before their time

Playlist of three singers who left this world too soon:~ Eva Cassidy died age 33 of cancer in 1996~ Jeff Buckley died age 34 from drowning in 1997~ Harry Chapin died age 39 from auto crash in 1981

harry chapin video jukebox

My wife and I saw Harry Chapin perform at the Circle Star theater in Redwood City,CA, in the late seventies. This theater in the round had a rotating stage which made it great for seeing the performance from any viewpoint. I remember Harry was about 45 minutes late for the performance when suddenly he ran down the aisle in tattered jeans and guitar in tow. He hopped on the stage, sat down on a bar stool and said "I'm sorry I'm late, but now I'm gonna sing my &#! for you"! And he did! He gave a high-energy performance that covered his hit songs like Taxi,and Cat's in the Cradle to some of his lesser known songs like Mr. Tanner and A Better Place to Be. Of special note was the band's performance of Life is a Circle on the rotating stage.

Sadly, Harry Chapin died in a car crash in 1981. His music and his advocacy for fighting world hunger is missed.