Marshall Chapman was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina. A singer-songwriter, her songs have been recorded by a variety of artists including Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffett, Joe Cocker, Tanya Tucker, and Olivia Newton-John, among others. Chapman's first published essay, "Going to Church: A Sartorial Odyssey", appears in Hub City Anthology 2 (2000), a tribute to Spartanburg writers and artists.

Chapman has toured extensively with her band, The Love Slaves, opening for acts such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Buffett, and The Ramones. She has released ten celebrated albums. Time, USA Today, and The Village Voice all praised her 1995 project, It's About Time... recorded live at the Tennessee State Prison for Women.

In 1998, Chapman and friend Matraca Berg contributed fourteen songs to a country musical, based on the writings of Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle; Good Ol' Girls was praised by The New York Times. In 2003, Chapman completed another creative endeavor and published her first book, Goodbye, Little Rock and Roller, which was a 2004 SEBA Book Award finalist, and one of three finalists for the Southern Book Critics Circle Award.

Currently, Chapman lives in Nashville with her husband, Chris. She continues to tour the country in support of her latest studio album, Mellowicious! She also writes commentaries for The Bob Edwards Show of XM Radio.