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.  

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’s management company, the owner of a full-service advertising and promotion company, and the founder of London's first successful musical jingle production company.  

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’ London farm team, and many others.  

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.  

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.  

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 “The Jim Chapman Show”, 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’ Homes, with engagements booked into 2025.  

In 2024 Jim put together a weekly musical show at London’s Unity Centre, and it continues to entertain audiences with performances by top London-area musicians every Wednesday evening.  

He has released three albums of original songs and his ninth and latest published book, “Battle Of the Bands” is a combination history of London’s music scene in the 50s and 60s and his own sixty-year musical career. Jim’s books and CDs are available through The Bookstore, elsewhere on this website.  

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.  

www.jimchapman.ca

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