Roger Chapman

Roger Chapman (born Roger Maxwell Chapman on 8 April 1942 in Leicester) is an English rock vocalist.

History

Roger "Chappo" Chapman was originally the vocalist for a band called Farinas formed by Charlie Whitney, who released the single "You'd Better Stop" in August 1964 . He is best known as a member of the progressive band Family, which he joined along with Charlie Whitney, in 1967 and also the rock, R&B band Streetwalkers formed in 1974. His idiosyncratic brand of on-stage showmanship and vocal vibrato led him to become a cult figure on the British rock scene. Chapman is claimed to have said that he was trying to sing like both Little Richard and his idol Ray Charles. Since the early 1980s he has spent much of his time in Germany. He has won an Artist of the Year award and was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Family

During 1966 The Roaring sixties were renamed Family and they replaced their drummer Overnall with Rob Townsend. The band issued its first single as Family entitled Scene Through The Eye Of A Lens/Gypsy Woman in 1967 and Family's debut album ''Music in a Doll's House'' followed in July 1968. Family's heavy, experimental rock music gained them a reputation as a progressive underground band, and Whitney became famous both for his cocky expression and his double-necked Gibson guitar. By 1970, with the release of their albums A Song For Me and Anyway and an unforgettable appearance at the third Isle of Wight Festival on 28 August in 1970, Family was creating some of the fastest and loudest rock and the most intense acoustic music in the British underground scene

. Although Family proved to be popular in UK and continental Europe success in the US eluded them and in 1973 the group broke up.

Songwriting

Whitney's angular guitar passages on songs like "Drowned In Wine" and "Good News Bad News" were singled out by fans and critics as being essential to the Family sound. He and Chapman wrote most of Family's songs together as a team. Whitney did compose two tracks, the instrumental "Summer '67" and the childlike folk song "Processions" (about a small boy enjoying a day at the seashore).

Streetwalkers

Roger Chapman, 1974
Charlie Whitney and Roger Chapman formed Streetwalkers late in 1973. This new band included vocalist and guitarist Bobby Tench from The Jeff Beck Group and Hummingbird and future Iron Maiden drummer, Nicko McBrain. Streetwalkers was a polished AOR band with more elements of white soul than Family. They signed to the Vertigo label as Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers recording an album simply entitled Streetwalkers, released on the Reprise label in 1974, with a line up including other members of Family and King Crimson. Chapman and Whitney morphed their band into the "Streetwalkers" which comprised five members including Bobby Tench, drummer Nicko McBrain, who later moved onto play with Iron Maiden and bassist Jon Plotel. Tench, McBain and Plotel appeared on Rockpalast in 1975, alongside Roger Chapman and Charley Whitney, billed as "The Whitney Chapman Streetwalkers" just before the band name was shortened. Their next album was entitled Downtown flyers which was released in USA during 1975. The groove heavy album Red Card was released in the UK during 1976 and remains a much respected album. Vicious but fair was also released by Vertigo in the same year and a final album Live Streetwalkers in 1977 followed, purely to fulfill contractual obligations. Streetwalkers became highly respected by music fans and the music press. The band broke up in 1977, ending eleven years of the Whitney-Chapman musical partnership.

Solo career 1979-present

In 1979 Chapman began a solo career and recorded his first solo album, Chappo. In 1983, Mike Oldfield recorded the album Crises featuring the song "Shadow On The Wall" sung by Chapman. In 1986 he guested on the second Box of Frogs album "Strange Land" singing lead on two songs. Bobby Tench, from Streetwalkers, was reunited with Roger Chapman in 1989 and they recorded Walking the Cat, released by SPV's imprint label Maze in 1989 also Hybrid and Low Down, released by Polydor in 1990. Since then Chapman has released eleven albums of new and live recordings, the most recent is the studio album One More Time For Peace released by Mystic in 2007. The album Hide Go Seek by Chapman was released in May 2009.

Discography

Family

Streetwalkers

Albums

Streetwalkers (1974, Reprise K 54017)
Downtown Flyers (1975, Mercury LP SRM-1-1060 (US), Vertigo 6360 123)
Red Card (1976, Mercury SMR-1-1083 (US), Vertigo 9102 010, Repertoire REP 4147-WP (CD))
Vicious But Fair (1977, Mercury LP SRM-1-1135 (US), Vertigo 9102 012)
Streetwalkers Live (1977, Vertigo 6641-703)
Best of Streetwalkers (1990, Vertigo CD, CA, LP 846-661)
BBC Radio One Live (1995, Windsong CD)

Singles

Roxianna/Crack Reprise (1974)
Raingame"/MillerVertigo (1975)
Daddy Rolling Stone/Hole In Your Pocket Vertigo (1976)
''Chilli Con Carne/But You're Beautiful Vertigo (1977)

Solo

Albums

Chappo (1979)
Live in Hamburg (1979)
Mail Order Magic (1980)
Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun (1981)
The Riffburglar Album (aka Funny Cider Sessions) (1982)
He Was... She Was... You Was... We Was... (Double, Live) (1982)
Swag (as the Riffburglars) (1983)
Mango Crazy (1983)
The Shadow Knows (1984)
Zipper (1985)
Techno Prisoners (1987)
Live In Berlin (1989)
Walking The Cat (1989)
Strong Songs - The Best Of... (1990)
Hybrid and Lowdown (1990)
Kick It Back (UK compilation) (1990)
Under No Obligation (1992)
King Of The Shouters (1994)
Kiss My Soul (1996)
A Turn Unstoned? (1998)
Anthology 1979-98 (1998)
In My Own Time (live) (1999)
''Rollin' & Tumblin' (live) Mystic (2001)
Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 1: Manchester University 10.3.1979 Mystic (2006 )
Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 2: Rostock 1983 Mystic (2006 )
Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 3: London Dingwalls 15.4.1996 Mystic(2006)
''Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 4: Live At Unca Po's Hamburg 5.3.1982 Mystic (2006)
One More Time For Peace Mystic (2007)
Hide Go Seek Hypertension Records (May 2009)

Singles

"Shadow On The Wall" (Mike Oldfield single sung by Roger Chapman) (1983)
"How How How" (1984)

DVDs

At Rockpalast Wienerworld (2004)
Family & Friends Angel Air (2003)

Signed Music Artists

History