[2] Before he began his career on radio, Chappell was "a concert baritone, a song-and-dance man in musical comedy, a lecturer and a stock company actor.
"[3] On February 10, 1925, Chappell was the announcer, as well as the director of the first radio station in Syracuse, New York, WFBL (which stood for First Broadcast License).
His column, "Riding the Waves With Chap", included promotion for the broadcasting industry and the local station.
[5] For several years on each program, Chappell also served as the announcer for The Campbell Playhouse[6] (the sponsored continuation of The Mercury Theatre on the Air) and for The Adventures of Ellery Queen.
[7] Chappell was also "the voice of Pall Mall" in American Tobacco's television cigarette commercials from the mid-1950s into the mid-'60s.