Jimmy Cliff’s music carried hope, resistance, and joy across generations. From « The Harder They Come » to « Many Rivers to Cross », he changed music, not only reggae forever. His songs will keep guiding us for many rivers to come. 🕊️💚💛❤️ Photo KMazur / WireImage file

🌻 Celebrating 30 years since the release of the "New Beginning" album We'd love to hear your favourite track or memory of this era.

Asheville #nokings last night. Tracy Chapman on the speakers. Finally, the tables are starting to turn.

This dog's name caught our attention. Tracy Chapman is a beautiful two-year-old German shepherd who is in danger of being euthanized on September 24 if she is not rescued. Please, somebody save her! She's in Contra Costa County, California. Call Contra Costa Animal Services 925-608-8400

When people say they wore out an album, they literally did! How is your original copy? 😉 #tracychapman #debutalbum #fastcar

When Tracy Chapman got her first big paycheck, she didn’t buy a car. Or jewelry. Or a vacation. She bought her mom a house. Paid off her student loans. Helped her sister Aneta go to school. That’s what success looks like when your roots run deep.

(1/2) Everyone knows Tracy Chapman’s voice. Few know the voice that shaped it. Her sister Aneta was the first to hear every song Tracy ever wrote, starting when she was eight. She was also the first to say, “That one’s not good” or “Keep going.” Aneta wasn’t just a sister...

Tracy Chapman’s first big break didn’t come from a record label. It came from @nataliemerchant.bsky.social who cried while listening to an advance tape of her debut album. Natalie believed in Tracy’s music and made sure that others heard it, too. She even opened for Tracy at her own show.

On this day in 1996, the Tracy Chapman single “Give Me One Reason” peaked at #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 (July 20)

Must read: Bringing Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” to Vinyl: From analog tapes to lacquer cuts, this is how Tracy Chapman brought Fast Car back to vinyl with producer David Kershenbaum & mastering legend Bernie Grundman. The 35th anniversary edition was worth the wait. www.mixonline.com/recording/mu...

Tracy's final performance at the Lilith Fair 1997 in Camden was unforgettable. She danced. She grooved. She led a surprise performance of "Proud Mary." Sarah McLachlan, Joan Osborne, and Victoria Williams joined her one by one. There was ecstasy on stage 🕺

Guess who’s #1 on The New York Times’ July 4th playlist? Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ Bout a Revolution” leads 10 powerful songs of rebellion and justice. 🔥 www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/a...

Before she sang for millions, she wrote for herself. Chapman’s early songwriting came from a personal place, unfiltered, raw, and poetic. On her fifth album, Telling Stories, she tried to return to that place. It’s a reminder: Growth often means remembering who you were before the world watched.

Songs are not poems. At least not to Tracy Chapman. She made that distinction early on, in 1982, when she was only 18! To her, songwriting and poetry serve different purposes. Poetry, she once said, “calls for actual reading and attention.” Songs? You can hear them while driving, working, living.

Which Tracy Chapman lyric stays with you? You know the one. The line you whisper to yourself. The one you quote when no one’s listening. Share it. Let someone else feel it too.

Stuff you learn when you hang out on Reddit: Ry Cooder enjoying Tracy Chapman? Wow!

“Across the Lines” is Tracy Chapman’s 9th most-streamed song of all time. Despite never being a single. Despite not appearing on either best-of album. Why? Because trauma doesn't need promotion. It finds listeners who know. Some songs rise to the top because truth floats.

“He told me to run or he'd shoot me. I didn't run. I stood my ground.” It’s quiet. She doesn’t raise her voice. But what she says is earth-shattering.

Not everyone stays the person they were raised to be. This first comment, left on a YouTube video, is proof of that. Racist upbringing. Changed by one song, "Across the Lines" From hate to humanity. From blindness to grace. They didn’t just hear Tracy’s voice. They listened.

“Across the Lines” was one of only 5 songs Tracy performed at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert. Let that sink in. With all her repertoire, she chose this one. Why? Because freedom fighters recognize each other. And pain respects pain. Some songs are sung where change is born.

“The little Black girl is me.” Tracy Chapman didn’t just write “Across The Lines”—she lived it. At 15, she was assaulted on her way home from school. The attacker pulled a gun. She didn’t run. That haunting line in the song? "Choose sides or run for your life" It wasn’t metaphor. It was memory.

I'm writing tomorrow's newsletter, which will be about Tracy Chapman’s song “Across The Lines”. My research leads me to walk the streets of Cleveland via Google Street View. Is this the bridge? "Across the lines Who would dare to go Under the bridge Over the tracks That separates whites from blacks"

While “Fast Car” is often considered Tracy Chapman’s most iconic track, it was “Give Me One Reason” that climbed highest on the Billboard Hot 100. On this day in 1996, it reached its peak position at #3.

I just unwrapped and started playing the 35th Anniversary vinyl reissue of Tracy Chapman’s debut album and it is beyond sublime.

Celebrating 37 years since Tracy Chapman’s iconic Nelson Mandela Birthday Concert performance that introduced her powerful voice to the world! Subscribe now and watch your inbox later today for all the exclusive details! tracychapmanonline.substack.com

Starting tomorrow, we’ll launch a new series: a deep dive into every Tracy Chapman song, starting with “3,000 Miles.” We’ll listen, interpret, and share our stories. Like a book club… but for Chapman fans. Join us 👇

Thrilled that the newsletter reached #2 on Substack's Rising in Music ranking! 🎉 The next issue will focus on Tracy Chapman's songwriting process. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do so here 👇 tracychapmanonline.substack.com/subscribe Thanks for your support and interest!

You’ve been wondering: Will Tracy Chapman ever tour again? Will there be a new album? We’ve dug into her latest interviews. It’s all in this week’s newsletter 👇 tracychapmanonline.substack.com/p/will-tracy...

Writer-director-actor Max Talisman @themaxtshow shares a definitive mixtape of the love songs that shaped his film « Things Like This », the song « Fast Car » is part of it. Here’s what he said about it: (Source: Talkhouse.com)

Tracy Chapman is back on the airwaves! She joins Jo Whiley today on BBC Radio 2 to celebrate 35+ years since her debut album… and to share the music she loves. 📻 Tune in: 🕢 7:30pm London 🕝 2:30pm New York 🕦 11:30am San Francisco www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... #TracyChapman #BBCRadio2 #FastCar

Now Playing; Tracy Chapman (1988)

Will add some more thoughts into the bin night thread later as they become more clear, meanwhile to celebrate the historic events of 3/5/25 I bought myself a little treat

Now playing. The 35th anniversary repress. The depth of sound on this!

Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman (1988) This 35th (+2) Anniversary edition really songs spectacular. Sadly the songs are still as timely as ever. #Vinyl

Celebrating more than 35 years since the release of her chart-topping self-titled debut album, Tracy Chapman will join Jo Whiley on her show this Thursday, May 8, 2025, to pick some of her favorite music.

Tracy Chapman spoke to the @nytimes.com about the way she is pigeonholed by the songs she writes: "I am writing. I’m still writing story songs. I know that I have been labeled as a protest singer, and it’s not a label that I accept. I’m not mad at it... 📸 Photo by Nicholas Albrecht

We are deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of @jillsobule.bsky.social Let us listen to her music to honor the wonderful singer-songwriter she was. Our hearts go out to her family, friends and fans 🙏

If we needed yet another reason to love "Fast Car"👇 Did you know that Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" is one of the best songs you can play when testing speaker quality? @nytwirecutter.bsky.social asked audio expert Brent Butterworth to explain why on this week's episode Listen here: nyti.ms/42XSZXb

You can now listen to the replay of "Something About the Women", the @wmfo radio show with @bigbluesue.bsky.social here👇 (from 7 minutes and 20 seconds) www.wmfo.org/popout_archi... It will be available for 2 weeks. #tracychapman

We are now live! Tune in at www.wmfo.org by clicking the "Listen Now" button!

🎉 Tracy Chapman continues to amaze: historic honor, chart-smashing vinyl, and rare interviews. Full story and details in our newsletter👇 tracychapmanonline.substack.com/p/tracy-chap... To receive the next one in your mailbox, please subscribe!

We were honored to be invited by @bigbluesue.bsky.social to participate in an episode of "Something About the Women" Radio Show dedicated to Tracy Chapman, on the iconic radio station in Tracy's history: 91.5 WMFO.

A musician, an artist who resists the “activist” label: “It’s a way to raise awareness and contribute, but I’m not one: I’m a musician. That’s my role in the world.” Tracy Chapman Tracy Chapman spoke to Spanish newspaper El Pais (links below)

Tracy Chapman is ranked #15 on SingersRoom's list of the greatest folk singers of all time. Where would you place her in your pantheon?

The numbers are in. While charts were never a motivator for Chapman, the 35th anniversary vinyl reissue is making waves - not just on vinyl charts globally, but across the board, including a return to the Billboard 200. Another line in the legacy. 🎶

Tracy Chapman was interviewed by @garveyschild.bsky.social on Q with Tom Power (CBC) this morning. Listen to the replay here 👇 www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Order your copy of Tracy's debut album reissue if you haven't already amzn.to/4idbD1Q

Tracy Chapman is a guest on BBCRadio4 - ‘Front Row’ today. To listen live, log on following times 🇬🇧 London 7:15pm 🇧🇷 São Paulo 3:15pm 🇺🇸 New York: 2:15pm 🇺🇸 San Francisco: 11:15am 🇦🇺 Sydney 4:15am (tomorrow) If you miss it, don't worry, the replay will be available on BBC iPlayer

The newsletter "Tracy Chapman in Her Own Words (After 10 Years of Silence)" has just left, to read it go here👇 tracychapmanonline.substack.com/p/tracy-chap... And to receive the next one in your mailbox, subscribe!

“I don’t stream music,” Tracy Chapman tells the @nytimes.com, saying she buys physical formats to support the artist. She also praises “all the young women in all their variety” — like Chappell Roan and Charli XCX — who are making music on their own terms.