Tracy Chapman, known for her emotive singing and liberal politics, attracted a large following on college campuses in the late 1980s. She learned how to play the guitar and began writing her own songs as a child in Cleveland. While attending Tufts University, she was discovered by a fellow student who recommended her to his father, Charles Koppelman, who ran SBK Publishing. Koppelman helped her sign with Elektra Records in 1987 and she released her self-titled debut the following year. Tracy Chapman went multiplatinum, launched the hit single "Fast Car," and earned four Grammys. Her next two efforts, Crossroads (1989) and Matters of the Heart (1992), were less commercially successful, but New Beginning (1995) marked a comeback, reaching the U.S. Top 10 and spawning the chart-topping single "Give Me One Reason." She followed with Telling Stories (2000) and Let It Rain (2002).

Reviews

• Where You Live
• Let It Rain