Photo by [A:http://www.jamiefoxguitar.com|Jamie Fox], on our day off on tour, in Stuart Florida 11/05
I am blessed to live a life where music, family, friends and fun naturally intertwine. My husband and bassist [A:http://www.stephancrump.com|Stephan Crump] (pictured here with our son Maceo Duva Crump, born September 2nd 2005) is my most important musical partner and my most vital supporter. We have been performing together since 1996, taken a break to focus on getting married in 1999, and have been producing records together since 2002 (always along with our brave third wheel [A:http://www.rodsherwood.com|"Uncle Rodney" Sherwood]). These days, we truly enjoy touring together (mostly thanks to the kindness of all of you), where we have been joined on the road by our happy little one.
My uncle [A:http://www.tomchapin.com|Tom Chapin], writer and performer of music for kids and grown-ups, explained it this way: growing up, he and his brothers didn't get to see a whole lot of their musician dad, but when they did see him, he was always having more fun than anyone else in the room. And he still is. My grandfather, jazz drummer and drum educator [A:http://www.jimchapin.com|Jim Chapin], is still joyfully touring the world, spreading the gospel of good technique to drummers of all ages, styles and abilities. For his part, Tom is also touring a lot, making records, winning Grammies and getting better and better at what he does. My uncle [A:http://www.ovenspark.com|Steve Chapin] also has had a rich and varied music career as a composer-producer-arranger-multi-instrumentalist, ever since he, Tom, and my dad [A:http://www.harrychapinmusic.com|Harry] started writing and playing as "The Chapin Brothers" in the early 60s. They were one of the first bands to go electric at "The Bitter End" in Greenwich Village, where I did my first NYC shows 30 years later. Tom and Steve have always nurtured my singing and have given me some of my most important early opportunities to perform, most notably in my recording debut on the gold record "Cabbage Patch Dreams," which they produced. (Yes, I was 13, and I was a Cabbage Patch Kid.) The sibling tradition continues with my cousins, Tom's daughters Jessica Craven, Abigail Chapin and Lily Chapin, who together sing sweet 3-part harmonies over partly-twisted lyrics as the LA-based [A:http://www.thechapinsisters.com|The Chapin Sisters].
My mother Sandy would never call herself a musician, but she is a poet who wrote the words to Harry's most powerful song "Cat's in the Cradle." She remains an artistic and moral touchstone for me. And my dad's presence, now 25 years after he left us, is still so strong in this world. Though his songs have certainly been an inspiration to me, there is no doubt that his legacy of activism has made the greatest impact. In 2000, I succeeded my late uncle, political commentator James Chapin, as Chair of the Board of [A:http://www.worldhungeryear.org|WHY (World Hunger Year)], which my dad founded in 1975.