Roger Maxwell Chapman (born 8 April 1942 in Leicester), also known as Chappo, is an English rock vocalist. He is best known as a member of the

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

, which he joined along with

Charlie Whitney Charlie may refer to: Characters * "Charlie," the head of the Townsend Agency', from the ''Charlie's Angels'' franchise * Charlie, a character on signs for the CharlieCard, a smart card issued by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority * ...

, in 1966 and also the rock, R&B band

Streetwalkers Streetwalkers were an English rock band formed in late 1973 by two former members of rock band Family, vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist John "Charlie" Whitney. They were a five piece band which evolved from the Chapman Whitney Band. The ba ...

formed in 1974. His idiosyncratic brand of showmanship when performing and vocal

vibrato Vibrato (Italian, from past participle of " vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms o ...

led him to become a cult figure on the British rock scene. Chapman is claimed to have said that he was trying to sing like both

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

and his idol

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

. Since the early 1980s he has spent much of his time in Germany and has made occasional appearances there and elsewhere. In Germany, he was awarded an ''Artist of the Year'' award during the 1980s, followed by a ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' in 2004.

History

Chapman was originally the vocalist for Farinas, who released the single "You'd Better Stop" b/w "I Like It Like That" in August 1964. (However, lead vocals on that single were performed by Jim King.) He moved on to join ''The Roaring Sixties'' who were renamed

in 1966. In 1967 the first single was released, "Scene Through The Eye of a Lens", something of a psychedelic classic. Chapman wrote most of Family's songs with

and their debut album '' Music in a Doll's House'' was released in 1968. Their bluesy, experimental rock music gained them a reputation as a progressive underground band. The release of '' Family Entertainment'' (1969), '' A Song for Me'' (1970) and ''

Anyway Anyway may refer to: * ''Anyway'' (album) or the title song, by Family, 1970 * Anyway Records, an American record label * "Anyway" (CeeLo Green song), 2011 * "Anyway" (Chris Brown song), 2015 * "Anyway" (Duck Sauce song), 2009 * "Anyway" (Ge ...

'' (1970) established Family as a fast and loud rock band also capable of producing the most intense acoustic music, in the British

underground music Underground music is music with practices perceived as outside, or somehow opposed to, mainstream popular music culture. Underground music is intimately tied to popular music culture as a whole, so there are important tensions within underground ...

scene, at that time. Their single " The Weaver's Answer" from the ''Family Entertainment'' album was a hit in 1969. On 28 August 1970 they appeared at the third

Isle of Wight Festival The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970. The 1970 event was by far the largest of these earl ...

. Although the band was popular in UK and Europe, success in the US eluded them and in 1973 they broke up. Chapman formed

Chapman-Whitney Streetwalkers were an English rock band formed in late 1973 by two former members of rock band Family, vocalist Roger Chapman and guitarist John "Charlie" Whitney. They were a five piece band which evolved from the Chapman Whitney Band. T ...

with Whitney, late in 1973. They signed to the

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

label and recorded an album Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers (1974), with a line-up including other members of

and

King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...

, as well as Nicko McBrain, now with

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

. Chapman and Whitney morphed their band into

, who were a polished

album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orient ...

band who used more white soul than

had. They released ''Downtown Flyers'' (1975), moving on to record the groove heavy album ''Red Card'' (1976) which was released in the UK in 1976 and remains a much respected album by music fans and the music press. Two more albums followed before the band broke up in 1977, ending eleven years of the Whitney-Chapman musical partnership. In 1979 Chapman began a solo career and recorded his first solo album '' Chappo''. His backing band became known as ''The Shortlist'' at this time and he toured Europe extensively.

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...

's song " Shadow on the Wall" from the album ''

Crises A crisis (plural, : crises; adjectival form, : critical) is either any event or period that will (or might) lead to an unstable and dangerous situation affecting an individual, group, or all of society. Crises are negative changes in the human ...

'' (1983) featured Chapman on vocals and became a hit. He appeared as a guest artist on the second

Box of Frogs Box of Frogs were an English rock music, rock band formed in 1983 by former members of the Yardbirds, who released their first album in 1984. The core group consisted of Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty. Vocals on their eponym ...

album '' Strange Land'' (1986) singing lead vocals on two songs. Chapman went on to record ''Walking the Cat'' (1989) and ''Hybrid and Low Down'' (1990). Since then Chapman has released eleven albums of new and live recordings. His album ''Hide Go Seek'' (2009) was produced by former

bassist Jim Cregan and released during May 2009. His appearance on Saturday 21 August 2010 at the Rhythm Festival was billed as: "The farewell performance from Roger Chapman & The Shortlist".

Discography

Family

Streetwalkers

Albums

* ''

'' Reprise K 54017 (1974) * ''Downtown Flyers'' Vertigo 6360 123, Mercury LP SRM-1-1060 (US) (1975) * ''

Red Card A red card is a type of penalty card that is shown in many sports after a rules infraction. Red card may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''Red Card'' (album), 1976 release by Streetwalkers * Red card, suit (cards) of hearts or dia ...

'' Vertigo 9102 010, Mercury SMR-1-1083 (US), Repertoire REP 47-WP (CD) (1976) * ''Vicious But Fair'' Vertigo 9102 012, Mercury LP SRM-1-1135 (US) (1977) * ''Streetwalkers Live'' Vertigo 6641-703 (1977) * ''Best of Streetwalkers'' CD, CA, LP Vertigo 846-661 (1990) * ''BBC Radio One Live'' CD Windsong (1995)

Singles

*"Roxianna" b/w "The Crack" Reprise K 14357 (1974) - ''released as Chapman Whitney Streetwalkers'' *"Raingame" b/w "Miller" Vertigo 6059 130 (1975) *"Daddy Rolling Stone" b/w "Hole in Your Pocket" Vertigo 6059 144 (1976) *"Chilli Con Carne" b/w "But You're Beautiful" Vertigo 6059 169 (1977)

Solo

Albums

*'' Chappo'' (1979) *'' Live in Hamburg'' (1979) ecordings were made in August 1979!*''

Mail Order Magic ''Mail Order Magic'' is the second solo album by singer Roger Chapman and his then band The Shortlist, released in 1980. The production of this album was somewhat troublesome and difficult, but in the end a convincing and powerful album was relea ...

'' (1980) *'' Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun'' (1981) *''The Riffburglar Album (Funny Cider Sessions)'' (1982) *'' He Was... She Was... You Was... We Was...'' (Double, Live) (1982) *''Swag'' (as the Riffburglars) (1983) *'' Mango Crazy'' (1983) *''The Shadow Knows'' (1984) *''Zipper'' (1986) *''Techno Prisoners'' (1987) *''Live in Berlin'' (1989) *''Walking The Cat'' (1989) *''Strong Songs – The Best Of ...'' (1990) *''Hybrid and Lowdown'' (1990) *''Kick It Back'' (UK compilation) (1990) *''Under No Obligation'' (1992) *''King of the Shouters'' (1994) *'' Kiss My Soul'' (1996) *''A Turn Unstoned?'' (1998) *''Anthology 1979–98'' (1998) *''In My Own Time'' (live) (1999) *''Rollin' & Tumblin'' (live) Mystic (2001) *''Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 1: Manchester University 10.3.1979'' Mystic (2006) *''Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 2: Rostock 1983'' Mystic (2006 ) *''Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 3: London

Dingwalls Dingwalls was a live music and comedy venue adjacent to Camden Lock, Camden, London, England. The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, ...

'' 15 April 1996 Mystic (2006) *''Chappo-The Loft Tapes, Volume 4: Live at Unca Po's Hamburg 5.3.1982'' Mystic (2006) *''

One More Time For Peace ''One More Time For Peace'' is a studio album by singer Roger Chapman. The album was released 2007. Track listing # "One More Time for Peace!" (Roger Chapman) – 4:05 # "Heading Back to Storyville" (Chapman) – 6:22 # "All Too Soon" (Chapman) ...

'' Mystic (2007) *''Hide Go Seek'' Hypertension Records (2009) *''First Cut: Chapman-Whitney Streetwalkers, digital rerelease'' Mystic Records (2010) *''Live at Rockpalast Markthalle Hamburg 1979'' (2014) ecordings were made in November 1979!*''Live at Grugahalle Essen 1981'' (2014) *''Maybe the last time'' (live 2012) *''Life In The Pond'' (2021)

Singles

*"Imbecile" (1979) Mike Batt with Roger Chapman. From the album Tarot Suite. *" Shadow on the Wall" (1983) Mike Oldfield with Roger Chapman *"How How How" (1984)

DVDs

* At Rockpalast Wienerworld (2004) * Family & Friends Angel Air (2003)

References

External links

Roger Chapman
NME 2009
Roger Chapman Official Appreciation SocietyInterview on the Leicester Bands websiteRoger Chapman discography with tracks
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, Roger Family (band) members English rock singers English male singers 1942 births Living people People from Leicester Musicians from Leicestershire Streetwalkers members