"Hello, Honey, It's Me": The Story of Harry Chapin($13.99Value)

Description

The life of Harry Chapin, charismatic musician and iconic humanitarian, was unexpectedly and tragically taken on July 16, 1981. He was 38 years old. A "human dynamo" whose sheer tenacity landed him on the Billboard charts, on Broadway, in the White House, and at the forefront of the world hunger movement, Chapin lived by the mantra of "When in doubt, do something." In following this mentality, Chapin's 10-year solo career encompassed more than 2,000 concerts, nine studio albums, the creation of global nonprofit World Hunger Year (now WhyHunger), and the love and respect of fans, fellow musicians, and key political influencers alike. Hailed as a consummate storyteller, Chapin is best known for his character-driven tunes -- "Taxi," "Sniper," "W*O*L*D," "A Better Place to Be," "30,000 Pounds of Bananas," and "Cat's in the Cradle" included. Yet despite having only four Top 40 hits to his name, Chapin's songs remain one of a kind -- elevating him to the same artistic status as classic singer-songwriters of his era like James Taylor, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot, and John Denver. Now, nearly 40 years after his death, the following 10-chapter oral biography seeks to tell Harry Chapin's story through the firsthand, on-the-record testimonies of the "characters" who knew him best -- more than 65 family members, friends, business associates, and political and musical contemporaries. This book strives to provide a well-rounded retrospective of a musical shooting star whose life, being, sense of accomplishment, and legacy remain unsurpassed -- even to this day. Ira Kantor is the creator of "Ira Kantor's Vinyl Confessions," a music column for the website  VintageRock.com . His music writing has also appeared in such publications as the  Boston Herald ,  Elmore Magazine ,  New York Daily News , and  Village Voice . A graduate of Binghamton University and Boston University, Ira resides just outside Boston with his wife, Jen, son, Freddie, and dog, Chapin.