Beth Nielsen Chapman

From writing hits for other artists to recording her own, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Nashville-based singer-songwriter, has truly embraced musical diversity. A breast cancer survivor, environmental activist, teacher of workshops and a lecturer on the magic of creativity, which she believes is a birthright of everyone, Beth's passion, when you get right down to it is still 'the song.' She has penned numerous hits and written songs for many of the top artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, Elton John, Neil Diamond, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Michael McDonald, Amy Grant, Keb Mo', Roberta Flack, Faith Hill, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. Her groundbreaking Sand & Water, written and recorded following the death of her husband from cancer in 1994, was performed by Elton John in place of Candle in the Wind to honor the memory of Princess Diana.

Beth teaches her annual Creativity Stargaze Workshop at the Dyer Observatory at Vanderbilt. She has also taught at universities as well as various other songwriting workshops internationally and serves on the Board of Directors of Healthy Child Healthy World. Endorsed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in 2007 Beth released Prism - The Human Family Songbook, a double CD collection of sacred songs sung in nine languages, a tribute to the world's great musical traditions.

Over the past year while working on her new project entitled Back to Love, Beth couldn't understand why she was experiencing so much difficulty finishing the lyrics for some of the songs. As it turned out, in the spring of 2009 Beth, in being checked for an inner ear condition had to have an MRI, whereupon it was serendipitously discovered that she had a benign brain tumor pressing into her left frontal lobe - the language center of the brain. She was successfully operated on the following week and her recovery was swift. Even before she left the hospital she was finishing lyrics to those songs! Rejuvenated and inspired, Beth is really looking forward to touring around the world with Back to Love, a collection of all new songs that finds her delving back into her roots as a songwriter mining for treasure - heart deep in the trenches of love and life.

“Gorgeous return to the mainstream for the luminous Beth Nielsen Chapman.” — MOJO

“A joyous collection of skillfully-written, happy songs delivered in the most relaxed way.” — The BBC

“Back to Love is a striking collection of songs that pulls together the distinctive singer-songwriter's man musical influences including folk, country, gospel and pop.” — Maverick