The Steve Chapin Band

The Steve Chapin Band

The Steve Chapin Band consists of Steve, Big John Wallace and Howard Fields. Big John and Steve have been making music since their boy's choir times in 1955, through the doo-wop days, the folk and early rock eras, and the Harry Chapin years. It was during the mid-seventies that they teamed up with Howard to forge the musical bonds that form the heart of their music. The Steve Chapin Band has a unique sound: Steve's full and energetic keyboards riding on the robust base provided by Big John's bass guitar and basso vocals. Howard's percussion is impeccable, his drumming captures all the nuances of the Chapin repertoire, and he also adds to the sonic palette electric vibes. Steve and the band sing songs of love and protest, discovery and rejection, mostly new, with some favorites from the Harry years. Their music is hard to categorize for the simple reason that the material covers such a wide range. The band performs tunes that are almost folkish in their simplicity, to songs that have a city-street-like urgency to them. Their solid musicianship is augmented by their engaging and informative banter between selections and the extraordinary voice of Big John Wallace, whose falsetto solo graces "Taxi." To further season the mix the show contains selections from Steve's musicals that build to rising climaxes one would not expect from a trio. There are enough of Harry's classic songs in the band's shows to satisfy even the most nostalgic Chapin fan. There is a subtle dialogue between the vocal and the backing music. The smooth quality of Steve's voice lets the music have a darker, harder edge than the original performances, giving them a fresh sensibility and energy that appeals to new generations of Chapin audiences.

Steve Chapin has had successful careers as a teacher, arranger, recording artist, commercial producer, singer, performer and song writer. He has garnered Platinum and Gold albums, a Clio for advertising and an Emmy. Steve has always considered himself blessed that his musical endeavors have allowed him to work with so many talented people, and have taken him to the great musical stages that he had only dreamed about when he was young. A piece of the Chapin tradition that goes along with the music has always been the part about giving something back, an idea that Harry first put into action...that in a democracy, performers have the responsibility to speak out and to effect change for the betterment of those less fortunate. Steve (along with his brothers and the band) has picked up the gauntlet and is a member of the Board of Directors of World Hunger Year.

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