If you can see the name 'Tracy Chapman' without immediately humming the first few bars of 'Fast Car,' you're doing a lot better than us! Chapman was born in Ohio in 1964, into a low-income family. Her mother raised her alone, and bought her a ukulele for her third birthday. Chapman loved it, and was writing songs by the time she was eight years old.
When Chapman moved to Massachusetts to go to university through a scholarship program, she took to busking in the middle of Harvard Square, Cambridge, during her free time. From there, she found herself invited to play in the area's small venues and coffee houses, and her reputation slowly grew. In 1988, she released her self-titled debut album, which contained 'Fast Car,' and went multi-platinum. Rolling Stone Magazine has since ranked it as being among the 500 greatest songs of all time.