Mary Chapin Carpenter

Our guest this week on the Working Songwriter hails from my neck of the woods, Washington, D.C. Mary Chapin Carpenter got her start in the proto-Americana music scene of 1970s and '80s D.C. She broke out of that local circuit with her signing to Columbia Records; her debut album went quadruple platinum. She’s toured with Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, and Rosanne Cash, she’s won five GRAMMY Awards, two CMA Awards, and two Academy of Country Music Awards. Her song, “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” went to the top of the country radio charts. Chapin Carpenter has appeared on the Late Night with David Letterman and Rolling Stone calls her "one of the most grounded, sentient songwriters of her generation." NPR has said that she’s “a singular voice in country and folk” and the New York Times praises her “intelligent, literate songwriting with emotional depth.” Simply put, she’s an all-timer. I got a chance to catch up with her earlier this year and hear about her musical journey so far. Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS:

You can listen to Mary Chapin Carpenter online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Mary Chapin Carpenter is an episode from The Working Songwriter by Joe Pug LLC.

This episode is 39:50 long.

This episode was published on May 1, 2026.

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