Lawmakers call for Tracy Chapman’s nomination for induction into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
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[Watch previous coverage of the 2024 Grammy Awards in the player above.]
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — Following Cleveland-born singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman’s and Luke Combs’ duet of Chapman’s hit “Fast Car” at the 2024 Grammy Awards, two Ohio lawmakers are now calling for Chapman to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
House Resolution 376, introduced earlier this month by state Reps. Terrence Upchurch, D-Cleveland, and Latyna Humphrey, D-Columbus, urges the Rock Hall foundation to nominate the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist for music legendry in Cleveland.
Chapman was born in Cleveland in 1964, according to the resolution.
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Since her robust music career Tracy has been involved with Cleveland’s elementary schools, using her musical repertoire to create educational videos highlighting African American history. She now has devoted her life to social activism with an intense concentration in human rights.
My district appreciates Ms. Chapman for giving back to the community she comes from and the advances she has made for Black people in the country, rock and indie music genres and she undeniably should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Testimony from state Reps. Terrence Upchurch and Latyna Humphrey
To be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, artists must have released their “first commercial recording” at least 25 years prior. Chapman’s debut album was released 36 years ago, in 1988, according to an unofficial fan site. It won three Grammy Awards in 1989.
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Chapman’s Grammy-winning hit from that album, “Fast Car,” shot back up the charts last year, after a cover by country singer Luke Combs. it was named Song of the Year at the 2023 Country Music Awards, making Chapman the first Black woman to win the award.
Chapman and Combs shared the stage in February, at the 2024 Grammy Awards, for a moving duet of “Fast Car.”
The resolution is now before the Ohio House’s Government Oversight Committee.
FOX 8 News has reached out to the Rock Hall for a response.
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