There is a feeling that begins to take hold when listening to the songs of Mary Chapin Carpenter. The words seem to capture perfectly something you have always tried to say. As she sings, the warmth and timbre of her voice reminds you that, in the end, everything will be alright. It's these songs which touch upon real life experiences, whether it's winning the lottery or mourning lost love, that make Mary Chapin Carpenter such an accomplished and gifted artist.

Once again audiences across the United States will be treated to live performances by Ms. Carpenter and her band when this year's summer tour '98 kicks off at the beginning of June in California. Previous to the start of the tour, Ms. Carpenter will perform with the legendary Boston Pops for an upcoming television series to be aired on public TV. She will also put the finishing touches on a track produced by Chet Atkins entitled "Oh Lonesome Me." This song will be featured on Tribute to Tradition, an album paying homage to vintage country music which will be released by Columbia Records in September.

It is this respect for her roots that brought about the title of her debut album, Hometown Girl, in 1987. This album served as an introduction to Ms. Carpenter's unique songwriting ability. It was followed by the release of State Of The Heart in 1989. Two songs from this RIAA-certified Gold album were Top Ten singles, "Never Had It So Good" and "Quittin' Time." Within months of the album's release, Ms. Carpenter was named the Top New Female Vocalist by the Academy of Country Music and was nominated for her first Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance/Female.

Mary Chapin Carpenter's ability to blend genres is exquisitely portrayed on the 1990 platinum album Shooting Straight In The Dark. The number one single "Down at the Twist and Shout" is a rocking mix of country, pop and soul recorded with the seminal Cajun band Beausoleil. The song won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance/Female. With her refined signature style, this album solidified her as an artist of integrity with the ability to appeal to a wide ranging audience.

Eager fans anticipating the release of Ms. Carpenter's fourth album were not disappointed. The album Come On Come On propelled Ms. Carpenter onto the forefront of the country music scene. The triple-platinum CD garnered numerous accolades including three Grammy Awards, seven hit singles and a two year stint at the top of Billboard's charts. The hit single, "He Thinks He'll keep Her," was nominated in 1995 for Record of the Year, only the second time in Grammy history that a nomination in this category has gone to a country artist. Numerous publications, including Time Magazine and People Magazine, named Come On Come On one of their top albums of the year.

The release of 1994's album, Stones In The Road, expanded the avenues through which people could experience the exceptional writing talent of Ms. Carpenter. The thirteen intensely personal tracks on this CD reveal an introspective Ms. Carpenter emerging from the success of 1992. The seamless of songs on the platinum Stones In The Road earned Ms. Carpenter her first Grammy for Best Country Album, along with her fourth consecutive Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance/Female. Ms. Carpenter is the only country artist to have won four Grammys in a row for the same category. In conjunction with this album, the life of a musician who is "on the road" is wonderfully captured in the Stones in The Road Tour Book 1995 which is comprised of essays written by Ms. Carpenter and photographs by long time photo journalist for Time Magazine, William Campbell. The sales of this tour book benefited the CARE Foundation on their Fiftieth Anniversary, celebrating their commitment to improving the global community. Ms. Carpenter's partnership with CARE raised awareness of this anniversary for approximately a half million people who caught the tour. The Stones In The Road tour was also featured as a part of the PBS series entitled " In the Spotlight" and on the home video/DVD "Jubilee-Live at Wolf Trap."

As the world grows increasingly smaller through advanced technology, and the ability to communicate across the map takes less than a second, a musician's voice carries new meaning. Mary Chapin Carpenter reflects upon this meaning on her latest album, A Place In the World. From a song about traveling to Italy, or your own hometown, to songs about traversing emotions, the RIAA-certified Gold album earned Ms. Carpenter another Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performance/ Female for the single "Let Me Into Your Heart." The video for "The Better to Dream of You," another single from the album, was based on a concept developed by Ms. Carpenter. This video, directed by Steven Goldman, was recently chosen as Best Country Music Video by the Music Video Production Association. Ms. Carpenter also lent her artistry to a number of motion picture soundtracks. She has penned or performed songs for the movies Tin Cup, Fly Away Home and Dead Man Walking, among others.

It is Ms. carpenter's humanitarian spirit and increasing interest in national issues which has led to her involvement in a number of projects. As a flourishing author, Ms. Carpenter contributed an essay to A Voice Of Our Own: Leading Women Celebrate The Right To Vote , a book commemorating the 75th anniversary of women's suffrage. She also wrote her first children's book, Dreamland, which was published by Harper Collins in 1996. Based on a lullaby written by Ms. Carpenter, the proceeds from this book are donated to the Voiceless Victims Project of the Institute for Intercultural Understanding. Ms. Carpenter is looking forward to the publication of her second children's book, Halley Came to Jackson, based on her song of the same name, which will be released in the fall of 1998. In 1997 Ms. Carpenter performed at UNICEF's 50th Anniversary concert, A Gift of Song, and, on Christmas Eve, she accompanied Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart, to Bosnia. Following in the tradition of former USO performers, Ms. Carpenter gave a holiday performance to the soldiers stationed there. Ms. Carpenter also actively supports various environmental groups, literacy and social change organizations.

Mary Chapin Carpenter states, "I think writing, if you really work at it, has the ability to show you things you might not see otherwise, in yourself and the world around you. I just let my mind run free and see where it goes." As we step into the future with Ms. Carpenter, her writing will take us on that journey. Whether it's a new album or the soundtrack for an upcoming movie, it is certain that this inspirational and moving songwriter will take us to a new place in the world.