Mary Chapin Carpenter

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mary Chapin Carpenter
Carpenter in 1999.
Carpenter in 1999.
Background information
Born February 21, 1958 (1958-02-21) (age 50)
Origin Flag of the United States
Princeton, New Jersey, USA
Genre(s) Country
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s) Vocals, rhythm guitar
Years active 1987-present
Associated acts Shawn Colvin
Joe Diffie
Website www.marychapincarpenter.com

Mary Chapin Carpenter (born February 21, 1958) is a American country/folk singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for her insightful, frequently introspective lyrics, and for releasing a series of critically and comercially successful albums throughout much of the 1990s.

Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer. Carpenter's first album, 1987's Hometown Girl, did not produce any singles, although 1989's State of the Heart and 1990's Shooting Straight in the Dark each produced four Top 20 hits on the Billboard country singles charts.

Carpenter's most successful album to date remains 1992's Come On Come On, which yielded seven charting country singles and was certified quadruple platinum in the U.S. for sales exceeding four million copies. She followed it with Stones in the Road (1994) and A Place in the World (1996), which both featured hit singles. In the 2000s, Carpenter's albums departed both thematically and musically from her early work, becoming less radio-friendly and more focused on societal and political issues.[citation needed] Her most recent, and possibly most topical album to date, The Calling, was released in March 2007, and touched on poverty, racism, jingoism, the environment and war; one track, "On With the Song", was overtly critical of the Bush administration.

Carpenter has won five Grammy Awards, and is the only artist to have won four consecutive Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, which she received from 1992 to 1995.[1] As of 2005, she had sold more than 12 million records.[2]

Carpenter has performed on television shows such as Late Night with David Letterman and Austin City Limits and tours frequently, returning to Washington almost every summer to perform at the popular outdoor venue Wolf Trap.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Carpenter was born in Princeton, New Jersey to Chapin Carpenter Jr., a Life Magazine executive, and Mary Bowie Robertson. Carpenter lived in Japan from 1969 to 1971 before moving to Washington, D.C.[3] She attended Princeton Day School, a private coeducational prep school[4], before graduating from The Taft School in 1976.[5]

Carpenter described her childhood as "pretty typical[ly] suburban," with her musical interests defined chiefly by her sisters' albums of artists such as The Mamas & the Papas, the Beatles, and Judy Collins.[6] When Carpenter was 16 her parents divorced, an event that affected Carpenter and that she wrote about in her song "House of Cards."[3] Carpenter spent much of her time in high school playing the guitar and piano; while at Princeton Day School, her "classmates threatened to cut her guitar strings if she played "Leaving on a Jet Plane" one more time."[7] Despite her interest in music, Carpenter never considered performing publicly until, shortly after graduating from Taft, her father suggested that she perform at a local open-mike bar, a stressful experience for the shy Carpenter, who recalled, "I thought I was going to barf."[8]

Carpenter graduated from Brown University in 1981 with a degree in American Civilization. Carpenter played some summer sets in Washington's music scene, where she met guitarist John Jennings, who would become her producer and long-time collaborator. However, she considered music a hobby and planned on getting a "real job."[6] At those gigs, most played in bars, Carpenter developed what she called an "awful" drinking problem, and later recalled, "I had to make a lifestyle change in a drastic way. It's still so painful to me to think about how I was."[6] She briefly quit performing, but after several job interviews decided to return to music. Carpenter quit drinking and was persuaded by Jennings to play original material instead of covers.[8] Within a few years, she landed a manager and recorded a demo tape that led to a deal with Columbia Records.[6]

[edit] Early records and "country" label

Carpenter's first album, Hometown Girl, was produced by John Jennings and was released in 1987. Though songs from Hometown Girl got play on public and college radio stations, it was not until Columbia began promoting Carpenter as a "country" artist that she found a wider audience.[9] For a long time, Carpenter was ambivalent about this pigeonholing, saying she preferred the term "singer-songwriter" or "slash rocker" (as in country/folk/rock). She told Rolling Stone in 1991, "I've never approached music from a categorization process, so to be a casualty of it is real disconcerting to me."[6]

Some music critics argue that Carpenter's style covers a range of influences even broader than those from "country" and "folk." Time critic Richard Corliss described the songs in her album A Place in the World as "reminiscent of early Beatles or rollicking Motown,"[10] and one reviewer of Time* Sex* Love* noted the "wash of Beach Boys-style harmonies[...]backwards guitar loops" and use of a sitar on one track,[11] all elements not commonly found on a country or folk album.

After 1989's State of the Heart, Carpenter released Shooting Straight in the Dark in 1990, which yielded her biggest single up to that point, the Grammy Award-winning "Down at the Twist and Shout". Two years later, Carpenter released the album that, to date, has been her biggest popular success, Come On Come On (1992). The album went quadruple platinum, remaining on the Country Top 100 list for more than 97 weeks,[1] and eventually spawned seven charting singles. Come On Come On was also critically acclaimed; The New York Times's Karen Schoemer wrote that Carpenter had "risen through the country ranks without flash or bravado: no big hair, sequined gowns, teary performances[...]enriched with Ms. Carpenter's subtlety, Come On Come On grows stronger and prettier with every listen."[12]

The songs of Come On Come On had the qualities that would come to identify her work: humorous, fast-paced country-rock songs with themes of perseverance, desire, and independence, alternating with slow, introspective ballads that speak to social or relational issues.[13] "Passionate Kisses", a cover of fellow singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams's 1988 song, was the album's third single. Carpenter's version peaked on the U.S. Country chart at #4, and was the first of Carpenter's songs to cross over to mainstream pop and adult contemporary charts, charting at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at #11 on Adult Contemporary.[14]

The sixth single off Come On Come On, "He Thinks He'll Keep Her," was Carpenter's biggest hit off the album, charting at #2 on Billboard's Country chart and at #1 on Radio & Records's Country chart.[14] Written by Carpenter and Don Schlitz, the fast-paced song follows a middle-aged homemaker who leaves her husband, and was inspired by a 1970s series of Geritol commercials in which a man boasts of his wife's seemingly limitless energy and her many accomplishments, then concludes by saying "My wife...I think I'll keep her." Carpenter said, "That line has always stuck with me. It's just such a joke."[15]

[edit] Continued 90s success

In the wake of Come On Come On's success, Carpenter wrote songs for a variety of artists, including folk singer Joan Baez, who recorded "Stones in the Road" for her 1992 album Play Me Backwards after hearing Carpenter sing it live. Pop singer Cyndi Lauper co-wrote "Sally's Pigeons" with Carpenter and released it on her 1993 album Hat Full of Stars. Country singer Wynonna Judd recorded Carpenter's composition "Girls With Guitars" on her 1993 album Tell Me Why. Judd released the song as a single in 1994, in what Carpenter called "the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me as a songwriter,"[1] and it peaked on the U.S. Country chart at #10.[16] Later, Carpenter co-wrote "Where Are You Now," which Trisha Yearwood recorded on her 2000 album Real Live Woman; the song peaked on the Country chart at #45. In the 1990s, Carpenter also dueted with Shawn Colvin, a "longtime recording pal",[17] Dolly Parton (on Parton's 1993 single "Romeo") and Joan Baez (on a 1995 live recording of "Diamonds & Rust.") Carpenter also performed a number of concerts with Baez and the Indigo Girls as The Four Voices, during the mid- to late-1990s.

Carpenter followed Come On Come On with 1994's Stones in the Road, at which point USA Today wrote that "without sounding anything like a country star was previously expected to sound, [Carpenter]'s one of the genre's biggest stars."[3] Stones in the Road sold only around two million copies, but was a crossover success with non-country audiences.[17] Carpenter's sixth album, A Place in the World, was released in 1996 to "raves" from publications as varied as Time, People, Elle, the New York Post, and USA Today.[17] The Boston Globe found the album more "philosophical [and] heady" than her previous work, and quoted Carpenter as saying, "[A]ll I've wanted to get out of songwriting is a sense of growth[...]I'm not shying away from any issues or subjects. I don't feel there's anything I can't address."[17]

In 1996, Carpenter's cover of the John Lennon song "Grow Old With Me," from the Lennon tribute album Working Class Hero, became an Adult Contemporary chart hit. In 1998, Carpenter was signed to write the music and lyrics for a planned Broadway musical adaptation of the 1953 western film Shane; the show was announced to open in spring 2000,[18] but as of November 2007 remains unproduced.

Carpenter in concert in 2006.
Carpenter in concert in 2006.

[edit] 2000s work

In 2001, Carpenter released her first studio album in five years, Time*Sex*Love. The New York Times wrote that Carpenter was "harder than ever to define stylistically," and described the album as a departure, "essentially a concept album about middle age."[19] In songs such as "The Long Way Home," Carpenter espoused taking life at one's own pace, rather than indulging in rampant goal-driven materialism.

Time*Sex*Love sold fewer copies than Carpenter's earlier work,[19] and yielded only one charting single, "Simple Life," which peaked on the U.S. Country chart at #53.[14] Carpenter explained that, "When the record was released, I really believed there were several radio-friendly songs[...]it has been since proven to me that is not exactly the case." [11]

In 2004, Carpenter released Between Here and Gone, a somber album that addressed events such as the events of September 11 and the death of singer-songwriter Dave Carter.[2][20] Carpenter's ninth studio album, The Calling, was released in 2007 by Rounder Records' rock/pop imprint Zoë, and featured commentary about contemporary politics, including reactions to the impact of Hurricane Katrina ("Houston") and the vilification of the Dixie Chicks ("On With the Song"). In less than three months after its release, The Calling sold more than 100,000 copies in the US.

[edit] Personal life

Despite a series of relationships, including one with John Jennings, the media made much of Carpenter's single status throughout the nineties; in a 1994 profile, Entertainment Weekly even dubbed her "a spokes-singer for the thirtysomething single woman."[21] In 2002, Carpenter married Tim Smith, a general contractor. They currently reside on "Elysium," a farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. Throughout her career, she has actively supported various charities, including CARE and Habitat for Humanity, and has conducted fundraising concerts for such causes as the elimination of landmines.

Carpenter has struggled with periods of depression since childhood.[22] While on tour with her album The Calling in spring 2007, Carpenter experienced severe chest and back pain. She continued to perform until a bout of breathlessness took her to the ER, where she learned she had suffered a pulmonary embolism. Cancelling her summer tour to recover, Carpenter "felt that [she] had let everyone down" and fell into a depression before rediscovering "the learning curve of gratitude."[23] Carpenter spoke about the experience on National Public Radio's This I Believe program in June 2007.

[edit] Awards

  • Grammy Awards

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Album Chart Positions[14] Certifications
US Country US 200 UK Albums RIAA[24] CRIA[25]
1987 Hometown Girl
1989 State of the Heart 28 183 Gold
1990 Shooting Straight in the Dark 11 70 Platinum Gold
1992 Come On Come On 6 31 4× Multi-Platinum 2× Platinum
1994 Stones in the Road 1 10 26 2× Multi-Platinum Platinum
1996 A Place in the World 3 20 36 Gold Gold
1999 Party Doll and Other Favorites 4 43 Gold
2001 Time* Sex* Love* 4 52
2003 The Essential Mary Chapin Carpenter 60
2004 Between Here and Gone 5 50
2007 The Calling 10 59

[edit] Singles

Year Single Chart Positions Album
US Country US Hot 100 US AC
1989 "How Do" 19 State of the Heart
"Never Had It So Good" 8
1990 "Quittin' Time" 7
"Something of a Dreamer" 14
1991 "You Win Again" 16 Shooting Straight in the Dark
"Right Now" 15
"Down at the Twist and Shout" 2
1992 "Going Out Tonight" 14
"I Feel Lucky" 3 Come On Come On
"Not Too Much to Ask" (w/ Joe Diffie) 15
1993 "Passionate Kisses" 4 57 11
"The Hard Way" 11
"The Bug" 16
1994 "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" 2
"I Take My Chances" 2
"Shut up and Kiss Me" 1 90 Stones in the Road
1995 "Tender When I Want to Be" 6
"House of Cards" 21
"Why Walk When You Can Fly?" 45
1996 "Grow Old with Me" 17 Working Class Hero: A Tribute to John Lennon
"Let Me Into Your Heart" 11 A Place in the World
1997 "I Want to Be Your Girlfriend" 35
"The Better to Dream of You"A
"Keeping the Faith" 58
1999 "Almost Home" 22 85 Party Doll and Other Favorites
"Wherever You Are" 55
2001 "Simple Life" 53 Time* Sex* Love*
2004 "What Would You Say to Me"A Between Here and Gone
"Beautiful Racket"A
2007 "On with the Song"A The Calling
"It Must Have Happened"A
  • AFailed to chart.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Harrington, Richard. "Mary Chapin Carpenter, Taking Her Time," The Washington Post, 1994-05-25.
  2. ^ a b Lehndorff, John. "Carpenter's new music comes from deep inside", Chicago Sun-Times, 2005-05-13. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  3. ^ a b c Zimmerman, David. "Carpenter’s foundation: Country star true to her folk roots," USA Today, 1994-10-05.
  4. ^ Kallas, Anna. "HER PREP SCHOOL IS NOTABLE FOR ITS NOTABLES - Christopher Reeve and Mary Chapin Carpenter walked the same halls - oh, and so did the Menendez brothers.", Dayton Daily News, June 1, 1997. Accessed December 3, 2007. "Chris and I went to the same private school in New Jersey - Princeton Day School - as did Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Menendez brothers, but more about them later."
  5. ^ Schoemer, Karen. "No Hair Spray, No Spangles", The New York Times, August 1, 1993. Accessed December 3, 2007. "Born and reared in Princeton, N.J., one of four sisters whose father, Chapin Carpenter, worked for Life magazine, Carpenter is suburban to the core. What's more, she attended private schools, including the Taft School in Connecticut, and graduated from Brown University."
  6. ^ a b c d e Wing, Eliza. "Country’s Unlikely Star: Bending the genre, Mary-Chapin Carpenter shoots straight for the top," Rolling Stone, 1991-03-21.
  7. ^ Duncan, Petie Oliphant, and Stuart Duncan. "100 Years of Theatre," speech given at the Princeton Day School Centennial Follies, October 1999. Reprinted in Princeton Day School Mame playbill, February 2000.
  8. ^ a b Harrington, Richard. "Carpenter, Building a Name: The Washington Area’s Singer-Songwriter & Her Label of Success," The Washington Post, 1989-06-11.
  9. ^ Corliss, Richard. "Getting there the hard way", Time, 1992-08-24. Retrieved on 2007-02-04. 
  10. ^ Corliss, Richard. "Ironic, don’tcha think?; Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin can teach their better-selling juniors a thing or two", Time, 1996-11-11. Retrieved on 2007-02-04. 
  11. ^ a b Abbott, Jim. "Chapin Carpenter is no longer sure if she can be called ‘country.’" The Orlando Sentinel, 2001-08-03.
  12. ^ Schoemer, Karen. "RECORDINGS VIEW: A Salute to the Quiet Heroines", The New York Times, 1992-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. 
  13. ^ Joyce, Mike. "Even After 10 Years, Surprises Remain; A Fond Look Back With Mary Chapin Carpenter," The Washington Post, 1999-05-31. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
  14. ^ a b c d Chart numbers are based on information from the online databases RIAA Gold & Platinum Database, the BPI/UK Sales Database, and UK Every Hit.
  15. ^ Staff of WomaNews. "Smart Talk: Shortcuts," Chicago Tribune, 1992-09-06.
  16. ^ Wynonna Judd Artist Chart History, Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  17. ^ a b c d Morse, Steve. "A Better Place: Mary Chapin Carpenter’s new CD presents her eclectic philosophy," The Boston Globe, 1996-11-29.
  18. ^ "Entertainment: Shane comes back", BBC News, 1998-11-11. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  19. ^ a b Sack, Kevin. "Confronting Middle Age With Songs And Pluck", The New York Times, 2001-08-14. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. 
  20. ^ "Mary Chapin Carpenter: A Thanksgiving Special", NPR All Things Considered, 2004-11-25. (Carpenter states: "Actually, I wrote this song after I learned about the passing of an extraordinary musician by the name of Dave Carter. He was a visionary songwriter, he was part of a duo called, Carter and Grammer...")
  21. ^ Kennedy, Dana. "MUSIC NEWS: Not So Happy At Last", Entertainment Weekly, 1994-11-11. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. 
  22. ^ "Country Music Star Mary Chapin Carpenter Talks About Struggle With Depression", Fox News, 2006-05-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  23. ^ Carpenter, Mary Chapin. "The Learning Curve of Gratitude", NPR Weekend Edition, 2007-06-24. Retrieved on 2007-11-27.
  24. ^ RIAA Gold and Platinum Search for albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter
  25. ^ http://www.cria.ca/cert_db_search.php

[edit] External links