Only the Good Die Young-Part IV



Harry Chapin

 My first memory of Harry Chapin was when he appeared on the Tonight Show, starring Johnny Carson. It must have been in the early '70s. I seem to remember him singing Dance Band on the Titanic, which I thought was a hoot (in a morbid sort of way). Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

"Dance band on the Titanic
Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me"

Chapin sang about the tragedies of life (e.g., Cats in the Cradle). His life also ended tragically. But before we get to how he died, let's talk a bit about how he lived.

Chapin was born on December 7, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York. His father, who divorced his mother when Harry was eight, played drums for Big Band acts, including Woody Herman. Harry's first musical experience was singing in the Brooklyn Boys choir, where he met his future bass player and backing vocalist, John Wallace. He and his two brothers put together a band, which their dad occasionally joined as drummer.

After graduation, Chapin briefly attended the United States Air Force Academy and Cornell University, but never completed a degree program from either institution. He initially wanted to be a documentary film maker, even making a film that was nominated for an Academy Award. Instead of continuing in this vein, he started playing nightclubs in New York City. After an initial failed album, Harry's second album was a success, thanks to the song Taxi. A Boston DJ picked up the single and helped push the song to number 24 on the charts.

In 1966, Chapin met his future wife, Sandra, who had called him, asking for music lessons. They had a boy and a girl together, and he was stepfather to Sandra's two children from a previous marriage.

Harry's fourth album brought his only number one hit, Cats in the Cradle. The song was based on his wife's poem, written about her first husband's relationship with his father. The song made Harry a millionaire.

In the mid '70s, Chapin focused on raising money to combat hunger in the U.S., and other charitable causes. Many of his concerts were benefit performances and his concert merchandise receipts were used to support an organization he co-founded, called World Hunger Year. It is estimated that he donated a third of his concert receipts to charitable causes, sometimes appearing alone to reduce costs. His wife is quoted as saying, "only with slight exaggeration" — that "Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations and 82 charities. Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, 'Money is for people,' so he gave it away." Despite his success as a musician, he left little money, making it difficult to maintain the causes for which he raised more than $3 million in the last six years of his life. The Harry Chapin Foundation was the result. As an orchestra conductor, it is heartwarming to note that he served on the board of the Long Island Philharmonic.

Just after noon on Thursday, July 16, 1981, Chapin was driving about 65 mph in the left lane of the Long Island Expressway. He was on his way to perform a free concert. Suddenly, he put on his emergency flashers and slowed to about 15 mph. He then veered into the center lane, nearly colliding with a car, swerved left, then to the right again, ending up directly in the path of a semi truck, which rammed the rear of Chapin's Volkswagen Rabbit. The collision ruptured the fuel tank when the semi climbed up the back of the car.

The truck driver and a passerby got Chapin out of the burning car through a window, just before the car was completely engulfed in flames. Chapin was taken by helicopter to a hospital, where doctors were unable to revive him. Officials said that Chapin died of a cardiac arrest. It was impossible for them to determine if it occurred before or after the accident. Chapin's wife won $12 million because of the negligence of the truck driver. Chapin was 38 years old.

Chapin's tombstone epitaph is taken from his song, I Wonder What Would Happen to this World:

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

Harry Chapin did prove that one man's life can make a difference. He gave his time, talent, and treasure...and that's all any of us can do.

Watch Chapin perform Cats in the Cradle.