Blowing out the candles today, it’s Proper favourite Beth Nielsen Chapman – many happy returns!
1956:
Singer songwriter Beth Nielsen-Chapman born, Harlingen, Texas, USA. Beth released her debut album in 1980, only for “Hearing it First” to sink without trace. Becoming known as a provider of repertoire for country artists including Faith Hill, Willie Nelson and Trisha Yearwood, her self-titled release a decade later would meet with rather more success.
2007 saw the release of “Prism”, a mix of self-penned tracks and traditional songs delivered in nine languages. That well-known music critic Archbishop Desmond Tutu proclaimed it ” a glorious, melodious testimony”, but the listening public were less evangelical about parting with their hard-earned and sales were uninspiring.
Undaunted, Beth unveiled ”Back To Love” three years later, a widely-acknowledged return to form that showcased intensely personal songs referencing personal traumas in her life but als0 offering optimism and hope for the future.
As Beth described it herself, “I’ve always been drawn to songs that are three-minute peepholes into the depth of our being human, the attraction and the tragedies and the thirst for humor and how we grow and learn and recover from it all; to me it all comes back to love.”
A successful UK tour in support of the album followed, with support from her BBC Radio 2 DJ fan club including Terry Wogan ensuring that various tracks received some daytime radio play.
And having joined the BBC Concert Orchestra on stage for a gig in Hyde Park celebrating the music of Abba the previous year, a second collaboration saw Beth appear in the “Friday Night Is Music Night” slot.
This time thankfully she was able to serve up a good selection of her own material, including her most successful composition, “This Kiss” and a duet with programme host Aled Jones on “Faithful Heart”.
Check out and purchase Beth Neilsen Chapman CDs from our e-shop, Propermusic.com by clicking on the logo below:
And here’s some footage of Beth in action:
