Beth Nielsen Chapman

Induction Year: 2016

Birth Name: Beth Nielsen Chapman

Birth Date: 09-14-1956

Place of Birth: Harlingen, Texas

Beth Nielsen Chapman’s co-written “This Kiss,” recorded by Faith Hill, earned the songwriter a Grammy nomination and Song of the Year honors from both the Country Music Association and ASCAP. Chapman has also provided major hits to Martina McBride (“Happy Girl”), Willie Nelson (“Nothing I Can Do About It Now”), Lorrie Morgan (“Five Minutes”), Alabama (“Here We Are”), Tanya Tucker (“Strong Enough to Bend”) and many other top Nashville stars.

Chapman’s songs have been recorded by such diverse talents as Bette Midler, Neil Diamond, Barbara Mandrell, Michael McDonald, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Roberta Flack, Olivia Newton-John, Waylon Jennings, Keb Mo, Brenda Lee, Amy Grant, Anne Murray, Mary Chapin Carpenter and The Indigo Girls. As a solo recording artist, Chapman has been a regular visitor to the adult-contemporary charts singing her own self-penned tunes.

The middle child of five in an Air Force family, Chapman was brought up on military bases. Music was her source of stability from an early age. While the family was stationed in Germany, she picked up guitar and piano at age 11 and began writing songs. By the time she was a teenager, she was performing in Montgomery, AL, club bands.

She landed a songwriting contract at age 20 and recorded Hearing It First as her debut LP in 1980. She moved to Nashville in 1985 and by the decade’s end was regularly providing hits to others.

Her songs have appeared on the soundtracks of such films as The Rookie, Where the Heart Is, Practical Magic, Calendar Girls, We Were Soldiers and Message in a Bottle. The television series Dawson Creek, ER, Touched By an Angel, Providence and Felicity also included her compositions. Chapman’s “All I Have” became familiar to millions as the recurring love theme on NBC’s Days of Our Lives.

After her husband died of cancer in 1994, Chapman worked through her grief by writing ever more emotionally profound songs. One of them was “Sand and Water,” which was picked up by Elton John. Then she was diagnosed with cancer, herself.

These experiences deepened her spiritual side. Her albums Beth Nielsen Chapman (1990), You Hold the Key (1993) and Sand and Water (1997) were followed by the even more contemplative Deeper Still (2002) and Look (2005). She also released Hymns (2004), a collection of Catholic liturgical tunes sung in Latin. Prism (2007) was an album of devotional songs from a variety of the world’s religions.

She entered the new millennium with Back to Love (2010), The Mighty Sky (2012) and Uncovered (2014), which contained her own versions of her songs that others had popularized.

Chapman is also a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

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Song Catalog

 

"Ain't Necessarily So"

Willie Nelson1990 #17 Country
 

"All I Have"

(written with Eric Kaz)

Beth Nielsen Chapman1991 #12 Adult Contemporary
 

"All The Reasons Why"

(written with Paulette Carlson, Cactus Moser, Curtis Snyder)

Highway 1011989 #5 Country
 

"Almost Home"

(written with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Annie Roboff)

Mary Chapin Carpenter1999 #22 Country
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Gretchen Peters, Matraca Berg & Suzy Bogguss2014 
 

"Come Be With Me"

Amy Grant2004 #32 Adult Contemporary
 

"Down On My Knees"

Beth Nielsen Chapman1990 
Trisha Yearwood1993 #19 Country
 

"Five Minutes"

Lorrie Morgan1990 #1 Country
Pam Tillis1994 
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis2014 

"Happy Girl"

(written with Annie Roboff)

Beth Nielsen Chapman1997 
Martina McBride1998 #1 Country
 

"Here We Are"

(written with Vince Gill)

Alabama1991 #2 Country
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Vince Gill2014 
 

"I Keep Comin' Back To You"

(written with Bill Lloyd)

Suzy Bogguss1993 
Beth Nielsen Chapman1992 #13 Adult Contemporary
 

"I Thought I'd About Had It With Love"

(written with Milton Brown)

Pam Tillis1994 #67 Country
 

"In The Time It Takes"

Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Paul Carrack1994 #25 Adult Contemporary
 

"Life Holds On"

Beth Nielsen Chapman1992 #33 Adult Contemporary
 

"Maybe That's All It Takes"

Don Williams1990 #22 Country
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Darrell Scott2014 

"Nothin' I Can Do About It Now"

Willie Nelson1989 #1 Country
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Phil Cunningham2014 
 

"One In A Million"

(written with Annie Roboff)

Mindy McCready1999 #57 Country
Beth Nielsen Chapman2014 

"Sand And Water"

Elton John1997 
Beth Nielsen Chapman1998 #22 Adult Contemporary
Patti LuPone1999 
 

"Shake My Soul"

(written with Annie Roboff)

Beth Nielsen Chapman2000 #26 Adult Contemporary
 

"Simple Things"

(written with Jim Brickman)

Jim Brickman & Rebecca Lynn Howard2002 #13 Adult Contemporary
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Kim Carnes2014 

"Strong Enough To Bend"

(written with Don Schlitz)

Tanya Tucker1988 #1 Country
Beth Nielsen Chapman2014 
 

"The Moment You Were Mine"

(written with Steve Dorff)

Beth Nielsen Chapman1993 #37 Adult Contemporary
 

"There's Still My Joy"

(written with Melissa Manchester, Matt Rollings)

Roberta Flack1997 
Melissa Manchester w/ Beth Nielsen Chapman & Matt Rollings1998 
Kathy Mattea2003 
Oleta Adams2006 
Indigo Girls2010 

"This Kiss"

(written with Robin Lerner, Annie Roboff)

1998 ACM Single of the Year; 1999 CMA Song of the Year; 1999 ASCAP Country Song of the Year

Faith Hill1998 #1 Country, #3 Adult Contemporary, #7 Pop
Beth Nielsen Chapman w/ Eilidh Patterson & Ruth Trimble2014 
 

"Trying To Love You"

(written with Bill Lloyd)

Beth Nielsen Chapman2005 
Trisha Yearwood2005 #28 Adult Contemporary, #57 Country
 

"Walk My Way"

(written with David Austin)

Beth Nielsen Chapman1991 #14 Adult Contemporary
 

"What's The Matter With You Baby"

(written with Annie Roboff)

Claudia Church1999 #41 Country
 

"You Say You Will"

(written with Verlon Thompson)

Holly Dunn1992 
Beth Nielsen Chapman1993 
Trisha Yearwood1993 #12 Country

Other Media

Beth Nielsen Chapman

Induction Year: 2016