CPT Spirits in the Sky - Harry Chapin, One of the greatest of great storytellers!

In recognition of those artists now departed whose contributions to music and life made them giants among people,  we created the CPT Spirits in the Sky and Harry Chapin was the first of the series.  This greatest of all storytellers quietly left a mark on society that stands alone.  Twice I got to see Harry in concert and it was an honor to experience the joy and love he gave to the audience and the world.  Following is a video of his last recorded performance in Canada over 30 years ago that took place just 11 months before his fatal car crash in NYC.

I wanna learn a love song.



Harry Chapin (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle"; as well as his folk musical based on the biblical book of John, "Cotton Patch Gospel". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger, his work a key player in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.

Chapin was resolved to leave his imprint on Long Island. He envisioned a Long Island where the arts flourished and universities expanded and humane discourse was the norm. "He thought Long Island represented a remarkable opportunity," said Chapin's widow, Sandy.

All my life's a circle!



Chapin served on the boards of the Eglevsky Ballet, the Long Island Philharmonic, Hofstra University. He energized the now-defunct Performing Arts Foundation (PAF) of Huntington.

In the mid-1970s, Chapin focused on his social activism, including raising money to combat hunger in the United States. His daughter Jen said: "He saw hunger and poverty as an insult to America". He co-founded the organization World Hunger Year with legendary radio DJ Bill Ayres, before returning to music with On the Road to Kingdom Come.

He also released a book of poetry, Looking...Seeing, in 1977. Many of Chapin's concerts were benefit performances (for example, a concert to help save the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York), and sales of his concert merchandise were used to support World Hunger Year.

Chapin's social causes at times caused friction among his band members and then-manager Fred Kewley. Chapin donated an estimated third of his paid concerts to charitable causes, often performing alone with his guitar to reduce costs. Mike Rendine played Bass during the years of 1979.

One report quotes his widow saying soon after his death — "only with slight exaggeration" — that "Harry was supporting 17 relatives, 14 associations, seven foundations and 82 charities. Harry wasn't interested in saving money. He always said, 'Money is for people,' so he gave it away." Despite his success as a musician, he left little money and it was difficult to maintain the causes for which he raised more than $3 million in the last six years of his life. The Harry Chapin Foundation was the result.
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CPT Spirits in the Sky - The Prince of Minnesota has Joined the Celestial Band

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The World Lost a Priceless Gem Today - A Prince - Known for Legendary Music but a Man with a Spirit for Living and Life that Dwarfed his Musical Contributions

Of all the famous and iconic entertainers, we knew through the years, Prince, a kid not from LA or New York City but from the streets of Minneapolis - St. Paul is among the most mystical, mysterious, and least known of our many great "Spirits in the Sky."

For some time to come a deluge of books, music, television specials, documentaries, and little known facts will be offered to you telling you everything you would ever want to know about this quiet, almost shy, kid from the land of lakes, endless snowfall, and ice sculptures called the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ironically, Prince, who brought about a revolution in the music world, shared the same hometown with an earlier revolutionary who rattled the music world, one Bob Dylan.

Prince arrived on the music scene with a new fangled experiment called MTV on television and he was one visionary who knew exactly how to exploit this new method of communication with his mastery not just of the music, but the staging of the video as well.

Stories will tell you of his incredible achievements but perhaps his greatest achievement of all was his faith in God, his determination to follow the strict teachings of the Jehovah's Witness religion, and his silent calling to help everyone he could anonymously.

Unlike so many other successful singers and songwriters, Prince did not collect cars and girls but used his rags to riches success to build a business empire, once again not in the music capitals of LA or NYC but in the Twin Cities.  You see, he never forgot his roots.

Prince was the classic Renaissance man, hungry to know everything, to do everything, and to use his gifts to help people, most that never knew him nor knew he was helping them.  Countless times, he gave songs from his endless supply of creative genius to struggling artists, with no credit or recognition, part of the mysterious way he operated.

His religion forbids gifts, celebrations, or recognition that glorifies the individual and he stayed true to his belief.  Sometimes he seemed rather odd.  The few times he ever granted media interviews, he banned the use of tape recorders and forbid the interviewer to take notes.  Once an interviewer taped Prince and violated his agreement with Prince on how to use it, and since he allows no direct quotes.

Read about him, watch the videos, and learn his story.  He was a Vegan, did not eat meat, did not drink, smoke, or do drugs.  He wanted nothing more than to share his gifts with the people and use his gifts to help people.

We will miss many people in our lives and many people will disappear into the ether of the mystical and metaphysical when they die.  Very few people served time on Earth fulfilling their mission to the Creator.  Prince was one of those few.

You can bet there is a place among the Spirits in the Sky reserved for people like Prince.

His last words to his fans at his last concert this past week were, "If I could I would give you the world!"

You did, Prince, when the world gave you to us.

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