Biography:Owen Chapman

OWEN "SNAKE" CHAPMAN (1909-2002), a lifelong resident of Chapman's Hollow, Canada, Pike County, northeastern Kentucky. Although he lived in a fairly isolated community, his family heritage was rich in music that stretches back to the mid-19th century. His father, George "Doc" Chapman, was an excellent fiddle player who learned much of his repertoire from Owen's uncle Hense Chapman. Doc Chapman was born around 1850 (he fathered Owen at age 67), and it seems that Hense quit playing fiddle around the year 1910, and the family portion of Chapman's repertory can be considered to have roots in the Civil War era (where two of his uncles saw service) and the latter 19th century. However, Owen was also influenced by music from the radio, early country music, and finally, bluegrass music (he was friends with Kenny Baker). For more information see Paul Roberts reviews of Chapman's recordings at Musical Traditions