South African musician; member of The Beach Boys

Musical artist Blondie Chaplin, Woodstock Reunion, 9/7/79, Parr Meadows, Ridge, NY

Terence William "Blondie" Chaplin (born 7 July 1951) is a South African singer and guitarist from Durban, where he played in the band the Flames in the mid to late 1960s. From 1972 to 1973, he was a member of the Beach Boys and contributed to their albums Carl and the P*ions – "So Tough" (1972) and Holland (1973). He is a long-term backing vocalist, percussionist, and acoustic rhythm guitarist for the Rolling Stones on their recordings and tours over a 15-year period, starting in 1997. Chaplin has released two solo albums, Blondie Chaplin (1977) and Between Us (2008).

Contents

• 1 Biography
• 2 Discography
• 3 References
• 4 External links

Biography

Chaplin grew up in South Africa under apartheid where he was cl*ified as Coloured. Both Chaplin and Ricky Fataar were members of Durban-based rock band The Flames, which they joined at ages 13 and 9, respectively. Their 1968 album Soulfire produced a hit in South Africa: the band's cover of "For Your Precious Love" was #1 on white radio for thirteen weeks.

Beach Boy Carl Wilson heard The Flames while the band was performing in London. Wilson signed them to the Beach Boys' Brother Records label and produced their self-*led album, The Flame (changed from Flames, to avoid confusion with The Famous Flames who were backup singers with James Brown), which featured soulful rock/pop songs in the vein of The Beach Boys and Badfinger. The Flames were the only band aside from The Beach Boys to record for Brother Records.

Chaplin, along with drummer Ricky Fataar, joined the Beach Boys when original drummer Dennis Wilson suffered a hand injury that left him unable to play the drums for almost two years. For the Beach Boys, it was a period in which long-time member Bruce Johnston had departed the band, and one-time leader Brian Wilson's participation in the group was very limited. As a result, Chaplin and Fataar joined the Beach Boys as full-fledged members and not merely as backing musicians. Chaplin left the group in 1973 after a dispute with the Beach Boys' management; Fataar left the band the following year.

Chaplin sang lead on various Beach Boys songs from two studio albums, Carl and the P*ions – "So Tough" and Holland, and plays on the live album The Beach Boys in Concert. "Sail On, Sailor" from the album Holland, on which he is the lead singer, is his "signature song".

Following his time with the Beach Boys, Chaplin recorded a self-*led album, released on Asylum Records in 1977. He also performed on Rick Danko's self-*led début album, which also featured each of Rick's former bandmates from The Band in addition to Ronnie Wood, Eric Clapton, Doug Sahm, and Danko's brother, Terry. Chaplin went on to tour with the David Johansen group and participated in producing Johansen's third solo album Here Comes the Night, on which Chaplin played guitar and sang backing vocals and co-aut*d seven tracks. During the late 1980s Chaplin toured with The Band, replacing some of Richard Manuel's vocals and playing guitar and, occasionally, drums. In the 1980s, Chaplin also toured with a band featuring Rick Danko and Paul Butterfield, and was guitarist and vocalist, as well as contributing a tune as songwriter, on Butterfield's last studio album, The Legendary Paul Butterfield Rides Again, released in 1986. Chaplin was also a featured player in former Byrds members Gene Clark and Michael Clarke's then new band, The 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Byrds, also known as the Tribute to the Byrds. Chaplin appeared on the Jennifer Warnes albums Shot Through the Heart, The Hunter, and The Well.

Chaplin also played on High on the Hog, the ninth studio album by The Band, released in 1996, to which he also contributed his composition, "Where I Should Always Be."

Chaplin toured with former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor and performed on his live album, Stranger in This Town. Starting in 1997, with the recording and release of the Bridges to Babylon album and subsequent tour, and, for some 15 years following, Chaplin served as a backing vocalist, percussionist, and, at times, backing guitar player for The Rolling Stones, in the recording studio and on the road. The Bridges to Babylon album lists Chaplin's credits as backing vocals, tambourine, piano, b* guitar, percussion, shakers, and maracas.

Chaplin is the vocalist, songwriter, and lead guitar player with Skollie, a band formed with fellow South Africans Keith Lentin on b* and Anton Fig (of the CBS Orchestra) on drums. Chaplin has recorded three solo albums, most recently Between Us in 2006.

In late 2013, Chaplin was featured at select shows of former Beach Boys bandmate Brian Wilson and guitarist Jeff Beck. Chaplin also appears on Wilson's 2015 album No Pier Pressure, on which he is the featured vocalist on the song, "Sail Away", and he then went on tour as a featured performer, along with Al Jardine, for Brian Wilson's 2015 tour, with Rodriguez as the opening act. He also joined Wilson's Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary World Tour in 2016, performing alongside the touring band and has continued to tour with Wilson through 2021.

On September 29, 2017, Big Noise's Al Gomes and Connie Watrous presented a plaque from Roger Williams University to Chaplin at The Zeiterion Theatre in New Bedford, MA. Chaplin's response to the sold-out audience at the 'Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds' show:: "I played a lot in these parts in 1971, and it's nice to be remembered this way." The plaque commemorates The Beach Boys' September 22, 1971 concert at The Ramada Inn in Portsmouth, RI, now RWU's Baypoint Inn & Conference Center. The concert was a very significant historic event in The Beach Boys' career – it was the very first time Chaplin's fellow member of The Flames Ricky Fataar played on-stage as a new member of The Beach Boys, which led to Chaplin joining the band, and essentially changed The Beach Boys' lineup into a multi-cultural group. This shifted the band into an essential and important creative period from 1971–1974 that included the recording of their Holland LP, which Rolling Stone magazine named "Album of the Year".

Discography

Other albums and videos from the Blondie Chaplin catalog:

• The Flames – That's Enough, 1967
• The Flames – Burning Soul!, 1967
• The Flames – Soulfire!!, 1968
• The Flames – The Flame, Brother Records, 1970
• The Beach Boys – Carl and the P*ions – "So Tough", 1972
• The Beach Boys – Holland, 1973
• The Beach Boys – The Beach Boys in Concert, 1973
• David Johansen – Here Comes The Night, Blue Sky Records, 1981
• Paul Butterfield – The Legendary Paul Butterfield Rides Again, Amherst Records, 1986
• Anton Fig – "In The Groove", DVD, 1994
• Blondie Chaplin – Fragile Thread, unreleased (but in circulation), 2001
• Rick Danko – Cryin' Heart Blues, 2005
• Anton Fig – Figments, 2002 (with Brian Wilson singing backup vocals on "Hand on My Shoulder", one of several songs on the album composed by Chaplin with Fig)
• Lou Pallo of Les Paul's Trio – Thank You Les / Tribute to Les Paul, CD & DVD 2012
• Beth Hart and Joe Bonam*a – Seesaw, 2013
• Beth Hart and Joe Bonam*a – Live in Amsterdam, CD & DVD, 2014
• Brian Wilson – No Pier Pressure, 2015

Additional performances are on the following recordings:

• Bonnie Raitt – Nine Lives
• Ray Ohara – Picaresque, (released 1988 in *an and on which Blondie was principal songwriter, guitarist, and lead vocalist on all songs)
• a Keith Richards-produced project, Wingless Angels (featuring singers from Jamaica)
• Charlie Watts/Jim Keltner Project
• Two Faced by Freida Parton (Dolly Parton's sister)
• Renée Geyer – So Lucky and her self-*led album
• Elliott Murphy – Change Will Come and Paris/New York
• Paul Shaffer – The World’s Most Dangerous Party
• The Parlor Dogs – Social Harem
• Sir Mack Rice – This What I Do
• Chris Whitley – Rocket House
• Marsha Hansen's My Soul Is a Witness (a CD accompanying a book with that *le)
• Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute album
• Hubert Sumlin – About Them Shoes

References

External links

• Blondie Chaplin.com

Live albums

• Rock of Ages
• Before the Flood
• The Last Waltz (1978 album)
• Live at Watkins Glen
• The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Bob Dylan Live 1966
• The Last Waltz (2002 album)
• Live at the Academy of Music 1971

Compilations

• The Best of The Band
• Anthology
• To Kingdom Come
• Across The Great Divide
• The Best of The Band, Vol. II
• Greatest Hits
• A Musical History
• The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Ba*t Tapes Complete

Films

• The Last Waltz
• Festival Express
• Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band

Singles

• "Uh-Uh-Uh"
• "The Stones I Throw"
• "Go Go Liza Jane"
• "The Weight" / "I Shall Be Released"
• "Rag Mama Rag" / "The Unfaithful Servant"
• "Up on Cripple Creek" / "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
• "Time to Kill" / "The Shape I'm In"
• "Life Is a Carnival"
• "On a Night Like This" (with Bob Dylan)
• "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" (with Bob Dylan)
• "Ophelia"
• "Atlantic City"

Other songs

• "Tears of Rage"
• "We Can Talk"
• "Long Black Veil"
• "Chest Fever"
• "Lonesome Suzie
• "This Wheel's on Fire"
• "Across the Great Divide"
• "When You Awake"
• "Whispering Pines"
• "Jemima Surrender"
• "Look Out Cleveland"
• "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)"
• "Sleeping"
• "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show"
• "Daniel and the Sacred Harp"
• "Stage Fright"
• "When I Paint My Masterpiece"
• "4% Pantomime"
• "Don't Do It"
• "Mystery Train"
• "Holy Cow"
• "Acadian Driftwood"
• "It Makes No Difference"
• "Georgia on My Mind"
• "Blind Willie McTell"
• "What Am I Living For"

Related

• Discography
• Bob Dylan
• Bob Dylan World Tour 1966
• Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour
• Cate Brothers
• Ronnie Hawkins
• Big Pink
• List of Ba*t Tapes songs
• List of Ba*t Tapes songs (1975)
• No Reason to Cry
• This Wheel's on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of The Band