On July 6, 2022 iconic folk and country artist Mary Chapin Carpenter hits the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre stage with special guest John Craigie. Carpenter is a five-time Grammy Award winner who has sold more than 15 million albums. She is the only female artist to win four consecutive Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal Performer (1992-95).
Despite her recognition as a country singer, Carpenter has never been the type of artist who confines herself to any one genre. There’s not enough glue to make any label stick. She refers to herself simply as a singer/songwriter and once described herself as a “slash-rocker” (meaning country/folk/rock). While country music fans know her best for her string of hits such as “Down at the Twist and Shout,” “I Feel Lucky” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her” she also created a mega-crossover hit with Lucinda Williams’ “Passionate Kisses” which reached the top 20 in both country and adult contemporary charts in 1993. All told, Carpenter has recorded 21 songs that reached the Top 40 and in 2012 she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Carpenter, a Jersey girl, has never fit the country music mold of big hair and twang. Sure, her great storytelling and rockabilly earned her commercial success as a country artist, but early folk influences remain palpable. Her most recent albums highlight her introspective and socially conscious storytelling, rooted deeply in the folk tradition.
John Craigie is the well-paired opener for the evening. Craigie is an accomplished singer-songwriter and storyteller who pens witty and often irreverent tunes. Great songcraft will be on full display in the heart of summer in Salt Lake City. I can’t wait!
Great lyric alert:
“Everything runs right on time, years of practice and design/ Spit and polish till it shines/ He thinks he’ll keep her/ Everything is so benign, safest place you’ll ever find/ God forbid you change your mind/ He thinks he’ll keep her.” —Mary Chapin Carpenter
“When the apocalypse is over, I hope you like your job/ Ain’t it a shame nobody sets anybody free anymore.” —John Craigie
- Who: Mary Chapin Carpenter with John Craigie
- What: Grammy Award winning artist and storyteller
- Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
- When: July 6, 2022
- Tickets and info: redbuttegarden.org
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