Born James Chapman Polhemus in Stuttgart Germany and brought up in the deep south (now residing in Hoover, AL), Chapmans insights into the development of a Folk Songwriter are unique. Whether it's the journey of a human trotting across the prairie, the epic life of a tree, the loneliness one needs to combat garden gnomes or a view of war through the eyes of a 4 year old boy; Chapman's songs are honest and simple.
Three things stand out when he describes his music
1. His Inspiration for the Song: "A writer is not necessarily the one that shouts 'Hear Me!' (that's the performer talking) , but the one that listens and seems to whisper 'I heard you'."
2. His Responsibility for the Song: "Just write what haunts you. If the song is good, the genre doesn't matter! Choosing among frames for artwork has never been my passion, that's for the talented producers & cover artists"
3. His Reason for Writing the Song: "After having written my first song at the age of 12, I have finally found so many decades later the exact reasons I write songs. I write to remember. Once I have learned either a complex idea that I think is important to answer back to life, or a humorous perspective I want to recall to bring some levity to the insanity, I make a song out of it... selfish as it may seem I do it for me so this is why I share it and welcome everyone to the therapy session I call a 'Live Performance'. I write so the things I've learned become personal mantras instead of ending up lost like so many raindrops in an ocean. And, just maybe they'll shed a little light on what is to be expected from this seemingly insignificant species called human"...
Feel free to record and/or rearrange these songs yourself....the more interpretations the merrier. Just like the shareware days of old, try to remember the creator if the creation brings you good fortune
1964... sang 'You Are My Sunshine' & '500 Miles' to a train track in my backyard of Macon Georgia.
Been singin ever since.
I do play almost exclusively LIVE, Indiana to Alabama... even South America
Harry Chapin, Dan Fogelberg, Cat Stevens, Tom Pacheco, Townes Van Zandt, Mickey Newberry, Gordon Lightfoot, James & Livingston Taylor, Jim Croce, Woody & Arlo Guthrie, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Goodman, Robbie Robertson, Van Morrison, Guy Clark, Jackson Browne...
Classical Breedlove Pursuit named "DEBORA", 1st Breedlove AD25/SM 6 String Guitar named "UNCLE TED", 2nd Breedlove AD25/SM 6 String Guitar named "FLO", Breedlove AJ-250_SF-12 String Guitar named "WILLIAM GORDO AXEMORE", Gretsch G9460 Ganjo named "Ganjo Reinhardt", Bed/Bath&Beyond Spoons
CD Recordings:
Spotify: Chapman James Spotify
