Tracy Chevalier
Bestselling historical novelist Tracy Chevalier picks some of her favourite artists and songs and tells the stories behind them.
Bestselling author of The Girl With The Pearl Earring and The Last Runaway, Tracy Chevalier, chooses a selection of her favourite music and talks about how they shaped her life and career. Her playlist includes tracks from Elvis Costello, Roberta Flack, John Grant and Talking Heads.
Tracy was born in 1962 and grew up in Washington, DC, moving to England after graduating with a BA in English from Oberlin College (Ohio). For several years she worked as a reference book editor, while writing short stories in her spare time. In 1993, she quit to do an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia (Norwich, England). Although she has lived in the United Kingdom for over 30 years,she still has an American accent.
Tracy writes her novels longhand, typing what she has written into the computer at the end of each day. (she prefers blue ink and disposable fountain pens) She is also a quilt maker and never wears earrings and a necklace together.
She has written eight novels and edited two short story collections. Her second novel, Girl with a Pearl Earring, sold 5 million copies worldwide and was made into a film starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson.
First broadcast in 2017.
Last on
Music Played
-
Talking Heads
ONCE IN A LIFETIME
- REMAIN IN LIGHT.
- SIRE.
- SRK-6095.
-
The Beat
RANKING FULL STOP
- SKA HEROES.
- EMI.
- 7243-59332727.
-
Gillian Welch
HARD TIMES
- The Harrow and the Harvest.
- Warners.
- 5249867172.
-
Stevie Wonder
LIVING FOR THE CITY
- INNERVISIONS.
- MOTOWN.
- 530-0352.
-
Billy Bragg
A NEW ENGLAND
- Back to Basics.
- Cooking Vinyl.
- COOK CD 060.
-
Queen
FLICK OF THE WRIST
- SHEER HEART ATTACK.
- PARLOPHONE.
- CDPCSD-129.
-
Neil Young
ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART
- AFTER THE GOLDRUSH.
- REPRISE.
- K-44088.
-
Roberta Flack
KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG
- ATLANTIC RHYTHM & BLUES 1947-1974 (VARIOUS).
- ATLANTIC.
- 7 81299-2.
-
John Grant
I Wanna Go To Marz
- Queen of Denmark.
- UNIVERSAL.
- 2733860-NA.
-
Blind Pilot
Oviedo
- 3 Rounds and a Sound.
- Expunged.
- RS-69994 RE-1.
-
Elvis Costello & The Attractions
HUMAN HANDS
- IMPERIAL BEDROOM.
- RHINO.
- R2-78188.
-
Lyle Lovett
L.A. COUNTY
- PONTIAC.
- WRASSE RECORDS.
- MCAD 42028.
-
Squeeze
VICKY VERKY
- ARGY BARGY.
- A&M.
- 75021-3232-2.
-
Talking Heads
Once In A Lifetime
- EMI.
-
The Beat
Ranking Full Stop
- Two-Tone Records ‎.
-
Stevie Wonder
Living For The City
-
Billy Bragg
A New England
- Cooking Vinyl.
-
Neil Young
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
- After The Gold Rush.
- Reprise.
- 3.
-
Roberta Flack
Killing Me Softly With His Song
- The Best Of Roberta Flack.
- Atlantic.
- 3.
-
War
Galaxy
- Rhino.
-
Luther Ingram
If It's All The Same To You Babe
- Turn On The Heat.
- Northern Soul.
Broadcasts
- Sun 23 Apr 2017 13:00Â鶹Éç Radio 6 Music
- Fri 12 May 2017 01:00Â鶹Éç Radio 6 Music
- Thu 6 Sep 2018 01:00Â鶹Éç Radio 6 Music
- Wed 7 Aug 2019 01:00Â鶹Éç Radio 6 Music
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Paperback Writers Box Set—Paperback Writers
Musical picks from a selection of leading authors.