Andy Chapin was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 keyboardist

Keyboardist

A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...

 best known for his short stint with the Ricky Nelson Band

Ricky Nelson

Eric Hilliard Nelson , better known as Ricky Nelson or Rick Nelson, was an American singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and actor...

, which ended in 1985 when he and his bandmates died after their plane crashed on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

 in De Kalb, Texas

De Kalb, Texas

DeKalb is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,769 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Texarkana, Texas - Texarkana, Arkansas Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its two area codes are 430 and 903. Its ZIP code is 75559...

 while en route to a performance in Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

. Prior to joining Ricky Nelson, Chapin had been a member of The Association

The Association

The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...

 and before that of Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf (band)

Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...

, with whom he'd recorded Hour of the Wolf

Hour of the Wolf (album)

Hour of the Wolf is an album by Steppenwolf, released in 1975 . It was the second of four albums Steppenwolf released under the label Epic.-Track listing:#"Caroline " – 4:53...

 in 1975, the band's first album recorded without founding keyboardist Goldy McJohn

Goldy McJohn

Goldy McJohn is a Canadian keyboard player best known as the original keyboardist for rock group Steppenwolf. Originally a classically trained pianist, he was a pioneer in the early use of the electronic organ in heavy metal...

. The official explanation for his departure from Steppenwolf was that he didn't like touring. He was replaced by Wayne Cook

Wayne Cook

Wayne Cook is an American keyboardist best known for his time with Steppenwolf and Player. He co-wrote the instrumental "Lip Service" and played keyboards on Steppenwolf's 1976 Skullduggery album...

.