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CBS News
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
"You know we'll have a good time then": Harry Chapin and his impact beyond music
Harry Chapin's #1 hit "Cat's In the Cradle," from 1974, may be one of the most powerful songs ever written about fatherhood. It tells the tale of a very busy dad: My son turned ten just the other day He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on, let's play Can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today, I got a lot to do." he said, "That's OK." And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed, Said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah. You know, I'm gonna be like him" And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon Little boy blue and the man in the moon. "When you coming home, Dad?" "I don't know when, We'll get together then. You know we'll have a good time then" To hear Harry Chapin perform "Cat's in the Cradle," click on the video embed below: So, how did Chapin's own children feel about that song? Jen Chapin said, "The one time when I get a little eeehhh is when somebody tells me, like, 'Oh, your dad, he played a three-and-a-half-hour concert, and then he signed every single poetry book, and he kissed my girlfriend, and …' And I'm like, 'That's great, but that was time we didn't have.'" Jen and her brothers, Jason and Josh, want to be clear: Harry Chapin was not the dad in the song. "He really loved kids," Jen said. "When he came home, he wasn't like, 'Oh, I'm just gonna, like, zone out.' He was, 'Yes! Projects! Trips! Family outings!'" Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin (1942-1981). Harry Chapin Family "Cat's In the Cradle" was originally a poem written by Harry's wife, Sandy, now 90, but it wasn't about him. "It was based on the relationship her first husband had with his father," said Jason. "My mother was always observing how they didn't connect on a father-son basis." Harry Chapin came from a musical family. He and two of his brothers formed a band. "We became the Chapin Brothers," said Harry's younger brother, Tom Chapin. "And we played together for ten years. And it was the only time we were ever cool!" Tom has his own successful performing career, but Harry was always the driven one. "When I was a kid, I came up with this line that the family loved: 'Two's company, Harry's a crowd!'" he laughed. Harry, he said, was outgoing, "and unafraid. He had this energy that was astonishing." But as his son Jason recalls, Harry's path to success was never a sure thing: "He was depressed a lot during college. He had failed in many things, and I think that he was really desperate to be successful at something." His first love was documentaries. In fact, he directed one, "Legendary Champions," that got an Oscar nomination. But music won out. In 1972, while he was performing as the warmup act for his brothers' band, Elektra Records signed him up. He was 30 years old. Tom Chapin says he was surprised that Harry was plucked, "but not shocked, let's put it that way. He was great. We were good. But he was great." His first hit was "Taxi," another story of broken dreams: And she said we must get together, But I knew it'd never be arranged. And she handed me twenty dollars, For a two-fifty fare, she said, "Harry, keep the change." … And she walked away in silence, It's strange, how you never know, But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for, Such a long, long time ago. Harry Chapin performs "Taxi": According to son Josh, his mother Sandy encouraged his dad to do something with his celebrity: "She asked, 'Do you wanna be on the cover of the Hit Parade or Time magazine?' And he thought about it, and he said, 'You know what? There really is an emptiness to just chasing celebrity and trying to become a bigger rock star.'" Harry decided he'd do something about hunger. He began devoting his time, money and fame to charities that addressed food insecurity. He helped convince Jimmy Carter to start a presidential commission on world hunger. "I would hate to be 75 years old, and say, 'If only I had…,' 'I wish I had…,' 'I wonder what my life meant…,'" Chapin once said. "My credo is, when in doubt, do something." And he became the king of the benefit concert. "I do about 220 concerts a year, about a hundred of which are benefits," Chapin said in 1980. "In the long run, we're not sure about a prior-life or an after-life. We're all hoping for that. But what we can do is maximize what we have in this brief flicker of time in the infinity, and try to milk that." Time for Harry Chapin was short. On July 16, 1981, he died in car crash. He was 38. "The world shook," Tom Chapin said. "The universe shook, when Harry's suddenly not there." Memorials were held, tribute concerts performed, foundations founded. But Chapin's most lasting legacies are the charities he built. In 1975 he'd cofounded WhyHunger, with a priest and radio DJ named Bill Ayres. Today, it partners with organizations in 25 countries – helping to establish a sustainable farming school in Colombia; fostering traditional farming practices in Panama; and supporting programs in the U.S., like an urban farm and co-op in Detroit. In 1980, Chapin started Long Island Cares, a food bank. "Everyone thinks of Long Island as a rich bastion of the country; it's not," said the food bank's CEO, Paule Pachter. "There are pockets of affluence here, but most Long Islanders are living paycheck-to-paycheck." On an annual basis, Long Island Cares distributes 16 million pounds of food. "That's roughly 14.5 million meals," Pachter said. Chapin's biggest hits were his story songs. Most people think of them as tragic tales, especially "Cat's in the Cradle": I've long since retired and my son's moved away. I called him up just the other day. I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind." He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I could find the time. You see, my new job's a hassle, and the kid's got the flu, But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad. It's been sure nice talking to you." And as I hung up the phone, it occurred to me, He'd grown up just like me. My boy was just like me. In the song's ironic twist ending, the grown son becomes too busy for his dad. But Jason Chapin points out that there's another way to look at that turn: "Some people interpret the last verse, when the dad calls the son to say, 'Let's get together,' the son is too busy for his dad, because he's busy with his own family, being a good dad. It needs a little close reading sometimes." The surviving Chapins still feel the pain of a life cut short, but they're still active in his charities, and remain inspired by Harry's message. Tom Chapin recalled, "James, the oldest brother, said it at the funeral: 'We lost Harry. Those are big shoes to fill. But we can't fill 'em. You can't be Harry. You don't wanna be Harry. Just fill your own shoes a little fuller.' "And when in doubt, do something!" Tom added. "Don't forget that!" For more info: Story produced by Reid Orvedahl. Editor: Jason Schmidt.
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
WhyHunger marks 50 years of fighting for food security, a point of 'pride and shame'
NEW YORK -- WhyHunger would have liked to be out of service by now. Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres founded the grassroots support organization in 1975 with the idea they could eradicate hunger at its root by leveraging their music industry connections to fund community groups advancing economic and food security. And, yet, the global nonprofit is hitting the half-century mark this year — an anniversary that reflects the sobering need for continued food assistance. 'It is pride and shame in equal measure,' said Jen Chapin, the daughter of Harry Chapin and a WhyHunger board member, at the nonprofit's gala Wednesday night. 'That this organization is still relevant when hunger is a completely solvable problem — it's embarrassing.' Established amid transformative expansions of federal food programs just before the United States significantly cut social welfare, WhyHunger marks its 50-year milestone at a time of worsening food insecurity worldwide when some of the wealthiest countries are decreasing their humanitarian commitments. As part of the Trump administration's swift scaling back of the federal government, funding streams are being shut off for many in the nonprofit's network that help millions of hungry people access nutritious food. Chapin said the immense need, and 'that the political conversation has gone backward,' would be 'infuriating' to her late father. 'But he wouldn't pause to rant,' she said. 'He'd be like, 'OK, what can we do?'' The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 47 million people, including nearly 14 million children, lived in food-insecure households in 2023 — a crisis WhyHunger blames on 'deeper systemic issues' of rising inflation, the rollback of pandemic relief and poor wages. Those statistics were 'ridiculous' to Grammy award-winning rockers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. The couple, which performed its hit 'Love Is a Battlefield,' was recognized Wednesday with the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, given to artists who use their influence to foster social justice. Giraldo said they've been involved with WhyHunger for 30 years. The support began with their relationship to Harry Chapin and his family, as well as their advocacy for children's causes. 'Music brings so many people together,' Benatar told the Associated Press. 'I think it's just always a good start.' 'If we can help in any way, that's what we're trying to do: just be helpers,' Giraldo added. The annual awards gala, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, raised more than $125,000 on Wednesday night alone. The proceeds directly supported WhyHunger's programs in the U.S. and 24 other countries. The nonprofit aims to not only feed people but create systems-level change by training local farmers, connecting people to government benefits, promoting indigenous food sovereignty and defending food workers' rights. 'It's not enough to feed people for a day,' Jen Chapin said. "It's not even enough to teach a man to fish so that he can get his own food. You have to also create the social movement so that there is a food system that enables that farmer, that fisherperson, to get a fair price for their work, feed their local community.' Among the benefactors were WhyHunger Board of Directors Chair Cindy Secunda and billionaire Bloomberg L.P. co-founder Tom Secunda, whose family foundation has contributed over $8 million to WhyHunger since 2020. Like many WhyHunger supporters, Cindy said she was first introduced to their work during Harry Chapin concerts in college. She would donate $10 or so, per his end-of-show requests. But she said she didn't ramp up her giving until more recently when she was invited to see the work of WhyHunger's partners up close. 'They get so much more done with such a small staff," she said. "I've never seen anything like it.' The nonprofit has not increased its staff totals much over its 50 years to 'stay nimble and serve those who are serving,' according to Chapin. The biggest change has been the philanthropic sector's overall approach to fighting food insecurity, staff say. Paternalistic, top-down attitudes toward aid were more dominant when the organization was founded. The idea that hunger is connected to issues of racism and climate was not as widespread then, according to Debbie DePoala, WhyHunger's senior director of communications The nonprofit has long centered public policy in conversations about hunger, according to Jan Poppendieck, a former board member and CUNY professor who has studied the history of food assistance. She hopes the outlook isn't lost. 'What they have done best is assist local innovative progressive organizations," Poppendieck said. 'Assist them financially because of this ability, as I say, to extract moolah from the entertainment industry, and assist them with sharing best practices, introducing them to each other, bringing them together so that people can learn from each other.'
The Hill
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hill
WhyHunger marks 50 years of fighting for food security, a point of ‘pride and shame'
NEW YORK (AP) — WhyHunger would have liked to be out of service by now. Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres founded the grassroots support organization in 1975 with the idea they could eradicate hunger at its root by leveraging their music industry connections to fund community groups advancing economic and food security. And, yet, the global nonprofit is hitting the half-century mark this year — an anniversary that reflects the sobering need for continued food assistance. 'It is pride and shame in equal measure,' said Jen Chapin, the daughter of Harry Chapin and a WhyHunger board member, at the nonprofit's gala Wednesday night. 'That this organization is still relevant when hunger is a completely solvable problem — it's embarrassing.' Established amid transformative expansions of federal food programs just before the United States significantly cut social welfare, WhyHunger marks its 50-year milestone at a time of worsening food insecurity worldwide when some of the wealthiest countries are decreasing their humanitarian commitments. As part of the Trump administration's swift scaling back of the federal government, funding streams are being shut off for many in the nonprofit's network that help millions of hungry people access nutritious food. Chapin said the immense need, and 'that the political conversation has gone backward,' would be 'infuriating' to her late father. 'But he wouldn't pause to rant,' she said. 'He'd be like, 'OK, what can we do?'' The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 47 million people, including nearly 14 million children, lived in food-insecure households in 2023 — a crisis WhyHunger blames on 'deeper systemic issues' of rising inflation, the rollback of pandemic relief and poor wages. Those statistics were 'ridiculous' to Grammy award-winning rockers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. The couple, which performed its hit 'Love Is a Battlefield,' was recognized Wednesday with the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, given to artists who use their influence to foster social justice. Giraldo said they've been involved with WhyHunger for 30 years. The support began with their relationship to Harry Chapin and his family, as well as their advocacy for children's causes. 'Music brings so many people together,' Benatar told the Associated Press. 'I think it's just always a good start.' 'If we can help in any way, that's what we're trying to do: just be helpers,' Giraldo added. The annual awards gala, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, raised more than $125,000 on Wednesday night alone. The proceeds directly supported WhyHunger's programs in the U.S. and 24 other countries. The nonprofit aims to not only feed people but create systems-level change by training local farmers, connecting people to government benefits, promoting indigenous food sovereignty and defending food workers' rights. 'It's not enough to feed people for a day,' Jen Chapin said. 'It's not even enough to teach a man to fish so that he can get his own food. You have to also create the social movement so that there is a food system that enables that farmer, that fisherperson, to get a fair price for their work, feed their local community.' Among the benefactors were WhyHunger Board of Directors Chair Cindy Secunda and billionaire Bloomberg L.P. co-founder Tom Secunda, whose family foundation has contributed over $8 million to WhyHunger since 2020. Like many WhyHunger supporters, Cindy said she was first introduced to their work during Harry Chapin concerts in college. She would donate $10 or so, per his end-of-show requests. But she said she didn't ramp up her giving until more recently when she was invited to see the work of WhyHunger's partners up close. 'They get so much more done with such a small staff,' she said. 'I've never seen anything like it.' The nonprofit has not increased its staff totals much over its 50 years to 'stay nimble and serve those who are serving,' according to Chapin. The biggest change has been the philanthropic sector's overall approach to fighting food insecurity, staff say. Paternalistic, top-down attitudes toward aid were more dominant when the organization was founded. The idea that hunger is connected to issues of racism and climate was not as widespread then, according to Debbie DePoala, WhyHunger's senior director of communications The nonprofit has long centered public policy in conversations about hunger, according to Jan Poppendieck, a former board member and CUNY professor who has studied the history of food assistance. She hopes the outlook isn't lost. 'What they have done best is assist local innovative progressive organizations,' Poppendieck said. 'Assist them financially because of this ability, as I say, to extract moolah from the entertainment industry, and assist them with sharing best practices, introducing them to each other, bringing them together so that people can learn from each other.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit
Hamilton Spectator
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
WhyHunger marks 50 years of fighting for food security, a point of ‘pride and shame'
NEW YORK (AP) — WhyHunger would have liked to be out of service by now. Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres founded the grassroots support organization in 1975 with the idea they could eradicate hunger at its root by leveraging their music industry connections to fund community groups advancing economic and food security. And, yet, the global nonprofit is hitting the half-century mark this year — an anniversary that reflects the sobering need for continued food assistance. 'It is pride and shame in equal measure,' said Jen Chapin, the daughter of Harry Chapin and a WhyHunger board member, at the nonprofit's gala Wednesday night. 'That this organization is still relevant when hunger is a completely solvable problem — it's embarrassing.' Established amid transformative expansions of federal food programs just before the United States significantly cut social welfare, WhyHunger marks its 50-year milestone at a time of worsening food insecurity worldwide when some of the wealthiest countries are decreasing their humanitarian commitments. As part of the Trump administration's swift scaling back of the federal government , funding streams are being shut off for many in the nonprofit's network that help millions of hungry people access nutritious food. Chapin said the immense need, and 'that the political conversation has gone backward,' would be 'infuriating' to her late father. 'But he wouldn't pause to rant,' she said. 'He'd be like, 'OK, what can we do?'' The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 47 million people, including nearly 14 million children, lived in food-insecure households in 2023 — a crisis WhyHunger blames on 'deeper systemic issues' of rising inflation, the rollback of pandemic relief and poor wages. Those statistics were 'ridiculous' to Grammy award-winning rockers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. The couple, which performed its hit 'Love Is a Battlefield,' was recognized Wednesday with the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, given to artists who use their influence to foster social justice. Giraldo said they've been involved with WhyHunger for 30 years. The support began with their relationship to Harry Chapin and his family, as well as their advocacy for children's causes. 'Music brings so many people together,' Benatar told the Associated Press. 'I think it's just always a good start.' 'If we can help in any way, that's what we're trying to do: just be helpers,' Giraldo added. The annual awards gala, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, raised more than $125,000 on Wednesday night alone. The proceeds directly supported WhyHunger's programs in the U.S. and 24 other countries. The nonprofit aims to not only feed people but create systems-level change by training local farmers, connecting people to government benefits, promoting indigenous food sovereignty and defending food workers' rights. 'It's not enough to feed people for a day,' Jen Chapin said. 'It's not even enough to teach a man to fish so that he can get his own food. You have to also create the social movement so that there is a food system that enables that farmer, that fisherperson, to get a fair price for their work, feed their local community.' Among the benefactors were WhyHunger Board of Directors Chair Cindy Secunda and billionaire Bloomberg L.P. co-founder Tom Secunda, whose family foundation has contributed over $8 million to WhyHunger since 2020. Like many WhyHunger supporters, Cindy said she was first introduced to their work during Harry Chapin concerts in college. She would donate $10 or so, per his end-of-show requests. But she said she didn't ramp up her giving until more recently when she was invited to see the work of WhyHunger's partners up close. 'They get so much more done with such a small staff,' she said. 'I've never seen anything like it.' The nonprofit has not increased its staff totals much over its 50 years to 'stay nimble and serve those who are serving,' according to Chapin. The biggest change has been the philanthropic sector's overall approach to fighting food insecurity, staff say. Paternalistic, top-down attitudes toward aid were more dominant when the organization was founded. The idea that hunger is connected to issues of racism and climate was not as widespread then, according to Debbie DePoala, WhyHunger's senior director of communications The nonprofit has long centered public policy in conversations about hunger, according to Jan Poppendieck, a former board member and CUNY professor who has studied the history of food assistance. She hopes the outlook isn't lost. 'What they have done best is assist local innovative progressive organizations,' Poppendieck said. 'Assist them financially because of this ability, as I say, to extract moolah from the entertainment industry, and assist them with sharing best practices, introducing them to each other, bringing them together so that people can learn from each other.' ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit .
San Francisco Chronicle
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
WhyHunger marks 50 years of fighting for food security, a point of 'pride and shame'
NEW YORK (AP) — WhyHunger would have liked to be out of service by now. Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin and radio DJ Bill Ayres founded the grassroots support organization in 1975 with the idea they could eradicate hunger at its root by leveraging their music industry connections to fund community groups advancing economic and food security. And, yet, the global nonprofit is hitting the half-century mark this year — an anniversary that reflects the sobering need for continued food assistance. 'It is pride and shame in equal measure,' said Jen Chapin, the daughter of Harry Chapin and a WhyHunger board member, at the nonprofit's gala Wednesday night. 'That this organization is still relevant when hunger is a completely solvable problem — it's embarrassing.' Established amid transformative expansions of federal food programs just before the United States significantly cut social welfare, WhyHunger marks its 50-year milestone at a time of worsening food insecurity worldwide when some of the wealthiest countries are decreasing their humanitarian commitments. As part of the Trump administration's swift scaling back of the federal government, funding streams are being shut off for many in the nonprofit's network that help millions of hungry people access nutritious food. Chapin said the immense need, and 'that the political conversation has gone backward,' would be 'infuriating' to her late father. 'But he wouldn't pause to rant,' she said. 'He'd be like, 'OK, what can we do?'' The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates more than 47 million people, including nearly 14 million children, lived in food-insecure households in 2023 — a crisis WhyHunger blames on 'deeper systemic issues' of rising inflation, the rollback of pandemic relief and poor wages. Those statistics were 'ridiculous' to Grammy award-winning rockers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. The couple, which performed its hit 'Love Is a Battlefield,' was recognized Wednesday with the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award, given to artists who use their influence to foster social justice. Giraldo said they've been involved with WhyHunger for 30 years. The support began with their relationship to Harry Chapin and his family, as well as their advocacy for children's causes. 'Music brings so many people together,' Benatar told the Associated Press. 'I think it's just always a good start.' 'If we can help in any way, that's what we're trying to do: just be helpers,' Giraldo added. The annual awards gala, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, raised more than $125,000 on Wednesday night alone. The proceeds directly supported WhyHunger's programs in the U.S. and 24 other countries. The nonprofit aims to not only feed people but create systems-level change by training local farmers, connecting people to government benefits, promoting indigenous food sovereignty and defending food workers' rights. 'It's not enough to feed people for a day,' Jen Chapin said. "It's not even enough to teach a man to fish so that he can get his own food. You have to also create the social movement so that there is a food system that enables that farmer, that fisherperson, to get a fair price for their work, feed their local community.' Among the benefactors were WhyHunger Board of Directors Chair Cindy Secunda and billionaire Bloomberg L.P. co-founder Tom Secunda, whose family foundation has contributed over $8 million to WhyHunger since 2020. Like many WhyHunger supporters, Cindy said she was first introduced to their work during Harry Chapin concerts in college. She would donate $10 or so, per his end-of-show requests. But she said she didn't ramp up her giving until more recently when she was invited to see the work of WhyHunger's partners up close. 'They get so much more done with such a small staff," she said. "I've never seen anything like it.' The nonprofit has not increased its staff totals much over its 50 years to 'stay nimble and serve those who are serving,' according to Chapin. The biggest change has been the philanthropic sector's overall approach to fighting food insecurity, staff say. Paternalistic, top-down attitudes toward aid were more dominant when the organization was founded. The idea that hunger is connected to issues of racism and climate was not as widespread then, according to Debbie DePoala, WhyHunger's senior director of communications The nonprofit has long centered public policy in conversations about hunger, according to Jan Poppendieck, a former board member and CUNY professor who has studied the history of food assistance. She hopes the outlook isn't lost. 'What they have done best is assist local innovative progressive organizations," Poppendieck said. 'Assist them financially because of this ability, as I say, to extract moolah from the entertainment industry, and assist them with sharing best practices, introducing them to each other, bringing them together so that people can learn from each other.' ___
