By MARIO TARRADELL - The Dallas Morning News
Date: 04/06/99 22:15

Don't call Gary Chapman a TV host.

It's not that he's ashamed of the tag. No sir. Chapman has spent the last two years turning "Prime Time Country" into a staple of The Nashville Network's entertainment program lineup.

The show, an old-fashioned variety hour featuring comedy skits, on-the-couch conversations and performances by country music's biggest names, is on more than 70 million households in the United States.

But Chapman gleefully admits this was never his career path.

"I never did intend to be a television guy," he says from his home studio in Nashville. "I've been a singer, songwriter, studio musician for 20 years. I had absolutely no history, no background, no experience at all when I started doing it. And looking back on it, I see that as a tremendous advantage because I didn't go in with any preconceived notions or any big agenda."

Like his television profile, Chapman is personable, humorous and no-nonsense on the phone. There are no airs, no for-the-camera one-liners, no grandiose vocal inflections. That casual composure translates well on the tube, where Chapman has settled into a comfortable groove.

"I've never had a real job, you know, where you actually had to show up somewhere," he says with a chuckle. "That was my only real reservation. That and the fact that I love the road, and I knew I would have to give up traveling.

"As it turns out, it's really a perfect job for me. I have the attention span of a gnat. It's a different job every single day. It's different people, different personalities, different crises, different joys and pains and that keeps me very interested."

Lately it's also helped keep the focus away from his crumbling personal life. Chapman, who's been married to contemporary Christian music queen Amy Grant for 15 years, is in the midst of a divorce. It's a devastating event not only for Chapman and Grant, but especially for their three children.

"I certainly don't enjoy the process and would never choose it," he says almost in a whisper. "And if people do pray, I want them to pray for my kids. It's the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life."

His religious beliefs will guide him through the turmoil, Chapman says. Faith has been a paramount part of Chapman's life since his college days. Born in Waurika, Okla. and raised in De Leon, Texas, a small town halfway between Fort Worth and Abilene, Chapman spent the bulk of his artistic career performing Christian music.

When he moved to Nashville 22 years ago, Chapman joined the gospel group the Rambos and began writing songs. His tunes have been recorded by pop, country and Christian artists such as Kenny Rogers, Vanessa Williams, Kathy Troccoli, Russ Taff and Barbara Mandrell.

In 1981 he recorded his first contemporary Christian album, "Sincerely Yours." Yet it was with 1994's Grammy-nominated "The Light Inside" that Chapman began his artistic rebirth.

"I want very much to make records that honestly reflect who I am," he says. "I'm very clear with my beliefs and at this point in particular in my life that's what keeps me going. And that's what I'm going to sing."

He's currently working on another album to be released in September. Making music helps him relate to guests, he says, since he understands the grind on the other side of the glamour. But it's something he does for his soul, not for his wallet.

"I've never looked at being a recording artist as something that I was trying desperately to succeed at," he says. "That's just something I'm always going to do. I started singing when I was 3. I started doing television when I was 39. It's not something I'm going to get away from.

"When (recording) is all you're doing it's hard to not want a hit. Now, and this sounds so hokey but it's the truth, I really can do it just because I love it. I'm a pig in mud."