He was born on the first anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1942. When he died on July 16th, 1981 in a fiery crash on the Long Island Expressway in New York, he was one of the most beloved singers of his time. I will never forget where I was the day I heard of his passing....sitting in the living room of my home in Haven, Kansas....listening to radio station KEYN out of Wichita. I couldn't believe it when I heard the announcement-"Harry Chapin has been killed today in an accident in New York. He was 38 years old."
There is no doubt in my mind that Harry Chapin would have to be my most favorite singer of all time. In the 30 years that have passed since his death, I have enjoyed the music of a lot of singers and groups. But none have ever measured up to the caliber of the music that made Harry the singer, songwriter and performer that he was. I doubt seriously that anyone will ever make the impression upon me with their music the way Harry Chapin did.
He became famous for songs like Cats in the Cradle, WOLD, Taxi, and A Better Place to Be. The world loved his music, they loved him and in the very brief span of time in his life, he touched the lives of countless people worldwide. Harry Chapin had much to say in his music, so much that radio stations had difficulties in being able to or even choosing to play his songs. Chapin's musical work did not fit the "standard 3 min. 37 sec. format" that other songs of the day did. It was not uncommon at all for his songs to run at least 4-5 minutes, even longer. But that didn't dissuade him....he just kept right on writing. And the world was better for it.
You know I always had this secret wish to be able to see him perform some day. It might have been hard for a young woman planted smack dab in the middle of the state of Kansas to get to a Harry Chapin performance....but that didn't stop me from dreaming about being able to go. When he died, I realized that my chance to see him was gone.....the goal to watch him peform one day would never be attained. In sadness, I nearly wore out my copy of the album "Verities and Balderdash", listening to it in the months that followed his death.
There was no "Miller Bucket List" back in 1981....why would a young woman, age 26, even need to worry about such a thing back then? I was a "brand new" mother with a tiny 8-month baby boy named Ricky. I had plenty of time to do all the things that I wanted to before life ended....at least I thought I did. Harry Chapin would be around for ever! Sooner or later, I'd see him in concert, I was sure.
I've since learned that a bucket list can go both ways. We sit around and think of things we want to do before WE "kick the bucket" and we envision the people we want to do those things with. Only it turns out that sometimes the people and the things you want to see aren't there any longer when you finally get around to it.
Tomorrow night, thanks to the kindness of my very dear friend, Carol Stockton, I get an early birthday treat when we travel to Salina to see the 70's/80's group, America. Their songs are great as well and I can remember the words to A Horse With No Name better than I can remember the password to my school email account. Could you possibly explain that one to me friends? :) Perhaps you, too, find yourself in a similar predicament at times.
What a special gift, to be able finally see a group that was such an important part of the music I grew up with, perform their songs! My thank you to my dear friend Carol for providing the means to see them before either they get too old to perform or I get to old to even remember them! LOL
The thing I'd like to say is this: DO NOT PUT OFF STUFF THAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE TO DO IT. How many opportunities have we all passed up or let slip away from us because we thought, as the fallible human beings we are, that there would be tomorrow? And so very many times, sadly to say, tomorrow never arrives.
Please dear friends, for today, be good to yourself. Do something, do ONE thing that you've always wanted to do or to try but never got around to it. My prayer is for all of us to have yet one more day, one more month, one more year together. Unfortunately, life is very fragile, and tomorrows have never been guaranteed. Have a wonderful weekend all of you!
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