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status and Grammy Award winning praise. Her music and liberal political views further influenced students on many college campuses around the United States.

Chapman was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 30, 1964. She learned how to play guitar and began writing songs as a young child. Following her high school graduation, Tracy won a minority placement scholarship which granted her the ability to attend Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. While studying anthropology and African studies, her fondness for folk rock and songwriting passion led her to perform her own songs in coffeehouses as well as on the streets. She recorded some demos at her college radio station which attracted the attention of one of her peers, Brian Koppelman, whose father Charles ran SBK Publishing. Once she graduated, she signed with SBK who eventually got her a record deal with Elektra in 1987.

A year later she released her debut self-titled album and began touring immediately to promote the record. In June 1988, she performed at the televised Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert and received incredible acclaim. Her first single, "Fast Car" quickly climbed the charts and peaked at number six while the album made the number one spot on the Billboard 200 and was certified 6x platinum. Chapman also received three Grammy Awards in 1989 for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Contemporary Folk Recording.

In 1989, she released her follow-up album, Crossroads which placed 9th on the Billboard 200 charts and was certified platinum. Chapman's third album Matters of the Heart in 1992, proved not to be a commercial success however was well received by her devoted fans. New Beginning, issued in 1995, sold over three million copies in the US alone owing much of its success to the hit single "Give Me One Reason" which won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1996. Subsequent to a five year hiatus, Tracy returned in 2000 with the release of Telling Stories, an album considered more rock oriented as opposed to her familiar folk sound. Her sixth album, Let It Rain was heavily promoted during her European tour in 2003. Her most recent album, Where You Live was released in 2005.