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.

In May (1999) Sony released a much anticipated compilation of hits, live tracks and other rarities by Ms. Carpenter entitled Party Doll And Other Favorites. In addition to the top-charting songs "Passionate Kisses," "I Feel Lucky" and "Shup Up And Kiss Me," the album will include Ms. Carpenter's live performance with BeauSoleil of "Down At The Twist And Shout" from SuperBowl XXXI, the highly acclaimed song "10,000 Miles" from the film "Fly Away Home," a cover of the Mick Jagger-penned song "Party Girl," for which the album is named, and two brand new songs entitled "Almost Home" and "Wherever You Are." Following the release of this album, Ms. Carpenter and her band embarked on a major summer tour visiting cities throughout the United States. The stellar line-up for this summer's tour included John Jennings on bass, Jon Carrol on keyboards, Duke Levine playing various guitars and Dave Mattacke (of Jethro Tull, Paul McCartney and XTC, among thers) on drums.

Prior to the release of Party Doll, Ms. Carpenter performed at the State Department dinner hosted by Vice President Al Gore in January. In addition, she performed at Carnegie Hall on February 4th at a tribute to The Songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Other plans for 1999 include a fall tour of Europe and participation in a thirteen-part CBS News documentary entitled, "Century of Country," which began airing on TNN in March.

Mary Chapin with friends at the 1999 Country Radio Seminar Sony/Columbia Records show.

It is this request 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 followed in 1989 by the release of State Of The Heart, an RIAA-certified Gold album containing the Top Ten singles, "Never Had It So Good" and "Quittin' Time." Within months of the album's release, Ms. Carpenter was named 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 Ms. Carpenter as an artist of integrity with the ability to appeal to a wide ranging audience.

Eagar 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 had gone to a country artist. Numerous publications, including Time magazine and People magazine, named Come On Come On one of their Top 10 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 the CD reveal an introspective Ms. Carpenter emerging from the success of 1992. The seamless quality of songs on the platinum Stones In The Road earned Ms. Carpenter her first Grammy for Best Country Album. In addition, she won her fourth consecutive Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance/Female. an achievement matched by no other artist in country music history. In conjunction with this album, the life of a musician 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 jpurnalist 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 album A Place In The World (1996), through songs such as "What If We Went To Italy," "Hero In Your Own Hometown" and "Keeping The Faith." The RIAA-certified Gold album earned Ms. Carpenter another Grammy nomination for Best Country Vocal Performacne/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 Goldmann, was chosen in 1998 as Best Country Music Video by the Music Video Production Association. Ms. Carpenter has 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. An exciting new project for Ms. Carpenter will be her introduction to the musical theatre, where she will be contributing her song writing talents to an upcoming Broadway adaptation of "Shane."

Mary Chapin Carpenter and Glenda S. Paradee at the 1999 Country Radio Seminar Sony/Columbia Records show.

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 American 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 1998. 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's second children's book, Halley Came To Jackson, based on her song of the same name, was released by Harper Collins in the fall of 1998. In December 1997, Ms. Carpenter performed at UNICEF's 50th Anniversary concert, A Gift Of Song, and, on Christmas Eve 1997, in conjunction with the U.S.O., she accompanied Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart, to Bosnia to perform for the troops. The experience was so rewarding that on Christmas Eve 1998, she once again accompanied the Secretary of Defense and his wife, together with musicians Carole King and David Ball, to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. In addition to these activities, Ms. Carpenter also actively supports various environmental, literacy and social change organizations.

Mary Chapin with her friend Vince Gill.

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 and imagination run free and see where it goes." As we step into the future with Ms. Carpenter, her writing will take us on the journey. Whether it's a new album, the soundtrack for an upcoming movie, or a new musical, it is certain that this inspirational and moving songwriter will take us to a new place in the world.

Mary Chapin & Vince Gill