Arts: Noted composer to sing at Sunday service

Beth Nielson Chapman, a celebrated recording artist and composer from Nashville and a close friend of Shelter Islander Lynn Franklin, will sing during the 9:30 a.m. service at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church on Sunday, August 21.

Ms. Chapman, who has written hits recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Bette Midler, Elton John and Neil Diamond, among many others, will be on the Island staying with Ms. Franklin and has offered to perform at the church.

Ms. Chapman’s 1999 hit “This Kiss,” sung by Faith Hill, was ASCAP’s Song of the Year. Her song “Sand & Water,” written on the death of her husband from cancer in 1994, was performed by Elton John on his 1997 U.S. tour in place of his own “Candle in the Wind.”

Her song “Deeper Still,” released in 2000 after her successful treatment for breast cancer, was voted Album of the Year in Great Britain by BBC2’s Terry Wogan. It is one of many CDs released by the artist herself.

Ms. Franklin met Ms. Chapman through her late first cousin Dale Franklin, a well-known figure in Nashville and a former manager of the Fillmore East. She was the first executive director of Leadership Music, a non-profit organization in Nashville founded in 2004 to recognize music industry leaders who exemplify the highest quality of leadership. An award is given each year in Nashville in her memory.