Born in London Canada in 1949, Jim Chapman has been blessed with a life full of challenge and adventure. He was signed to Columbia Records in New York in 1968, played bass in rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins' band and toured across the eastern U.S. and Canada for years fronting several groups of his own. \xa0
By 1973 he was the president of a major recording studio (Springfield Sound) where he honed his skills as a songwriter, studio musician and producer. He was also a partner in a successful artist\u2019s management company, the owner of a full-service advertising and promotion company, and the founder of London's first successful musical jingle production company. \xa0
Health issues forced him to retire from the business world in 1980 and with his new wife Carlyn he went back on the road as an entertainer for much of the decade. The couple later returned to London, built another recording studio, and ran a profitable radio/TV musical jingle company and communications consultancy with clients like Kraft General Foods, Ontario Hydro, ParticipAction, The Ontario Senior Games, The Government of Canada, The Detroit Tigers\u2019 London farm team, and many others. \xa0
From 1992 until 2012 Jim was a prominent London-based public affairs newspaper and magazine columnist and radio/TV broadcaster. Prior to his retirement in 2017, Jim had also been working as a professional writer and business consultant for more than a decade. \xa0
In 1999 he died of a massive heart attack and had what is often referred to as a Near Death Experience Brought back to life in the ER, after a long recovery he wrote two books about the experience and lectured about it across Ontario and as far afield as New York, Dallas, and Seattle. He also appeared on the ABC, CTV, TVO, and Discovery television networks, on the BBC and CBC radio networks, and on dozens of radio stations and podcasts. \xa0
In the early 2000s he also returned (from time to time) to his first love, performing as a singer and instrumentalist, headlining a number of concerts as well as performing in several bands. In 2023 he created \u201cThe Jim Chapman Show\u201d, a live songs and stories performance geared to Baby Boomers. It was an almost instant success, and Jim has performed it at dozens of venues including concert halls, banquets, churches, private gatherings and Seniors\u2019 Homes, with engagements booked into 2025. \xa0
In 2024 Jim put together a weekly musical show at London\u2019s Unity Centre, and it continues to entertain audiences with performances by top London-area musicians every Wednesday evening. \xa0
He has released three albums of original songs and his ninth and latest published book, \u201cBattle Of the Bands\u201d is a combination history of London\u2019s music scene in the 50s and 60s and his own sixty-year musical career. Jim\u2019s books and CDs are available through The Bookstore, elsewhere on this website. \xa0
Jim and Carlyn Chapman have been happily married for 45 years and they share their cosy retirement home with two loveable little dogs, Jo-Jo and Molly, and an elderly gentleman cat named Mr. Punkin. \xa0
www.jimchapman.ca
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