Andrew Chapin (February 7, 1952 – December 31, 1985) was an American
keyboardist best known for his short stint with the
Ricky Nelson Band, which ended in 1985 when Nelson and his bandmates died after Nelson's personal
DC-3 aircraft crashed on
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
in
De Kalb, Texas while en route to a performance in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
. Prior to joining Ricky Nelson, Chapin had been a member of
The Association
The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...
and before that of
Steppenwolf, with whom he had recorded ''
Hour of the Wolf
''Hour of the Wolf'' ( sv, Vargtimmen, lit=The Wolf Hour) is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg ...
'' in 1975,
the band's first album recorded without founding keyboardist
Goldy McJohn. The official explanation for Chapin’s departure from Steppenwolf was that he disliked touring; he was subsequently replaced by
Wayne Cook
Wayne Cook (1949) is an American keyboardist best known for his time with Steppenwolf and Player. He co-wrote the instrumental "Lip Service" and played keyboards on Steppenwolf's 1976 '' Skullduggery'' album. The following year, he joined Playe ...
.
See also
*
Death of Ricky Nelson
American pop singer Ricky Nelson died during the attempted crash-landing of his band’s aircraft on December 31, 1985. The plane, a Douglas DC-3, was brought down mid-flight outside De Kalb, Texas, by a fire that rapidly spread from a suspecte ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapin, Andy
1951 births
1985 deaths
Accidental deaths in Texas
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1985
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
Steppenwolf (band) members
20th-century American keyboardists
The Association members
Musicians killed in aviation accidents or incidents