Harry Chapin

One of America's greatest musical storytellers, Harry Chapin, never achieved the folk icon status of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez or Bob Dylan, but he did attract a loyal following of fans that adored him for his sentimental character-driven story songs and his lush orchestrated arrangements. Most critics considered him sappy, but his fans loved him then and still do. Not surprisingly, many of his songs have become staple programming on adult music and oldies stations. Sadly, Chapin died in 1981, in a fiery car crash while driving on the Long Island expressway on the way to a business meeting in Manhattan.