Harry Chapin--Taxi (1972)

     It would be very easy to write about, "Cat's In The Cradle" since that was by far Chapin's most popular song, but when I think of Harry this is the song that always sticks in my mind.
     Before Bob Geldof and Live Aid made it fashionable to support causes such as hunger and other world wide issues, Harry Chapin was regularly giving most of his money away. According to his widow, he thought "Money was for people" and was giving it back to help others. He supported many humanitarian causes and was instrumental in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977.
       Before he signed a contract with Elektra Records, Chapin was a film maker. In fact, his short film, "Legendary Champions" was nominated for an Oscar in 1968 for best documentary. In 1971, he began focusing on music and on the strength of  the single "Taxi", his debut 1972 album, "Heads and Tails" hit the charts. 
     Chapin would be criticized in the rock press for being too moralistic. I do agree that at times, his lyrics could tend to get preachy, but for me, he was at his best when telling stories. "Taxi" got it's initial push by DJ Jim Connors from WMEX who championed the song, and from Johnny Carson. It turns out that in 1972 when Harry was invited to sing, "Taxi" that the show received so many telegrams, and Carson himself was so impressed that Chapin became the only artists to be invited to come back and give an encore performance the next night. He ended up being invited 14 times to sing on the Tonight show, which would always help keep him in the public eye.
     The last single he released before his death ("Sequel")in 1981 was a song that brought closure to the subjects in the original.