Roger Maxwell Chapman (born 8 April 1942 in Leicester), also known as Chappo, is an English rock vocalist. He is best known as a member of the progressive rock band Family, which he joined along with Charlie Whitney, in 1966 and also the rock, R&B band Streetwalkers formed in 1974. His idiosyncratic brand of showmanship when performing and vocal vibrato led him to become a cult figure on the British rock scene. Chapman is claimed to have said that he was trying to sing like both Little Richard and his idol Ray Charles. Since the early 1980s he has spent much of his time in Germany and has made occasional appearances there and elsewhere. In Germany, he was awarded an Artist of the Year award during the 1980s, followed by a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
Links to Peel[]
Peel was a fan of Roger's work with Family and the Streetwalkers and also played his solo material in 1979. However, after that, he rarely played any new material from the musician.
Sessions[]
This session is in Ken's Peel Sessions book erroneously under Michael Chapman. The recording details are listed as PRIV" and the session doesn't appear at all in the original "In Session Tonight" book, so presumably the paper evidence of its existence) was unearthed at a later date? In the book it only has two tracks listed - whereas this show proves he did two tracks and then a long medley of tunes.
Ken adds: "This was a straightforward screw up in data editing on my part - I found the details on the microfIlmed programme as broadcast (PasB) script for the show at BBC Written Archives when checking mystery dates in Spring 07 for the Peel Sessions. I wrote those details by hand in my notes correctly, but between that moment and the book appearing, I made 3 errors: I left off the medley; I put the session in the wrong place sequentially in the data (ie after Roger, not before); and then at data editing time the first name was removed because it looked like another 'chapman' session. Apologies."
On the Family fansite (familybandstand.co.uk) Andy Jago writes "After the debut tour they performed at The Venue in Victoria, London twice at the end of April, the first being broadcast on the BBC Radio programme ‘John Peel Session’, and again at the end of June."
Recorded & Broadcast live: 25 June 1979. Repeated: 05 January 1980
- Moth To A Flame / Always Gotta Pay In The End / Who Pulled The Night Down / Can't Get In
Other Shows Played[]
- 06 February 1979: Midnite Child (album – Chappo) Acrobat SPART 1083
- 13 February 1979: Midnite Child (album – Chappo) Acrobat SPART 1083
- 19 February 1979: Moth To A Flame (album – Chappo) Acrobat SPART 1083
- 21 February 1979: Midnite Child (album – Chappo) Acrobat SPART 1083
- 07 March 1979: Moth To A Flame (album – Chappo) Acrobat SPART 1083
- 04 June 1979: Who Pulled The Nite Down (7 inch) Arista
- 17 July 1979: Let's Spend The Night Together (7") Acrobat