Straddling the lines of country and folk, Mary Chapin Carpenter has captivated audiences for more than three decades with songs like “Shut Up and Kiss Me” and “Down at the Twist and Shout.” In honor of her 68th birthday today (Feb. 21), we’re taking a look at the life and career of the five-time Grammy Award winner.
Videos by American Songwriter
Born Feb. 21, 1958, in Princeton, New Jersey, Mary Chapin Carpenter grew up the daughter of a Life magazine executive and a folk singer-guitarist. By second grade, she was playing both the guitar and ukulele.
By 1974, the family had settled in Washington, D.C., where Carpenter began playing folk venues. After earning her bachelor’s degree in American civilization from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, she returned to D.C. and resumed performing, eventually mixing in original material with her regular rotation of cover songs.
In 1986, Carpenter signed with Columbia Records. Her debut album, Hometown Girl, dropped the following year, but none of its singles charted. Aiming for a more mainstream country album on her sophomore record, State of the Heart, Carpenter scored her first Top 20 hit in 1989 with “How Do.”
Three more charting singles followed, including the Top 10 hits “Never Had It So Good” and “Quittin’ Time.” The latter landed Carpenter her first Grammy nod for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Mary Chapin Carpenter Has Sold Over 17 Million Albums
Continuing to climb the charts, Mary Chapin Carpenter won her first Grammy Award for 1991’s Cajun-flavored “Down at the Twist and Shout.” It marked the first of four consecutive trophies for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, with Carpenter victorious in the category each year from 1992 to 1998.
[RELATED: Exclusive: Mary Chapin Carpenter Shares Her ‘Personal History’ and Her ‘Greatest Regret’]
Overall, she has released 17 studio albums. The most recent, Personal History, came just last year. Selling more than 17 million records, Carpenter became one of just 22 women in the Songwriters Hall of Fame upon her 2012 induction.
“[If] I had never been fortunate enough to have this so called career, I still would have always played music, written songs—figured things out by trying to be creative. I know this to be true,” she said in 2023. “The career and all the things that go with that and the things that are hard about that’s given, we know that. But for myself, I know that if it had never gone this way, I’d still be, playing music. That’s the thing I hold on to no matter what.”
Featured image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.