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Artist
Michael Chapman
12+ albums
folksinger-songwriteracousticguitarengland
about
Michael Chapman (born in Leeds on 24 January 1941; died 10 September 2021) was a highly regarded English singer-songwriter and a virtuoso guitarist. Originally playing guitar with jazz bands, he became well known in the folk clubs of the late 1960s as well as on the 'progressive' music scene. With a back catalogue boasting such gems as 'Rainmaker' and 'Fully Qualified Survivor' (featuring Mick Ronson, Rick Kemp, and others), it remains a mystery to all why he wasn't afforded more mainstream recognition. With his often quirky songs and vocal style sometimes eerily reminiscent of David Bowie, one can only assume that Chapman's hardy reluctance to bow to the commercial pressures of his record companies served only to afford him scant recognition from the record-buying public. With a muse falling somewhere between Kevin Ayers and Warren Zevon, Chapman was a folk-rock, psychedelic-jazz troubadour. Chapman first appeared on the London and Cornwall folk music circuits in 1967, including the Piper's Folk Club in Penzance, alongside John Martyn and Roy Harper. His first album was "Rainmaker" in 1969. His 1970 second album, "Fully Qualified Survivor", again produced by Gus Dudgeon with lush strings arranged by Paul Buckmaster, received much critical acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, and featured his best-known track, "Postcards of Scarborough". After a tour of the United States with Rick Kemp, Chapman signed to Decca's subsidiary, Deram, recording an increasin
