Tom Chapin Performs in Centerport on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Chapin is the featured artist during the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s First Saturday Concerts series on Dec. 6 at the Congregational Church of Huntington (30 Washington Drive, Centerport). The 8:30 p.m. concert is preceded by an open mic at 7:30 p.m.  Tickets, priced at $25 ($20 for FMSH members) may be purchased in advance online at www.fmsh.org using a credit card or at the door (cash and checks only). For more information, visit the website or call 631-425-2925.

In a career that spans five decades, 23 albums and three Grammy Awards, Tom Chapin has covered an incredible amount of creative ground. In addition to his work as a recording and performing artist, Chapin has acted on Broadway and worked extensively in films, television and radio.

As a music-maker, Chapin has maintained two long and productive parallel careers — both as a highly respected contemporary folk artist and as a pioneer in the field of children’s music. In the 
former role, Chapin has established a reputation for insightful, heartfelt song-craft and effortlessly charismatic live performances. In the latter, he continues to engage the hearts, minds and imaginations of young listeners with witty, life-affirming original songs delivered in a sophisticated array of musical styles. In either format, Chapin’s infectious songs, sterling musicianship and personal warmth consistently shine through.

The son of noted jazz drummer and teacher Jim Chapin and the grandson of author-critic Kenneth Burke and portrait painter James Chapin, Tom grew up in a family that encouraged artistic pursuits. He began performing professionally as a teenager in the early 1960s, playing in Greenwich Village folk clubs alongside his siblings Harry and Steve as The Chapin Brothers. In 1971, he began a five-year run as the host of the Emmy- and Peabody award-winning ABC-TV children’s series Make A Wish. Chapin and his songs were also featured in the seminal 1970 documentary film Blue Water, White Death, for which he spent six months sailing the Indian Ocean searching for great white sharks.

Chapin launched his solo recording career with 1976’s Life Is Like That. It was the first of a string of albums that further cemented his reputation as both a gifted storyteller and a natural entertainer — winning him a loyal fan base in the process. He also continued to venture into other creative areas — playing the lead role in the hit Broadway musical Pump Boys and Dinettes, working off-Broadway as musical director of both Cotton Patch Gospel and Harry Chapin: Lies and Legends, and serving as host of TV’s National Geographic Explorer. He’s also written and performed satirical topical songs for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and had a cameo role as the vice 
presidential candidate in Jonathan Demme’s 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate. Chapin was already firmly established as a performer and recording artist when he first branched out into family music with his 1988 album Family Tree. He’s since released a dozen more family CDs aimed at post-toddler, pre-teen listeners and their parents. Each features original songs addressing such issues as family life, positive self-image and respect for the environment.

In addition to his varied musical and media endeavors, Chapin is also a powerful advocate on behalf of a variety of charitable causes. He is an active board member of WhyHunger (formerly World Hunger Year), the nonprofit organization founded in the 1970s by his older brother, the late singer-songwriter and activist Harry Chapin (who lived in Huntington). Tom Chapin also is active in efforts on behalf of a variety of environmental causes and is an ardent champion of music and the arts in our public schools.

“I’m at that place in my life where I follow what interests me,” says Chapin. “I still love the guitar; I still love to sing; and I still love the thrill of creation: a good song, a good recording, a good concert. I feel blessed to be my own boss — creating my own material and performing for so many different audiences, ages and generations.”

Now in its 46th year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and an annual folk festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council. In addition to the Dec. 6 First Saturday Concert, upcoming FMSH events include its monthly folk jam, song circle and sing-along on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 12, at the South Huntington Public Library, and Bob Westcott’s Holiday Revue featuring LI-based artists Robert Bruey, Gail Storm and Wicked Karma (Todd Evans and Dee Harris) Harris)Haris)as part of the Hard Luck Café series on Thursday night, Dec. 18, at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre.

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