Beth asked that I could feature one of her favs, Mary Chapin Carpenter. Of course!  There are certain artists in country music where the long range history is not overly kind to them.  She fits that bill.  Her terrific talent, incredible originality and big success is 100% undeniable.  There was so much amazing music out there during her run.  But make zero mistake, MCC was terrific!

To Me, This Is The Absolute Right Idea For A New Artist To Get Noticed

MCC came along at the right time for her and for us. Country was in a big boom and yes the traditionalists were solidly here and there was no shortage of mega-stars. Her music was a bit different  - as was she.  She was from the East Coast originally, and not a lot of country singers from there.  Also her music, although charting country, seemed to be coming to us from the outside. There was a certain, folk, or Americana sound to her songs, voice, style, arrangements and her appeal.  I always felt the subject matter and lyrics of many of her songs came from a slightly different place and perspective than most.  I also think that was the absolute key to her big success.  She had the musical DNA to be just different enough to cut through and get noticed.  For some fans who were new to us, and maybe not sure about us yet, MCC convinced them they were in the right place.  She was a truly amazing vocalist.

Early Success From Her Breakthrough Album

She broke through in 1989 after a couple of albums that misfired, and introduced herself with a terrific little two minute song called, How Do from the album, State Of The Heart.  How Do  only went to number 19, but it without question got her noticed.  It was a fun and easy to listen to song that led to three more songs off that breakthrough album with two going top ten.  To me, that song is about the best example of what new artists today should do. Find a good little positive song, do it right, keep it short and introduce yourself as a vocalist and talent that people want to get to know better.  Leave them wanting more  -  To me, How Do,  is the blueprint song for that. That little song sent her on her way to selling millions of albums.  Very savvy.

Big Song -  A Real Listener Fav!  This Song Will Live Forever

I remember her breakthrough very well. I was at KLIK -The Big 950 in Jefferson City, Missouri doing the morning show there, and I remember having conversations with the rest of the staff off the air, that there was something different here that was worth listening to.  That song made me want to hear more from her.  You see, I have always felt that's all that a debut song is really supposed to do.  Her music was straight forward, honest and delivered by someone you believed. There was nothing phony about MCC.

Again, A Very Unpredictable Big Hit Song

She came along around the same time as the amazing Suzy Bogguss, and there were some similarities with the two of them. I felt that there was room for this sound that mildly blended a few different styles together and worked in country without alienating the newly rejuvenated country core. Bogguss to me was a big more folksy and MCC was a bit more Americana, but each was coming from a new place.  Both exceedingly talented and a real nice new branch on our tree.  They were not pop-country, fans has had enough of that, but they were not true traditionalists. Country was the trunk, and they were a new and accepted branch.

Listeners Loved This Song - I Did Too

MCC's next album, Shooting Straight In The Dark was a big hit, selling a million on the heels of the previous album going GOLD.  But it was all leading up to her next album, her masterpiece, Come On, Come On in 1992 that sold an incredible 5 million and had a staggering SEVEN hit songs off of it.  By any stretch of any imagination anywhere, it is one of the outstanding country albums of the 1990's.  That sales figure was incredible for the time, or any time really. Only a few studio albums of the entire decade would sell more than this one.  In that regard, she is on the same list with the heavyweights of the decade.

Her Only Charted Number One Song

Her next two albums were big successes and her popularity was here to stay.  She is the only artist to win four consecutive Grammy's for Best Female Country Performance. She has sold about 14 million albums and has been inducted into a few Hall's Of Fame.  She is a first class songwriter and performer.  She is one of those incredible artists that when you see her again on these videos you are reminded just how great she was.

Another From The Incredible  - Come On, Come On Album

She contended and won in a very competitive era in country.  She led the way for a good long while -  Pre-Shania on the charts. For a period of about six years she was a dominant artist in our format and brought us a sound that was slightly different than most of the artists did.  I think one of her great calling cards was that she was unpredictable in her music.  You never really knew what you were gonna get, she seldom if ever recorded the same song twice. I call that versatile and that's a darn rare thing. I was a fan, I felt she brought us a different kind of seasoning in the country music soup, and it was refreshing.

A Real Fan Favorite

She is also a great example of how tough the biz can be. You are not promised a 15 or 20 year chart run, it does happen, but it is not the rule.  MCC had her great run, and today we thankfully have her fantastic music to remember just how good her music was and is.

Mary Chapin Carpenter was a different kind of star, that put a different color on our country music canvas, and we are better for it.