Mary Chapin Carpenter Bio | Wiki

Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American songwriter and country music singer.  She spent some years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs prior to signing with Columbia Records in the late 1980s which marketed her as a country singer. Her first album titled Hometown Girl was released in 1987  but did not produce any singles. However,  State of the Heart released in 1989, and Shooting Straight in the Dark released in 1990 produced four Top 20 hits on the Billboard country singles charts each.

Her most successful album is 1992’s Come On Come On. The album yielded seven charting country singles and was also certified quadruple platinum in the US for sales exceeding four million copies, the album remains the most successful her up to date. Mary followed the 1992 album with Stones in the Road in 1994 and A Place in the World in 1996. Both albums featured hit singles. In the 2000s, her albums departed both thematically and musically from her early work, she became less radio-friendly and more focused on societal and political issues.

In 2007, Mary released The Calling and followed that with The Age of Miracles in 2010, Ashes and Roses in 2012, the orchestral album, Songs From the Movie in 2014,  as well as Sometimes Just the Sky in 2018. Mary has so far won five Grammy Awards. She is the only artist to have won four  Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance consecutive. Mary received those awards from 1992 until 1995. Also, she has sold over 12 million records worldwide.

On October 7, 2012, Mary was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. She has performed on tv shows including  Late Night with David Letterman and Austin City Limits. Also, Mary has appeared on radio shows including The Diane Rehm Show. Additionally, she tours frequently and returns to Washington almost every summer to perform at Wolf Trap.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Age

She was on February 21, 1958, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America. Mary is 64 years old.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Height

She is a woman of average stature. Mary stands at a height of 5 ft 5 in ( Approx 1.65m).

Mary Chapin Carpenter Family

She was born to her parents Chapin Carpenter Jr and her mother Mary Bowie Robertson on February 21, 1958, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America. Chapin was a Life Magazine executive. Mary is the fourth-great-granddaughter of the 4th Chief Justice of the U S.A Supreme Court called John Marshall through her maternal grandfather called Harrison Marshall Robertson. Also, Mary is an eleventh-great-granddaughter of Mayflower passengers called Francis Cooke and Richard Warren, through her maternal grandfather Harrison Marshall Robertson. Harry Chapin, a singer-songwriter and philanthropist is her fifth cousin.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Siblings

She described her childhood as “pretty typical suburban”. Her musical interests were defined by her sisters’ albums of artists including Judy Collins, The Mamas & the Papas, and The Beatles. At the age of 16, her parents divorced, Mary was so much affected by her parent’s divorce that she wrote a song titled “House of Cards”. Despite her interest in music, Mary never considered performing publicly, not until she graduated from Taft. Her dad suggested that she perform at a local open-mic bar, it was a stressful experience for the shy Mary who recalled, “I thought I was going to barf.” Also, she hosted an open-mic night at a bar in the Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, DC for some years.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Husband

She had a series of relationships, including one with John Jennings. The media made much of Mary’s single status throughout the ’90s. in a 1994 profile, Entertainment Weekly dubbed her “a spokes-singer for the thirtysomething single woman” in a 1994 profile. In 2002, Mary married contractor Tim Smith but divorced in 2010. All through her career, Mary has actively supported different charities, such as CARE and Habitat for Humanity. She has also conducted fundraising concerts for causes such as the elimination of landmines.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Education

She went to Princeton Day School where she spent much of her time playing the guitar and piano. One time, her “classmates threatened to cut her guitar strings if Mary played ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ again. From high school, Mary attended and graduated in 1981 with a degree in American Civilization from Brown University. Mary played some summer sets in Washington’s music scene and this is where she met guitarist John Jennings. John would become her producer and long-time collaborator.

Nevertheless,  Mary considered music a hobby and planned on getting a “real job”. Although she briefly quit performing, she decided to return to music after several job interviews. Jennings persuaded Mary to play original material instead of covers. She landed a manager and recorded a demo tape after few years. The record led to a deal with Columbia Records.

Songs By Mary Chapin Carpenter

–  Down at the Twist and Shout

– Passionate Kisses

– I Feel Lucy

– He Thinks He’ll Keep Her

– Shut Up and Kiss me

– Never Had It So Good

– A Am a Town

– Here A Am

– I Take My Chances

– Why Walk When You Can Fly

– Only A Bream

– Where Time Stands Still

– Let Me Into Your Heart

– What You Looks For

-Tender When I Want to Be

– I Have a Need for Solitude

– Whenever You Are

– On With the Song

– John Doe No. 24

– The End of My Pirate Days

Mary Chapin Carpenter Albums

–  Come On Come On

– Stones in the Road

– The Dirt and the Stars

– Sometimes Just the Sky

– Shooting Straight in t

– State of the Heart

– Between H… and Gone

– Ashes and Roses

– Time Sex Love

– The Things That We Ar

– A Place in the World

– Hometown Girl

– The Age of Miracles

– The Calling

– Come Darkness

Mary Chapin Carpenter On Tour

Since childhood, Mary has struggled with periods of depression. While on tour with her album titled The Calling in spring 2007, she experienced severe chest and back pain. However, she continued to perform until a bout of breathlessness took her to the ER. Later, Mary learned she had suffered a pulmonary embolism. Canceling her summer tour to recover, Mary felt that she had let everyone down. As a result, she fell into depression prior to rediscovering. She spoke about her experience on National Public Radio in  June 2007 in the This I Believe program. Currently, she lives near Batesville, Virginia.

Mary Chapin Carpenter Net Worth

She is an American singer and songwriter whose musical career has been her major source of wealth. Currently,  Mary has an estimated net worth of $8 million.

Who Is Mary Chapin Carpenter

Mary is an American songwriter and country music singer.  She spent some years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs prior to signing with Columbia Records in the late 1980s which marketed her as a country singer. Mary’s first album, 1987’s Hometown Girl, did not produce any singles. However, both 1989’s State of the Heart and 1990’s Shooting Straight in the Dark produced four Top 20 hits on the Billboard country singles charts each.

Is Mary Chapin Carpenter Married

Mary had a series of relationships, including one with John Jennings. The media made much of Mary’s single status throughout the ’90s. in a 1994 profile, Entertainment Weekly dubbed her “a spokes-singer for the thirtysomething single woman” in a 1994 profile. In 2002, Mary married contractor Tim Smith but divorced in 2010.

How Old Is Mary Chapin Carpenter

Mary is a 64-year-old American songwriter and singer who was on February 21, 1958, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.

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