Upcoming Shows 2023
Chapin Family Show
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The Harry Chapin Band featuring Steve Chapin, Big John Wallace, Howard Fields, Clark Wallace, and introducing Arlen Hlusko on cello
Tom Chapin
Abigail and Lily AKA The Chapin Sisters
Jen Chapin, Stephan Crump and Jamie Fox AKA Jen Chapin Trio
Englewood, NJ
Bergen PAC
Tickets:
https://www.bergenpac.org/events/detail/harry-chapins-greatest-stories-live-featuring-the-chapin-family
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Chapin Family Show
Thursday, May 16, 2024
The Harry Chapin Band featuring Steve Chapin, Big John Wallace, Howard Fields, Clark Wallace, and introducing Arlen Hlusko on cello
Tom Chapin
Abigail and Lily AKA The Chapin Sisters
Jen Chapin, Stephan Crump and Jamie Fox AKA Jen Chapin Trio
New Brunswick, NJ
State Theater
Tickets:
https://www.stnj.org/events/detail/harry-chapins-greatest-stories
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Chapin Family Show
Friday, May 17, 2024
The Harry Chapin Band featuring Steve Chapin, Big John Wallace, Howard Fields, Clark Wallace, and introducing Arlen Hlusko on cello
Tom Chapin
Abigail and Lily AKA The Chapin Sisters
Jen Chapin, Stephan Crump and Jamie Fox AKA Jen Chapin Trio
Glenside, PA
Keswick Theater
Tickets:
https://www.keswicktheatre.com/events/detail/530748
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Chapin Family Show
Friday, September 13, 2024
The Harry Chapin Band featuring Steve Chapin, Big John Wallace, Howard Fields, and introducing Arlen Hlusko on cello
Tom Chapin
Abigail and Lily AKA The Chapin Sisters
Jen Chapin
New London, CT
The Garde Arts Center
Tickets:
http://www.gardearts.org/
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Chapin Family Show
Saturday, September 14, 2024
The Harry Chapin Band featuring Steve Chapin, Big John Wallace, Howard Fields, and introducing Arlen Hlusko on cello
Tom Chapin
Abigail and Lily AKA The Chapin Sisters
Jen Chapin
Tarrytown, NY
The Music Hall
Tickets:
https://tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org/eventperformances.asp?evt=2859
Mail Order Annie. Featuring Steve Chapin on piano, Big John Wallace on Bass and vocals and Arlen Hlusko on cello.
History of The Harry Chapin Band
Harry Chapin Discography
We select our concert Set List from the following menu
Taxi
Remember When The Music
W*O*L*D
Mr. Tanner
Let Me Down Easy
Mail Order Annie
They Named An Engine After Me
Pigeon Run
Sniper Snippet
Let Time Go Lightly
30,000 Pounds of Bananas
Sunday Morning Sunshine
Mismatch
Sons
You Are Still My Boy
Corey’s Coming
Winter Song
The Key
Any Old Kind Of Day
Landmark
Better Place To Be
Greasy Spoon
Last Stand
One Light In A Dark Valley
Could You Put Your Light On, Please
Cat's In The Cradle
Stars Tangled In Her Hair
Too Much World Going On
Circle
About
The Harry Chapin Band has continued playing Harry’s most-loved songs for the years following his untimely passing in 1981. To celebrate his work the band has been touring the classic venues where Harry’s music resonated the most. Harry’s stories transcend time and come to life on stage, a powerful experience shared between the band and the fans.
Huntington, Long Island
Harry and Big John, 1973
Howard Fields, Big John, Harry and Steve
Big John Wallace is still on bass and vocals, the band is led by Steve Chapin on piano and vocals, and powered by drummer Howard Fields, the only drummer Harry ever had.
The six piece band recreates Harry’s best known story songs in a 2 hour program. In true Chapin family tradition, the vintage trio’s guitar section is completed with second generation talent; Clark Wallace on electric and Jonathan Chapin on acoustic.
Steve Chapin in concert, 1976
Harry and Howard, 1978
Jonathan Chapin (left), Clark Wallace (right)
The Harry Chapin Cello Chair (unfilled for 20 years) is vacant no longer, Arlen Hlusko to pick up the mantle
In the 70’s, The Harry Chapin Band featured the most prominent (and possibly the only) lead cellist in pop music history. Chapin’s best-loved tunes are often ornamented with unforgettable cello counter-melodies; Taxi, Mail Order Annie and Mr. Tanner are prime examples. Harry used to tell folks that the sweet sound of melodic cello lines was the perfect counterpoint to his gruff masculine song stylings and our classic arrange-ments still reflect this. The band also broke gender boundaries in 1979 when its previous cellist (Yvonne Cable) joined us as one of the first women to appear as a side musician in a touring act.
Arlen performing “Mail Order Annie”
Arlen Hlusko
Arlen Hlusko
In keeping with that tradition, we are proud to announce the addition of Arlen Hlusko to our band. She is a graduate of the prestigious Curtis School of Music in Philadelphia and plays and teaches with notable classical music ensembles in New York, often at Carnegie Hall.
Arlen has flawless technique and she brings the emotion and beauty of the instrument back into our group with a fresh energy that invigorates our versions of Harry’s “story songs”.
As usual, along with the familiar and impeccably-presented music, the band often detours along the way to retell interesting back-stories about the songs, and of course, there is the ever-present comradery and in-joking that can only come from decades of friendship and music-making together. Time seems to disappear.
Steve Chapin, Arlen Hlusko and Big John Wallace during the recording of “Mail Order Annie”
The History
Harry started his band in June of 1971, with Big John Wallace, Ron Palmer on electric guitar and Tim Scott on the cello. The band was formed as an off-shoot of Harry’s “day job” as song writer for his brothers Tom and Steve’s band, The Chapins. That year, Harry’s song-writing style had evolved into a longer form genre not suitable for the 3 minute format that The Chapins were expected to fill under their contract with Epic Records.
Chapin Bros. 1964. (Left to right) Jim Chapin, Harry, Steve and Tom.
The Village Gate, 1972.
Fred Kewley, Harry’s manager
Within a month, the band had attracted the attention of Jac Holzman of Elektra Records, who made it a personal priority to sign Harry, and off they all went (with Steve Chapin in tow) to California to record, and as they say; the rest is history.
The early days of the Harry Chapin Band.
Chapin Bros. 1966.
Harry, Steve and Tom in 1966.
Harry knew these new songs had to be heard, and Harry, with the help of his friend, Fred Kewley found the players and arranged the new songs for performance as an opening act for The Chapins at their residency at The Village Gate.
Jac Holzman, Founder of Elektra Records.
Verities & Balderdash, Elektra Records.
Steve Chapin in concert, 1970’s.
In 1975 Harry and Radio DJ Bill Ayres founded WhyHunger on the fundamental belief that access to nutritious food is a human right and hunger is a solvable problem in a world of abundance. What began as a simple commitment between two friends to make a difference has grown into a global non-profit, celebrating over 40 years of supporting social movements and grassroots innovations to change the systems, policies and institutions that perpetuate hunger and poverty in our world. WhyHunger has proven that change is possible and that justice can prevail. On December 7, 1987, on what would have been his 45th birthday, Harry was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his campaigning on social issues, particularly his highlighting of hunger around the world and in the United States.
“Love is not in Season” by Steve Chapin. Performed live with The Harry Chapin Band on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert in 1978.
