Singer-songwriter and three-time Grammy winner Shawn Colvin has been performing in Maine venues for decades. Her next two shows here are at the Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield and Johnson Hall Opera House in Gardiner.

Colvin took home the Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammy in 1991 for “Steady On.” In 1998, the single “Sunny Came Home” from “A Few Small Repairs” won for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

In 2011, Taylor Swift brought Shawn Colvin on stage during a concert in Austin, Texas. She told the audience that Colvin was one of her songwriting heroes and they played “Sunny Came Home” together.

At the moment, Colvin is working on some song collaborations and a theatrical project.

The epicenter of her career continues to be touring.

During a conversation from her home in Austin, Texas, the South Dakota native talked about her affinity for Maine and New England, and shared the backstory of a specific song from her 1992 “Fat City” album.

You have such a rich history with Maine. What does it mean to you and your career?

It’s a beautiful state. With the Northeast, I have a very strong following. To a large degree it’s because of radio back in the day. There were stations in Portland that were very supportive of me and I owe part of why I have a following there to that.

Stone Mountain (Arts Center), all my friends say it’s one of our top five places to go because it’s a very unique spot. I probably remember that the most because I’ve been there the most and it’s very artist-friendly. The food situation is off the chart. They’re really one of the great ones and the audiences are always stellar and that’s the way it is in Maine in general.

How do Maine fans rank ?

You’re way up there. New England in general is a great area for me. I started playing in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Passim way before I had a record deal, and they had great college radio that would play my demo cassettes. It all kind of started there and I built a following in your area, so it’s very dear to me.

Does it resonate with you how special it is for fans when you play songs like “Steady On” and “Shotgun Down the Avalanche” live?

Absolutely. I count my blessings every day. I’ve been doing this a long time and you all still buy tickets and still know those songs, and I’ll never take it for granted.

I’ve always appreciated how casual you are on stage. Can you talk about that?

I’m a solo performer, it’s just me and the audience. There’s no fourth wall for me. It’s like a living room. It’s not my style to be unapproachable, I feel like we’re all friends.

I have the line ‘But if there were no music, then I would not get through’ from your song ‘I Don’t Know Why’ tattooed on my left arm. Can you talk about writing it?

I remember it crystal clear. When I moved to New York in 1980, I had to find a place to live, which was a lonely endeavor. I was staying with a bass player at the time and he lived in the Bronx. So I would go into Manhattan, try and find a place to live and then take the D Train from Manhattan to the Bronx. It was a great time, and it was a lonely time, and it was a scary time and it was an exciting time. So on a particular ride one afternoon on the D Train, I felt lonely and I started to write this song in my head. I thought of it as a lullaby. It just came into my head, all the words, the music was in my head, everything came out and that was kind of the first song I ever wrote.

Along with your original songs, you’re known for your interpretations of other people’s music and have recorded two albums of covers. Can you talk about this?

I made my living doing cover songs in bars and dives. To get people to listen, I started doing off the beaten path covers that you wouldn’t expect a solo, acoustic female performer to do. I got very interested in that.

I’m thinking about your take on the Talking Heads song ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody).‘

It’s a bright little cheery song on a great record full of great songs. And then one day, I just listened to the words and I was like ‘This is deep!’

I would have loved to have had dinner with Judy Garland. Is there anyone who would have loved to spend time with?

I’ve said that before. I’ve thought of her (Garland) as somebody that I would love to talk to. I would love to have sung with Laura Nyro.

---

IF YOU GO

8 p.m. Wednesday, June 17. Stone Mountain Arts Center, 695 Dugway Road, Brownfield, $80. stonemountainartscenter.com.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 18. Johnson Hall Opera House, 280 Water St., Gardiner, $48.24. johnsonhall.org.