Primary Wave Music Partners with the Estate of Harry Chapin

Terms of the deal will see the publisher partner with his estate on the legendary singer’s music catalog, as well as name, image, & likeness rights included are the grammy nominated singer & Songwriter’s biggest hits such as “Cats in the Cradle,” “Taxi,” “I Wanna Learn a Love Song,” “Sunday Morning Sunshine,” and others.

“It is scarcely possibly to rank Harry Chapin among contemporary singer-songwriters, for he stands virtually alone.”
– Sunday Times

“His songs are cinematic. They put the listener in a taxi one rainy night, in the sniper’s tower, or in the disc jockey’s sound booth.”
– Philadelphia Inquirer

“Charismatic and larger-than-life, Chapin had a talent for writing story songs such as ‘Taxi,’ ‘W*O*L*D’ and ‘Sunday Morning Sunshine’ that tugged at the heart with a sad sweetness.”
– LA Times

New York, NY (April 28, 2026) – Primary Wave Music, the leading independent publisher of iconic and legendary music in the world, has announced today its partnership with the estate of the legendary singer and songwriter, Harry Chapin. Considered to be one of the best-known singer-songwriters, of the 1970s, Chapin’s audience spanned the globe with fan bases in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Terms of the deal will see Chapin’s estate work alongside Primary Wave on the Grammy nominee’s music catalog, as well as share in his name, image, and likeness rights. This exciting new partnership will also provide the estate access to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, working closely on new marketing, branding, digital, and synch opportunities, as well as film & television projects.

Included in this exciting partnership are Chapin’s biggest hits across his decade long career which encompassed 11 albums and 14 singles – all hits on at least one national music chart. Having sold more than 16 million albums worldwide, Chapin saw worldwide success with classics such as “Cat’s in the Cradle,” “Taxi,” “I Wanna Learn a Love Song,” “Sunday Morning Sunshine,” “W.O.L.D.” and more.

Chapin’s first single, “Taxi,” was released in 1972 and was featured on his debut album Heads & Tales. The song would help establish Chapin’s musical style and landed on the Billboard Hot 100 in June of that year, staying there for 16 weeks. To promote the single, Chapin performed on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Carson was so taken by his performance, he invited him back the next night for an encore. The success of “Taxi” helped Chapin land a “Best New Artist” Grammy nomination in 1972. Later that same year, “Sunday Morning Sunshine” was released and quickly made its way onto the Billboard Hot 100. A year later, in 1973, Chapin wrote and released the song “W.O.L.D.”- a song inspired by radio personality Jim Connors who is credited for having discovered Harry. Upon release, the song charted in several countries and went on to be certified platinum. 1974 saw the release of “I Wanna Learn a Love Song” and what is considered Chapin’s most well-known hit, “Cats In the Cradle.”

Released in October of 1974, “Cat’s in the Cradle” would become Chapin’s signature song. The single topped the Billboard 100 just two months after its release, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of “Best Male Pop Vocal performance” and has since been certified double platinum. The song originated as a poem written by Chapin’s wife, Sandra, and would go on to become a hit covered by a number of artists including Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, and Ugly Kid Joe. “Cat’s in the Cradle” received rave reviews from press with Rolling Stone claiming it “stood apart” while also noting how it touched so many listeners on a personal level saying, “there’s no denying the way the song’s message about longing, separation, and regret affected an inordinately wide range of people who heard it.” “Cat’s in the Cradle” remains a folk-rock classic to this day and was not only included on the RIAA’s list of “Songs of the Century” in 2001, but a decade later the single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

In 1980, Chapin released what many considered his last hit “Sequel.” The title track of his album of the same name, Chapin considered this a follow up to his 1972 song “Taxi.” The song peaked one position higher than “Taxi” on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.

Harry Chapin was posthumously awarded the highest civilian honor in 1987 when he received Congressional Gold Medal to honor his immense humanitarian work fighting world hunger.

“My family is incredibly impressed with Primary Wave and their remarkably talented team. We are so excited to support them as they introduce Harry Chapin music to wider and younger audiences while giving long-time fans more of what they love.” – Jason Chapin, son of Harry Chapin

Cole Rushworth, Primary Wave’s Senior Director of Business & Legal Affairs added, “Harry Chapin’s unique gift as a storyteller and his ability to capture experiences that are at once personal and universally relatable make him one of the all-time greats, and an incredible addition to Primary Wave’s roster of legendary singer-songwriters. It has been a true pleasure working with the Chapin family to bring this partnership to life and we are honored to have the opportunity to uphold Harry’s legacy.”

Barry Massarsky of Citrin Cooperman served as advisor.

Cynthia Katz and Zach Blumenfeld of Fox Rothschild LLP represented the Harry Chapin estate