I just want to talk about sneaking out to listen to Tracy Chapman
Hi, there. We made it to February, you and I. Isn’t that miraculous and wonderful?
Here’s some news about the GRAMMYs, and sneaking out of my bedroom, and goodhurt, and also shows I have coming up. Enjoy.
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I think a lot of folks agree that televised award shows are largely B.S., without necessarily reflecting much of what people think is important or impactful in the industry. Last night, though, the GRAMMYs restored a little bit of my faith in the awards.
First, if you don’t know, there is a whole other GRAMMY award show that doesn’t get televised with the main event. Almost all of the categories I care about are here in the “premiere ceremony”. If you’re a music fan and you wondered where all your faves were last night, they might just have been there.
I was excited to see wins for boygenius, Jason Isbell, Allison Russell, The Lost Bayou Ramblers, Larkin Poe, and Brandy Clark. This season, I was also thrilled to see nominations for Jon Batiste, Rhiannon Giddens, Durham’s own Pierce and Nnenna Freelon, and performances honoring Prince, Sinead O’Connor, and Joni Mitchell. The biggest highlight of the evening for me personally though was, hands-down, Tracy Chapman.
In 2023, country artist Luke Combs released a cover of Chapman’s incredible 1988 song “Fast Car” and introduced it to a whole new generation of fans. At the CMA Awards, Tracy Chapman then became the first Black woman to win CMA Song of the Year (an award for the songwriter, not the performer) - 35 years after the song was released.
Rather than perform it himself solo at last night’s award show, Combs (rightfully) shared the honor and the stage with Chapman, and they made a duet of it. Right when that iconic guitar riff started, I felt a whole host of unprompted emotions. The tears came in earnest when Tracy beamed shyly at the audience as they gave her a much-deserved ovation. I was impressed by how Luke Combs seemed to be a genuine fan, humbled by getting to sing Chapman’s song along with her…and I absolutely loved seeing her colleagues in the industry giving Chapman her flowers for a song almost four decades old that still hits right in that goodhurt spot.
Here’s where I interrupt with a little background, a little context. The context is important so you understand just a fraction of why I burst into tears when this woman stepped on the stage.
The house I grew up in had a room we called “the back room”. You may have guessed, detective, that this is because it was at the back of the house. It was where my dad’s enormous desk was, and his library. There was a fireplace, rarely used, and some chairs I was pretty sure I wasn’t allowed to sit in. The back room is also where the fancy stereo was. It had several components which required a mystical configuration of button presses to function and two massive (to 8-year-old me) speakers which sat on the floor.
I feel I should tell you that the back room was closer to my bedroom than anyone else’s. And I confess that I had a secret love affair with the fancy stereo and would frequently sneak into the back room to play tapes and CDs I was fairly certain I was not supposed to touch, lest I accidentally maltreat the very expensive Hi-Fi. I would wait until others were out of the house, or until after bedtime… This is the first time I’m writing this down, and while I was guilt-ridden about it as a child, I know now that it was a love that could not be stopped.
To engage in my secret affair, I would turn the volume on those giant speakers as low as I could manage while still being able to hear. I would sit cross-legged on the floor, lean my head against the foam, and listen… usually to Tracy Chapman.
Alone back there, just me and Tracy, I didn’t know what was happening to me but I knew it was important, and good, and I felt connected to something. I wondered if someday I might figure out how to do a fraction of that kind of magic.
So yes. When Tracy gave everyone that grin, I wept. Sometimes a great song transcends industry B.S. Sometimes a great song rises above everything else and creates a moment for people to experience something together. That kind of song is never beholden to trends or production styles. (Want proof? Here’s Chapman the last time she performed “Fast Car” at the GRAMMYs, in 1989.) Goodhurt.
Tracy Chapman deserves every ounce of recognition for her work, and it was so special to witness some of that. If you have a chance to catch the rebroadcast or even just that performance, I promise it is worth your five minutes.
Anyway, I have a bunch of shows coming up this month, and The Smart Thing To Do is tell you about them so you’ll get tickets and I can keep participating in this art form that feeds my soul…I guess.
HERE YA GO, SHOWS:
February 13th - Columbus, OH
Matthew Morgan opens. Davis will be joining me on drums!
February 14th - Cincinnati, OH
with Lydia Shae and Michael Moeller. Davis on drums!
Please tell all your friends in Ohio…don’t let me be lonely on Valentine’s Day.
February 17th - Durham, NC
I’m hosting a Songwriting Craft Chat with my pal and previous tour mate Emily Henry! We’ll be at Night School Bar playing songs and talking about the songwriting process. Musicians and music fans of all experience levels are welcome. Registration is free, but limited, so reserve your spot asap. REGISTER HERE
February 19th - The Internet (a.k.a. bandcamp)
Emily and I are doing a livestream as we get ready to hit the road for our first ever Folk Alliance Conference! You can grab a ticket for just $5 here, and if you can’t make it live, replay will be accessible for 48 hours after the show.
February 22nd - Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City, MO
I’m so excited to go to my first FAI and I get to perform in the First Timers Showcase! If you’re headed to FAI, too, let me know and we’ll be sure to meet up. Also, if you’ve been before, send me some tips because I am feeling a little overwhelmed even though I’m excited.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading and listening and continuing to exist through the long Winter. Spring is around the corner, the daffodils told me so.
Xo,
J.
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