At first glance, Todd Chappelle may just seem like a friendly, run-of-the-mill accountant in Wilmington. But behind this happy-go-lucky, hard-working family man is also a musician who, thanks to today’s technology, is able to give Delawareans a sense of pride… or at least a reason to chuckle.
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Todd Chappelle, who has spent time all over the state of Delaware, and who now lives just outside Philadelphia, Pa., wrote the song ‘I’m from Delaware.’ Chappelle e-mailed his song to a few friends, and it’s taken off from there.
While sitting in his home, Chappelle heard a commercial play on the television that parodied “I’ve Been Everywhere” — a fast-paced, country music hit written in 1959 by Geoff Mack and made popular by Johnny Cash in 1996. Within minutes, Chappelle began brainstorming his own version, tweaking the title around to “I’m From Delaware.”
In the ad, a promotion for Silver Spring, Md.-based Choice Hotels, a family of four uses the tune to name off their vacation destinations. “As they were singing,” said Chappelle, “I was just thinking how Delaware fit right in, and it started to come together.”
He shared his idea with his wife, Anne, and sat down with her, carefully studying a map of the state. “We started making a list of towns, bars we went to, and places that had the Delaware culture.”
With prior residence in New Castle County, where he attended the University of Delaware, and family located in Middletown and Rehoboth, Chappelle has developed a strong local connection throughout Delaware. “I’ve really spent my time up and down the state,” he said. “We tried to think of everything we could.”
Once he was satisfied with his new song, Chappelle sent a copy to a small group of family and friends. “After Labor Day,” he said, “I e-mailed it to a dozen friends, or so, just to get some feedback.” He planned to include the song on his second album, set to come out later this fall.
Recipients began taking notice to Chappelle’s work rather quickly. “A lot of people were liking it,” he said. “Within a couple of weeks, it started getting e-mailed back to me. People didn’t realize I was the one who started it.”
Chappelle’s adoration for music started decades ago, as he picked up a guitar during high school. After playing in Legends — a ’50s-, ’60s- and ’70s-cover band — through the 1990’s, he turned a little more to a solo career, incorporating his sense of humor into original pieces he wrote. He released his first full-length CD, titled “We’re Just Having Fun,” in 2006.
Most of his inspiration is attributed to musical-comedian Stephen Lynch. “He’s been my hero,” said Chappelle. “I wanted to be a sort of PG-13 version of what he does, to make it easier to get work.”
Chappelle’s songs have been compared to styles of comedy-musicians Rodney Carrington and humorous actor/musicians such as Adam Sandler and Rick Moranis. Defining his genre as “moderately funny acoustic comedy,” he notes that he doesn’t want to set the bar too high. Although accepted among those who heard his first album, none of Chappelle’s songs have received as much attention as “I’m from Delaware.”
Only three years ago, Chappelle moved with his wife and their 4-year-old son Jack and 18-month-old daughter Rachel to Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, but he said that hasn’t discouraged the fans of his Delawarean song.
“I’m finding out that there are a whole lot of transplanted people all over the country,” Chapelle said. High-school classmates now located in Florida have even received news of the Delaware song. Likewise, Delaware, especially the southern coastal region, has increased over the years its numbers of second-home owners and summer-goers from out-of-state areas, and they’re embracing the tune with open arms, too.
“The fact that I’m in Pennsylvania now doesn’t seem to bother anybody,” he said.
It’s virtually impossible to describe the success of Chappelle’s First State jingle without stepping back to take a look at the way online file-sharing and Internet media has changed the way people communicate.
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Todd Chappelle performs comedic style music, much like Adam Sandler, Rick Moranis and Stephen Lynch, Chappelle’s personal favorite.
“I had just sent it to a few friends,” he said, “not intending for it to go all over the place. I’m happy it has. It’s got my name out there.”
Indeed it has. Simply by personalizing his MySpace Web site, Chappelle could upload his song, and have fans and listeners tuning in from all over the world. While MySpace allows for a variety of information to be passed along, from interests and hobbies to music and movies, media-specific Web sites like YouTube (videos) and Flikr (photos) have made it possible for someone in Baltimore or D.C. to share an experience with contacts in Beijing, China; Paris, France; and Sydney, Australia; in a matter of seconds.
When not preoccupied with his job in Wilmington, Chappelle is trying to manage performances and gigs both there and in Delaware’s beach communities – something that he is happy to be back doing. The popularity of his catchy new tune has even landed him airtime on local radio stations, Cat Country 97.5 out of Salisbury, and Eagle 97.7, based out of Milford.
Chappelle’s fan base has grown ever since he started his page. “It’s really unbelievable,” he said. “I didn’t expect the kind of reaction it’s received. I’m honored that people like it and they’re passing it around.”
Most of the responses he receives, in fact, come from Sussex County. “There are a lot of Sussex County references throughout the song,” he noted. Some towns have even contacted radio stations, advising that they weren’t included. “I tried not to miss anyone,” Chappelle said, “but I could only get so many in.”
Prior to the release of the new CD, he said he plans to include another verse, which will incorporate some smaller towns in Sussex County and lower Kent County that were not included in the original version. He has also been asked by Cat Country 97.5 to create an “I’m From Maryland” song.
“I’m not as familiar with Maryland as I am with Delaware,” he said, “but I’m going to start asking around. I might get a Maryland song up here in a matter of time.”
Chappelle added that he couldn’t be doing what he’s doing without the help and support from his wife, who also went to UD. “She loves [the fact that I’m getting back to performing],” he said. “He has a great sense of humor and comedy, and it’s fantastic to have her there along the way.”
MySpace has served as a convenient stepping stone for Chappelle, but soon, he said, he hopes to go bigger.
“I’m going to try to develop a Web site by the time the new CD comes out, which will hopefully be ready by Thanksgiving. I know www.toddchappelle.com is available, and I know people who can do that for me.” For the time being, fans can purchase his first album at www.cdbaby.com, and can visit www.myspace.com/toddchappelle to hear and even download his widely popular “I’m From Delaware” song.
At this time, scheduled gigs include The Tin Angel in Philadelphia on Oct. 7 and the Buzzware Village Center in Aden, Del., on Oct. 19. Check his MySpace Web site for updates on shows. For booking information, contact Todd Chappelle at (302) 893-5813.