a snapshot of what Tom is experiencing as he reaches this milestone birthday. The new recording features mainly original songs and collaborations, including one âre-interpretedâ piece that Tom began writing 30 years ago and finished with his good friend and band member Jon Cobert. There is also a lovely version of Tom singing Steve Goodmanâs âCity of New Orleans,â a song that won a Grammy Award for when he narrated a version for a childrenâs book based on the classic song. The CD ends with a moving version of a song closely associated with Pete Seeger, âQuite Early Morning,â and Tom is joined by his daughters on the recording.
Issues about our environment are prominent in the selections for 70, including a topical song about fracking. Tom also gives a tip of the hat to his friend and sometime collaborator Si Kahn with two songs âRide Out Any Stormâ and âPrayer for Bristol Bay.â Si Kahn, the activist/singer-songwriter, has been alerting the musical community about a potential ecological disaster in Bristol Bay, Alaska where a proposed open pit copper and gold mine that threatens wild salmon in the bay and local rivers.
Closer to home (Tom lives in Rockland County in New York state), Tom wrote a song called âThe Riverkeeperâ about Captain John Lipscomb and his boat, run by the environmental organization Riverkeeper. Like the organization Clearwater (which was co-founded by Pete Seeger), Riverkeeper is an environmental group dedicated to protecting the Hudson River and its tributaries. Founded in the 1980âs, the Riverkeeper now boasts 150 âkeepersâ around the globe, all members of the Waterkeeper Alliance. Here in Teaneck, New Jersey, the Hackensack Riverkeeper is doing its part to protect our local river, which I can see from the windows of WFDU-FMâs studios.
Tom also features some personal songs, but unlike the navel gazer variety, Tomâs songs speak of experiences we all share. I was moved by âOld Dogs and Old Friendsâ which tells the tail, I mean tale, of Holly and Otis, two dogs that the Chapins brought home from the pound and grew from puppies to old age in their home. Tom also sings âMyra Jean,â written on the night his granddaughter was born five years ago.
Throughout the CD, Tom is joined by good friends such as John Guth, Jon Cobert and Guy Davis who adds a nice touch of blues harmonica on âPut a Light in Your Window.â
While he was in our studio, Tom and I chatted a bit about Pete Seeger, whose presence is felt throughout this CD. Before singing âQuite Early Morningâ with his daughters to close the CD, Tom gives us a re-recording of a song that first appeared on one of his family albums. Taking its name from the Native American word for the Hudson River, the song âMuhheakunnukâ was written in 1998 with John Forster, telling the story of the river that inspired Pete and many other artists.
During our interview, Tom noted that while he might be moving things forward a bit, he really âstands of the backs of giantsâ like Seeger and Guthrie who blazed trails in decades past. From his early days in the Village where he watched many artists including Reverend Gary Davis, to 2015 where he graces stages all across the continent, Tom Chapin is creating a diverse body of work while teaching and inspiring others. His new CD adds to his canon, which I hope will continue to grow in the years to come.
Here is an audio clip of Tom and I discussing childrenâs music
and the role the arts plays in our schools:
New and Noteworthy: In addition to Tom Chapinâs 70, I was impressed by Spuyten Duyvil The Social Music Hour Vol. 1 (self), Pharis & Jason Romero A Wanderer Iâll Stay (self), Anna & Elizabeth Anna & Elizabeth (Free Dirt)
(Tune in to TRADITIONS every Sunday from 2pm to 5pm Eastern Time over WFDU-FM 89.1 in the NYC/Northern New Jersey area, or on the web at www.wfdu.fm.or iHeartRadio.com. On-demand streams of shows, including this one, are archived for two weeks HERE. A Sing Out! Radio Partner.)
ARTIST âTune / Songâ
ALBUMÂ Label Website
2PM
Theme: HARVEY REID âDirty Dish Ragâ
Solo Guitar Sketchbook Woodpecker Records â www.woodpecker.com
SPUYTEN DUYVIL âHot Time in the Old Town / Preaching on the Old Campgroundâ
The Social Music Hour Vol.1Â self â www.spuytenduyvilmusic.com
ANNA ROBERTS-GEVALT & ELIZABETH LAPRELLEÂ âSoldier & the Ladyâ
Anna & Elizabeth Free Dirt â www.freedirtrecords.com , www.annaandelizabeth.com
PHARIS & JASON ROMERO âGoodbye Old Paintâ
A Wanderer Iâll Stay  Lula Records â www.pharisandjason.com
MIKE OBERST âSail Away, Ladiesâ
Mike Oberst and His Five-String Banjo self â www.mikeoberst.com
FOGHORN STRING BAND âJohn Hardyâ
Devil in the Seat Self â www.foghornstringband.com
MELISANDE âJe Fais La Difficileâ
Les Metamorphoses Self â www.melisandemusic.com
THE FRETLESS âLonesome Scene of Winterâ
The Fretless self â www.thefretless.com
CASSIE & MAGGIE MACDONALD âJimmieâsâ
Sterling Road self â www.cassieandmaggie.com
THE KENNEDYS âThe Queen of Hollywood Highâ
West self â www.kennedysmusic.com
THE LEVINS âTrustâ
Trust self â www.thelevinsmusic.com
SCOTT & MICHELLE DALZIEL âStep Into Nowâ
Dragonflies self â www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ScottandMichelleDalziel
3PM
Guest: Tom Chapin. Tom shared selections from his new CD â70â and performed âGuitar Childâ, âBackwards Birthday Partyâ, âWreckageâ and âMuhheakunnukâ live in the studio
TOM CHAPIN âPut a Light in Your Windowâ
70Â Sundance Music â www.tomchapin.com
TOM CHAPIN âSmart Without Artâ
70Â Sundance Music â www.tomchapin.com
TOM CHAPIN âThe Riverkeeperâ
70Â Sundance Music â www.tomchapin.com
TOM CHAPIN & THE CHAPIN SISTERS âQuite Early Morningâ
70Â Sundance Music â www.tomchapin.com
4PM
PETE SEEGER âSo Long, Itâs Been Good to Know Youâ
American Folk Anthology Not Now Music â www.notnowmusic.co.uk
JORMA KAUKONEN âIn My Dreamsâ
Ainât No Hurry Red House Records â www.redhouserecords.com
KEN WHITELEY & THE BEULAH BAND âHow Fast Tie Fliesâ
Ken Whitely & the Beulah Band Borealis Records â www.borealisrecords.com
MOORS & MCCUMBER âMy Heart is Openâ
Pandemonium self â www.moorsandmccumber.com
MSG â THE ACOUSTIC BLUES TRIO âRacetrack Bluesâ
Done Spoke My Mind self â www.acousticbluesmsg.com
CHRIS SMITHER âHold Onâ
Still on the Levee Signature Sounds â www.signaturesounds.com , www.smither.com
RHIANNON GIDDENS âShake Sugareeâ
Tomorrow is My Turn Nonesuch Records â www.nonesuch.com , www.rhiannongiddens.com
THE BURNS SISTERS âKilkellyâ
Looking Back: Our American Irish Souls self â www.burnsisters.com
TOM PAXTON âIrelandâ
Redemption Road self â www.tompaxton.com
ROSE CLANCY with BRENDAN DOLAN âBetty Moffettâ
Fiddle*piano*bass self â www.roseclancyfiddler.com
ODETTAÂ âGlory, Gloryâ
Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues Tradition Records â out of print
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Ron Olesko
WFDU-FM
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Teaneck, NJ 07666
www.wfdu.fm
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