Bob Harris Country - Mary Chapin Carpenter special

Tonight's Bob Harris Country special is devoted to the music and career of multi-Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter. Recorded in Nashville last month, this special programme features an extended interview with Mary Chapin, plus live acoustic performances and favourite tracks from a career which began on the Washington folk circuit in the mid 1970s, and led to huge mainstream country success two decades later. Earlier this year saw the release of her 12th studio album 'The Age of Miracles', written during and after her recovery from a serious illness. She describes it as 'personal exploration of regret and resilience.' In her conversation with Bob, Mary Chapin talks about the background to her new album before reflecting on her early days as a performer. She looks back on the success of her 1992 breakthrough album 'Come on Come on', which gave her the hit songs 'I Feel Lucky', 'Passionate Kisses' and 'He Thinks He'll Keep Her'. She also reacts to her recent award from the Americana Music Association, which saw her honoured with the 'Spirit of Americana Free Speech in Music Award', recognising artists who have used their work to raise political awareness and promote free speech. After a gap of almost ten years Mary Chapin returns to the UK this month for a ten-date tour.