The life and career of Tracy Chapman, the only Black woman ever to have a solo writing credit on a No. 1 country song with 'Fast Car'

Chapman's parents divorced when she was 4 years old. She says she may have been first inspired to play the guitar by country variety show "Hee Haw."

Source: About Tracy Chapman; Rolling Stone; NPR

"The city had been forced to integrate the schools so they were bussing Black children into white neighborhoods, and white children into Black neighborhoods, and people were upset about it so there were race riots," Chapman told the Guardian in 2008.

Chapman, who said she "always loved school," won a scholarship to a private boarding school in Connecticut when she was 16 years old. She went to Tufts University for college, where she studied anthropology with an emphasis on West African cultures.

Source: The Guardian; About Tracy Chapman

In college, Chapman performed her own songs in coffee houses and on street corners. A classmate, Brian Koppelman, approached her after hearing her play and introduced her to his father, Charles Koppelman, the head of one of the largest music publishing companies. Koppelman facilitated the recording contract with Elektra Records.

Source: Rolling Stone; NPR; About Tracy Chapman

"Fast Car," a song about ruminating on escape, became a No. 6 pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100 list in August 1988 and won a Grammy in 1989. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song No. 167 on their 2010 list of "The Greatest Songs of All Time."

Source: Rolling Stone; BBC; About Tracy Chapman

Source: The Guardian; Los Angeles Blade

Source: Grammy Awards; RIAA

"I'm fortunate that I've been able to do my work and be involved in certain organizations, certain endeavors, and offered some assistance in some way," Chapman told the Guardian in 2002.

Chapman received honorary doctorates from Saint Xavier University and her alma mater, Tufts University, for her social activism. On April 16, 2023, the South African presidency bestowed a National Order on Chapman "for her contribution to the fight for freedom by participating in efforts to free Nelson Mandela and raising awareness of human rights violations globally."

Source: The Guardian; The Presidency Republic of South Africa

Other artists, like Sam Smith, Justin Bieber, and Khalid have also covered "Fast Car."

Source: Billboard

"I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I'm honored to be there," Chapman told Billboard. "I'm happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced 'Fast Car.'"

Source: Billboard