Original Publication Date: October 22nd, 2009

Boise singer-songwriter Gayle Chapman, who has been winning wide acclaim for many years at a myriad of popular music venues in and around that city (The Piper Pub, Chandler's Steakhouse, The Buzz Cafe, Hijiinx, Neurolux, Pengilly's, Bad Irish and Willi B's, etc), will make her Papa Hemi's Hideaway debut there on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 6:30-9:30pm -- as will her accompanying bass player, Sandy Sanford, another acclaimed, veteran Boise music-scene fixture whom Wood River Valley music lovers seldom get a chance to see perform in-concert.

Well known and respected throughout the Pacific Northwest music community, Chapman first came to national prominence in 1978, when she became a backup singer and keyboardist for Prince's now-legendary, Grammy award-winning first band, a band she happily remained with until 1980.

Since moving to Boise (in 1987), Chapman has both taught and performed music on a regular basis there. In 1989, she created an acoustic duo called Black Diamond (with Jan Skurzynski), a group which soon after produced the very popular "BLACK DIAMOND -- CHANGE OF DIRECTION" album, which is still selling well.

After Chapman and Skurzynski parted company in 1996, she began a new phase of her creative life as a solo artist this time -- an endeavor that later gave rise to her critically-acclaimed "GAYLE CHAPMAN" CD (that she produced with the help a number of Boise's top jazz and blues musicians), a CD which she'll have for sale during her three-hour gig at Papa Hemi's on Saturday.

Although Chapman does often include a number of popular cover tunes from artists such as Bonnie Raitt, The Beatles and Melissa Etheridge, many of the songs she performs in concert are her own works (all the ones on her "GAYLE CHAPMAN" CD are songs she has composed herself). More information about Chapman -- and a number of samples of her lovely music -- can be found at www.myspace.com/Gaylechapman ... and also at: www.irichimusic.net

Chapman's often very busy Boise-area work schedule seldom allows her the chance to perform anywhere in the Wood River Valley, but she did have the opportunity this summer to play before a very large (and appeciative) audience at one of the many Zenergy Health Club poolside outdoor concerts they offered earlier this year.

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RAVE REVIEW:

It was pure happenstance on my part that I had the VERY rare (and wonderful) opportunity to see and listen to, back in July of this year, what I discoverd later to be one of Boise's most highly-acclaimed and -coveted jazz-blues singers: Gayle Chapman. I had been originally slated to cover another event that day -- which thankfully was cancelled -- and then made the rather impulsive, last-minute decision to check out whomever was performing that Thursday up at Zenergy instead, a wonderful place where I'd ALREADY seen several stellar outdoor concerts over the summer (Molly Venter, FourStroke Bus, Cow Says Mooo).

However, no sooner did I begin listening intently to Chapman's concert there that Thursday afternoon than I had to divert -- and then finally close altogether -- my eyes because it was just toooooo SURREAL for me to be sitting there listening to someone who sounded like an absolutely SPOT-ON Bonnie Raitt (who I've seen in concert twice, btw) who obviously WASN'T Bonnie Raitt!!! (LOL)

GREAT -- but SURREAL...

But for any of the many Wood River Valley www.sunvalleyonline.com -- and www.sunvalleyevents.net -- readers out there who make the very wise decision on Saturday to attend this extremely rare Valleywide concert of hers, they'll quickly realize that Gayle Chapman has A LOT more going on, musically, than just being a Bonnie Raitt cover-tune singer.

In fact, fully half of what I happily heard that July afternoon during her three-hour Zenergy gig there were ORIGINAL compositions of hers -- many from her latest ("GAYLE CHAPMAN") CD, which seemed to be selling quite briskly that day, and understandably so -- including her loving and lovely tribute to a hard-working, 1800s Irish prostitute living in the American West, whom Chapman read about some time back, called "GOOD IRISH GIRL".

Other favorites of mine of hers -- ones either from her "GAYLE CHAPMAN" album and/or ones I heard her belting out during the Zenergy concert -- include: "ALL OF MY TIME," "YOU CAN COUNT ON ME," "NIGHT TRAIN," "HE KNOWS THE WAY," "NIGHTS WITHOUT YOU," "LOVE THEME," "INNER VISIONS," "REASON," "FOR YESTERDAY," "THE QUESTION", as well as classic cover tunes such as "DESPERADO," "LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE," "TICKET TO RIDE," "A FRIEND OF THE DEVIL'S IS A FRIEND OF MINE," (Nat King Cole's) "THE LATE, LATE SHOW," "I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE," "ANGEL FROM MONTGOMERY," and, of course also, a plethora of popular Raitt toe-tappers that Chapamn seems verrrry comfortable with, including "SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT," "COME TO ME," "SLOW RIDE" and "(I NEED A) REAL MAN" .. the latter of which literally had a number of Zenergy concert-goers dancing on the grass there, Chapman's infectious energy and vocals won them over so much that day!!

This is a VERY rare chance to see a VERY talented musician whom music aficionados in Boise have known about -- and been enamoured with -- for many years now, but a musician who nonetheless remains a relative unknown where the Wood River Valley is concerned.

Hopefully that will change this Saturday, because if that Zenergy concert was ANY indication at all of what she's capable of, Chapman will be SERIOUSLY kickin' it and otherwise making a bigggg name for herself HERE as well.

Comments or questions regarding this music article/rave can be sent to John at: WriteStuffIdaho@gmail.com