Tonight Show with Johnny Carson
Harry Chapin appeared on the Tonight Show 14 times. In his first appearance he performed Taxi. It has been reported that Carson was so taken with his Chapin's performance that he invited Harry back to perform the following night. [1] The Official Tonight Show archives, however, do not list back to back appearances. [2] When Harry performed Sniper on the Tonight Show, Johnny and Ed McMahon were left speechless. Doc Severinsen had to announce the commercial break. [3]
Almost all Carson performances from the start of 1973 have been preserved by the Carson Entertainment Group. Limited clips are available for shows before 1973.[2]
At least three of the Carson performances have been released commercially. Song for Myself was featured on the TV special and DVD Remember When: The Anthology and the short song Dirty Old Man was included in the The Gold Medal Collection. A 15-DVD collection of Carson shows released on October 26, 2010 includes Harry's November 13, 1972 performance of Greyhound.
Numerous Chapin fans that grew up with Carson as one of the only options for late night TV in the 1970's, cite these performances as what brought them into Harry's music. In the '70s, the Internet, cable networks and MTV were not part of peoples daily life, yet.
Contents |
Appearances
1972
1973
- January 24[5] - Better Place to Be [2]
- February 23[5][4] - performs two songs. This appearance is listed as February 22 on the Johnny Carson official web site when searching for Harry Chapin. That date actually does not show a Chapin appearance. February 23 shows he performed 2 song but does not name the songs.
- May 9[5] - Mr. Tanner [2]
- September 20[5][4] - They Call Her Easy and Song for Myself.[2]
1974
1975
- September 9 - Tangled Up Puppet [2]. Howie Fields shares his recollections of the taping at Harry Chapin: The Howie Fields Years
1977
- April 20 - Cat's in the Cradle, Dance Band on the Titanic (John Davidson guest hosts) [2] Howie Fields discusses meeting Jay Leno at Harry Chapin: The Howie Fields Years
- August 10 - Bluesman, I Wonder What Happened to Him (Gabe Kaplin guest hosts) [2]
- December 20 - Mismatch, Flowers Are Red (John Davidson guest hosts) [2]. While being interviewed Harry plays Dirty Old Man. This audio clip is included on The Gold Medal Collection release.
1978
- July 31 - Poor Damned Fool, Tangled Up Puppet (Bob Newhart guest hosts). Tangled Up Puppet is listed as Parents Song on the official Johnny Carson web site.[2]
1979
- November 12 - Mail Order Annie, Get On With It (David Letterman guest hosts). Harry also discusses upcoming made for TV movie Mother and Daughter: The Loving War for which he wrote 7 songs. Get on With It is listed as Opposite Points of View on the official Johnny Carson web site.[2]
Video performances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Amazon customer review
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Johny Carson official website
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Mark Spurrier blog at Blogspot
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Harry Chapin at tv.com
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Harry Chapin at IMDB
External Links
- Johnny Carson official web site
- Harry Chapin at IMDB
- Harry Chapin at tv.com
- Howard Fields official web site
- Aaron Mintz' Radio and TV archive
- Aaron Mintz' Radio and TV archive - at University of Massachusetts site
