HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...
charts, including four that reached No. 1: " Goin' Gone", " Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", " Come from the Heart", and " Burnin' Old Memories", plus 12 more that charted within the top ten. She has released 14 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and one greatest hits album. Most of her material was recorded for
Universal Music Group Nashville Universal Music Group Nashville is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. Some of the labels in this group include MCA Nashville Records, Mercury Nashville Records, Lost Highway Records, Capitol Records Nashville and EMI Records ...
's
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
Nashville division between 1984 and 2000, with later albums being issued on Narada Productions, her own Captain Potato label, and Sugar Hill Records. Among her albums, she has received five gold certifications and one platinum certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA). She has collaborated with
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
, Michael McDonald, Tim O'Brien, and her husband,
Jon Vezner Jon Vezner (born June 6, 1951) is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for his work with Kathy Mattea, to whom he has been married since 1988. Vezner began working as a songwriter in Minnesota and later moved to Nashville, Ten ...
. Mattea is also a two-time
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winner: in 1990 for " Where've You Been", and in 1993 for her Christmas album '' Good News''. Her style is defined by traditional country, bluegrass, folk, and
Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considera ...
influences.


Early life

Mattea was born in
South Charleston, West Virginia South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is located to the west of Charleston. The population was 13,639 at the 2020 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1917. The ...
. She and her two brothers grew up in nearby Cross Lanes. Their father worked in a chemical plant and her mother was a homemaker. During her childhood, Mattea's mother would have her perform informal piano recitals for family and friends. She also sang in her parents' church as a child, and in high school she performed at school shows and family gatherings. Mattea also began playing guitar in her teen years after discovering
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
. In addition to folk, Mattea also took and interest in bluegrass, which she would later say "formed erroots" as an artist. In 1976, while attending
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
, she joined a bluegrass band. After a songwriter friend graduated and chose to pursue a career in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, Mattea decided to drop out of school and go with him. Her friend soon left Nashville in hopes of pursuing medical school, but Mattea chose to stay behind. She worked as a tour guide at the
Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has ama ...
, and then as a secretary and a waitress, to support herself while working as a demo singer. Songwriter, publisher, and record producer
Byron Hill Byron Hill (born December 12, 1953), is an American songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Living and working professionally in Nashville, TN for more than forty years, his songs have been recorded by many Country and Pop artists. Musi ...
discovered her and helped her sign to
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it ...
in 1983.


Career


1984–1986: First two albums

Mattea's self-titled debut album came out in 1984, with
Byron Hill Byron Hill (born December 12, 1953), is an American songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Living and working professionally in Nashville, TN for more than forty years, his songs have been recorded by many Country and Pop artists. Musi ...
and Rick Peoples as the album's producers. Mattea later noted that "there were no budgets" when she was recording the album, as she was unable to afford a $75 makeup session, and the front cover featured her wearing a jacket which she had purchased at Kmart. In addition, Mattea was given advice from image consultants on her musical persona. According to Mattea, she did not have an "artistic vision" at the time, which accounted for a lack of artistic identity. Four of its singles made the
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...
charts, starting with "
Street Talk ''Street Talk'' is Steve Perry's first solo studio album, released in April 1984. ''Street Talk'' contains Perry's biggest hit as a solo artist, "Oh Sherrie", written for his then-girlfriend Sherrie Swafford.Steve Perry talks about the recordin ...
", which charted at number 25. Mattea had originally recorded a demo of the song with the intent of having Terri Gibbs record it, but Mattea kept it for herself when Gibbs declined the song. Followup " Someone Is Falling in Love" (written by Pebe Sebert) made it to number 26 on the same chart, while "You've Got a Soft Place to Fall" and "That's Easy for You to Say" fell short of the top 40. Other notable cuts on the album included "God Ain't No Stained Glass Window", which was released as a 12" promotional single for the Christmas season; a cover version of
Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include " Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", " I Write the Songs", " C ...
's 1981 hit " Somewhere Down the Road"; and " (Back to the) Heartbreak Kid", which later became a Top 10 hit on the country charts for Restless Heart in late 1985 to early 1986.
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
reviewer William Ruhlmann wrote of the album that it was "a fairly representative sampling of Nashville formula country writing", while praising the "feisty" nature of "Street Talk" and Mattea's vocals on "Heartbreak Kid". ''
People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' reviewer Ralph Novak compared Mattea's voice favorably to
Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...
and said that "Mattea may not have the most revolutionary sound around, but her material is especially good." Her second album, '' From My Heart'', was also her first under the production of
Allen Reynolds Allen Reynolds (born August 18, 1938) is an American record producer and songwriter who specializes in country music. He has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Biography Ear ...
, who is best known for his work with
Crystal Gayle Crystal Gayle (born Brenda Gail Webb; January 9, 1951) is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same as that of her oldest sist ...
and
Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...
. Released in 1985, it produced the chart singles " It's Your Reputation Talkin'", " He Won't Give In", and "Heart of the Country", which peaked at numbers 34, 22, and 46 respectively on Hot Country Songs. It also featured a cover of
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
's " Ball and Chain", from his 1982 album '' Jump Up!'' Ruhlmann found this album superior to its predecessor, stating that Reynolds "seems to have shaped the song selections to the singer's talents and given her the opportunity to sing in a more individual manner." A review of the album in ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' was also positive, noting the "more focused direction and a simpler, purer sound".


1986–1990: Breakthrough

Mattea's artistic vision developed with the making of her third album, which brought in folk and acoustic sounds (inspired by her childhood). Her third album, '' Walk the Way the Wind Blows'' (1986) was (according to AllMusic) "her breakthrough both critically and commercially". Four singles were released from the album. First was "
Love at the Five and Dime "Love at the Five and Dime" is a song written and originally recorded by Nanci Griffith and later recorded and released by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in April 1986 as the first single from Mattea's album '' Walk ...
", written and originally recorded by Nanci Griffith on her 1986 album '' The Last of the True Believers''. Following it was the title track, " You're the Power", and " Train of Memories". All four of these songs reached the top ten of the country music charts between 1986 and 1987. Contributing musicians on ''Walk the Way the Wind Blows'' included Béla Fleck,
Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number ...
(who sang background vocals on "Love at the Five and Dime"),
Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman (born Wendy Steiner) grew up in the Los Angeles area. She was raised in a musical environment: her father Fred Steiner ...
, and
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
. ''Billboard'' praised ''Walk the Way the Wind Blows'' as "Mattea's most country effort to date". An un-credited review in ''Stereo Review'' (now ''Sound & Vision'') stated that "if every country album were as tasteful and well executed as ''Walk the Way the Wind Blows''...the reviewer's life would be a happy one indeed", while rating the performance and recording as "perfection". Thom Jurek felt that the album's uptempo cuts were stronger than its ballads, noting that "Her ballad singing hadn't gotten to the place it did just three years later" while praising her performances on the more upbeat tracks and on "Love at the Five and Dime". Mattea had her first number one single in late 1987 to early 1988 with " Goin' Gone". Co-written by Pat Alger and
Fred Koller Fred Koller (born March 5, 1950 in Chicago) is an American singer-songwriter. He has been active in the music business since 1973. Fred lives and works in Nashville with his wife Trish and their cat Buddy. Music career Koller has written over ...
, this song was also previously recorded by Griffith on the same album as "Love at the Five and Dime". Mattea's version was the lead single to her fourth album '' Untasted Honey''. Following it was " Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", which became her longest-tenured number one single when it spent two weeks in that position. " Untold Stories" and " Life as We Knew It" were also released from the album, with both reaching the number four position of the country charts. The album also featured bluegrass musician Tim O'Brien, who wrote both "Walk the Way the Wind Blows" and "Untold Stories", as a duet partner on the track " The Battle Hymn of Love". Jurek noted the album's bluegrass influences with favor, while comparing "Untold Stories" to the work of
Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...
and praising the lyrics of "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses". ''People'' magazine's review of the album stated that "it’s just Mattea, sounding warm, strong, smart and generally splendid," also commending the lyrical storytelling of "Life as We Knew It" and "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses". In 1989, she released '' Willow in the Wind''. This album's first two singles, " Come from the Heart" (previously recorded by Don Williams on his 1987 album ''Traces'') and " Burnin' Old Memories", also topped the country charts. After it came the top-ten Hot Country Songs songs " Where've You Been" (co-written by Mattea's husband,
Jon Vezner Jon Vezner (born June 6, 1951) is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for his work with Kathy Mattea, to whom he has been married since 1988. Vezner began working as a songwriter in Minnesota and later moved to Nashville, Ten ...
) and " She Came from Fort Worth", the latter of which was a number one single on the ''
Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
'' and ''
Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The p ...
'' country music charts. This album featured backing vocals from
Craig Bickhardt Craig William Bickhardt (born September 7, 1954) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His musical career includes co-writing credits for The Judds, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea and others. He was also a member of S-K-B, formerly ...
, Riders in the Sky, Jim Photoglo, and Claire Lynch, with musical contributions from Mark O'Connor, Charlie McCoy, Jerry Douglas, and
Ray Flacke Raymond James Flacke (born February 11, 1948) is a country guitar session player from Milford on Sea, England. He has graced countless recordings with his trademark ‘‘Tele-wielding Chicken pickin’’’ style for such artists as Emmylou ...
. Jurek called it "the first completely realized project of her career", and highlighted
Laurie Lewis Laurie Lewis is an innovative American singer, musician, and songwriter in the genre of bluegrass music. History Laurie Lewis was born in Long Beach, California on September 28, 1950. Her family moved regularly from place to place until she w ...
's "Love Chooses You" as its strongest cut. An uncredited review from ''
People A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of prope ...
'' was positive, stating that "she’s still not one to rock and roll, but this album has a fair share of swingy, blue-newgrass tracks", and that "Mattea sounds warm and relaxed". Comparing Mattea's vocals to
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
and Jennifer Warnes, Randy Lewis of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' wrote that "she treats the songs, most of which are about lives in transition, with the requisite humility and honesty so their simple charms are not inflated into stentorian Author's Messages". Mattea won the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
's Female Vocalist of the Year award in both 1989 and 1990, and a
Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance was first awarded in 1965, to Dottie West. The award has had several minor name changes: *From 1965 to 1967 the award was known as Best Country & Western Vocal Performance - Female *In ...
in 1990 for "Where've You Been".


1991–2000: Continued success

Later in 1990, Mattea released her first greatest hits album, '' A Collection of Hits''. The album included eight of her previous singles, plus "The Battle Hymn of Love" from ''Untasted Honey'' and the new recording " A Few Good Things Remain". Both were released as singles in 1990 and reached the Top 10 of Hot Country Songs, with "The Battle Hymn of Love" representing O'Brien's only chart entry to date. "A Few Good Things Remain" was also featured on her next studio album, 1991's '' Time Passes By''. This project produced three singles: the title track reached the top ten, but " Whole Lotta Holes" and " Asking Us to Dance" were less successful. The album included
Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celtic people of Northwestern Europe. It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and recorded music and the styles vary considera ...
influences and was partially recorded in Scotland. Reynolds continued to serve as producer for this album except for the closing track, a cover of "
From a Distance "From a Distance" is a song written in 1985 by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold. Gold was working as a secretary at the time for HBO and writing songs in her free time. Gold's friend, Christine Lavin, introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, ...
", which Mattea and Vezner produced with Dougie MacLean. Contributors on backing vocals included Trisha Yearwood (on "Time Passes By"), The Roches (on "Whole Lotta Holes"),
Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...
,
Craig Bickhardt Craig William Bickhardt (born September 7, 1954) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His musical career includes co-writing credits for The Judds, Steve Wariner, Kathy Mattea and others. He was also a member of S-K-B, formerly ...
, and Ashley Cleveland. Rating it "A", Alanna Nash of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' called the album "a quiet, reflective acoustic collection."
Brian Mansfield Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist. Early life and education Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School. In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...
noted in Allmusic that it was "her most ambitious album" and had "impeccably chosen songs". Her 1992 album, '' Lonesome Standard Time'', produced a number 11 country hit in its title track, plus the Top 20 " Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)". Yet its followups ("Seeds" and "Listen to the Radio") failed to enter the country top 40. This was also her first album to be produced by Brent Maher, best known for his work with
The Judds The Judds were an American country music duo composed of lead vocalist Wynonna Judd and her mother, Naomi Judd. The duo signed to RCA Nashville in 1983 and released six studio albums between then and 1991. The Judds were one of the most succes ...
. Nash rated it "B", saying that "not even the driving bluegrass of the title tune is enough to transcend the album’s ultrareflective mood. Mattea’s husky mezzo-soprano remains a thrilling instrument, however". ''CD Review'' noted that the album seemed "familiar" despite the change in producers and session musicians: "a couple of whimsical numbers, a couple of bluesy laments for love gone wrong, a let's-get-away-from-it-all love song" while praising the lyrical content of "Standing Knee Deep in a River" and "Seeds". In June 1992, Mattea experienced a burst blood vessel on her vocals. She was required to undergo vocal rest and surgery to "repair years of overuse" on her vocal cords. After recovering, she issued her first Christmas album, '' Good News'', in September 1993. It featured largely original compositions, plus renditions of the hymn "
Brightest and Best "Brightest and Best" (occasionally rendered by its first line, "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning") is a Christian hymn written in 1811 by the Anglican bishop Reginald Heber to be sung at the feast of Epiphany. It appeared in Heber' ...
" and the contemporary Christian tune "
Mary, Did You Know? "Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, with lyrics written by Mark Lowry in 1984, and music written by Buddy Greene in 1991. It was originally recorded by Christian recording artist Michael English on his sel ...
" Thom Jurek wrote of its sound, "This doesn't feel like any Christmas record you've ever heard before...It sounds like a well-crafted, gorgeously wrought folk/country/Celtic-flavored Kathy Mattea record." This album won that year's Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album. Maher again served as producer, with further production from Reynolds on one track. Mattea released '' Walking Away a Winner'' in 1994. Produced by Josh Leo, the album was more rock and pop influenced than its predecessors, with Thom Jurek of Allmusic comparing its sound to Mary Chapin Carpenter and
Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...
. Nash noted the "bigger" sound of the album, but praised its "style and substance". The title track charted at number three on the country charts in 1994. It was followed by " Nobody's Gonna Rain on Our Parade", " Maybe She's Human", and " Clown in Your Rodeo". The album featured backing vocals from
Lisa Angelle Lisa Angelle (born December 27, 1965, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is an American country music singer-songwriter. During the 1980s and 1990s, Angelle wrote songs for several country artists including Wynonna Judd, who reached num ...
,
Karla Bonoff Karla may refer to: People * Karla (name), a feminine given name * Petras Karla (1937–1969), Soviet Olympic rower Places * Karla, Kose Parish, a village in Harju County, Estonia * Karla, Rae Parish, a village in Harju County, Estonia * K ...
, Andrew Gold, and
Hal Ketchum Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album ''Past the Point of ...
. Also in 1994, Mattea had a cameo in the movie ''
Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Bure ...
'', whose
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...
also featured her as one of several lead vocalists on a multi-artist rendition of "
Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...
". Mattea spent the entirety of 1996 off the charts before returning with '' Love Travels'' in 1997. Its lead single was " 455 Rocket", which reached number 21. It was followed by the title track, which reached the top 40. Mattea noted that in the process of recording "455 Rocket," the band recorded multiple takes but chose to keep the first one because "no one thought they were being recorded, and everyone was just playing with abandon." Musicians on this album included bassist
Hutch Hutchinson James Hutchinson (born January 24, 1953) is an American session bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt. Though his work takes him nearly everywhere he primarily resides in Studio City, Los Angeles, CA and Haiku-Pauwela, Hawaii. Ca ...
, drummers
Abe Laboriel Jr. Abraham Laboriel Jr. (born March 23, 1971) is an American session drummer. He is the son of Mexican bass guitarist Abraham Laboriel, nephew of Mexican rocker Johnny Laboriel, and brother of record producer, songwriter, and film composer Mateo ...
and
Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...
, and guitarist
Duke Levine Duke Levine (born November 29, 1961) is an American guitarist, known primarily for his rock and country music playing as a session musician. Levine was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. He has recorded and performed with Shawn ...
; contributing backing vocalists included Kim Richey, Michael McDonald, Suzy Bogguss,
Jonatha Brooke Jonatha Brooke (born January 23, 1964) is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Massachusetts, United States. Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies. She has been a ...
, and Mary Ann Kennedy. Lionel Cartwright wrote "If That's What You Call Love", which also featured him on piano and background vocals, and
Phil Keaggy Philip Tyler Keaggy (born March 23, 1951) is an American acoustic and electric guitarist and vocalist who has released more than 55 albums and contributed to many more recordings in both the contemporary Christian music and mainstream markets. H ...
played guitar on the closing track "Beautiful Fool". Thom Owens of Allmusic stated that "though the glossy production may put off some of her old country-folk fans, ''Love Travels'' is a typically tasteful and compelling record". Bob Cannon of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'' praised the inclusion of
Gillian Welch Gillian Howard Welch (; born October 2, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter. She performs with her musical partner, guitarist David Rawlings. Their sparse and dark musical style, which combines elements of Appalachian music, bluegrass, coun ...
and
Cheryl Wheeler Cheryl Wheeler (born July 10, 1951) is a Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter of contemporary folk music. She has recorded thirteen folk albums to date and has toured extensively throughout the United States since the mid-1970s. Heralded as a ...
songs, calling it "her most mature and focused work yet." Her last Mercury album was '' The Innocent Years'' in 2000. Before the album's release, Mattea returned to West Virginia to care for her father, who had been diagnosed with colon cancer. She said that this resulted in a very intermittent recording process, but also informed the album's content; she told '' Country Standard Time'', "I spent a lot of time thinking about what's important to me. I think this is an album about those things." Although Mattea rarely writes her material, she wrote two songs on the album with Vezner. The album's final track, a novelty song called "BFD", was included as a bonus track because it was popular with fans, but she was unsure of how to sequence it with the rest of the album.Page 1page 2page 3
/ref> "The Trouble with Angels" and "BFD" made the Hot Country Songs charts in 2000, although neither made Top 40. ''Country Standard Time'' reviewer Eli Messinger wrote that "though the smooth sound and heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics may not be for the country roots fan...Mattea's superb voice and mature readings are clearly the work of an accomplished artist chasing her musical muse."


2002–present: Music transition and bluegrass

For 2002's ''
Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
'', Mattea moved to Narada Productions. She said that she chose to work with this label after leaving Mercury because she felt that the label would "give eralternative marketing ideas" and "didn't see ermusical restlessness as a liability". She said that she wanted to keep a contemporary folk and Celtic influence. Mattea supported the album with a tour largely focused on performing arts centers. Narada serviced "They Are the Roses" to
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
and country stations, and "I'm Alright" to
Adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
and Americana music formats. Maria Konicki Dinoia wrote in Allmusic that "she pushes the envelope, bringing to the forefront the blending of the Scottish/Irish music found in small doses on her last few albums." One year later, she released her second Christmas disc, '' Joy for Christmas Day'', which continued in her Celtic music influences. This album was inspired by her annual Christmas tours that she had done ever since the release of ''Good News''. Her third overall album for Narada was 2005's '' Right Out of Nowhere''. Produced entirely by Mattea, the album included covers of
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
' " Gimme Shelter" and
Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...
's " Down on the Corner", along with a rendition of the spiritual "
Wade in the Water "Wade in the Water" (Roud 5439) is an African American jubilee song, a spiritual—in reference to a genre of music "created and first sung by African Americans in slavery." The lyrics to "Wade in the Water" were first co-published in 1901 in ...
". Allmusic and ''Country Standard Time'' both reviewed these covers in particular with favor, with the latter's Dan MacIntosh also noting that "Mattea chooses songs that are mostly optimistic, even though hers is a kind of hard-won optimism." The bluegrass album ''
Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...
'' followed in 2008. Mattea released this album independently on her own Captain Potato Records. Mattea said that she chose to do an album themed to coal mining after the
Sago Mine disaster The Sago Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion on January 2, 2006, at the Sago Mine in Sago, West Virginia, United States, near the Upshur County seat of Buckhannon. The blast and collapse trapped 13 miners for nearly two days; only one sur ...
, and worked with country and bluegrass singer
Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as ...
as her producer. She said that she was unsure about recording the song "Black Lung" until Stuart noted that the recording engineer on the session had gotten emotional and begun to cry during her take on the song. A second album of bluegrass-influenced and primiarly coal mining-themed songs, '' Calling Me Home'', followed in 2014 on Sugar Hill Records. In the mid 2010s, Mattea began having problems with gaining control of her singing voice. The problems (which stemmed from the effects of
menopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often d ...
), caused her to question whether she should continue performing altogether. She began working with a
vocal coach A vocal coach, also known as a voice coach (though this term often applies to those working with speech and communication rather than singing), is a music teacher, usually a piano accompanist, who helps singers prepare for a performance, often a ...
who helped her find her singing voice again. This resulted in her next studio album. In 2018, ''
Pretty Bird ''Pretty Bird'' is a 2008 American comedy film. It competed in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was released on DVD in the United States on June 29, 2010. Plot A sweet-natured guy enlists his best friend, and an engi ...
'', was released independently with Tim O'Brien serving as producer. The album's first single is a cover of
Martha Carson Martha Carson (March 19, 1921 – December 16, 2004), born Irene Amburgey, was an American gospel- country music singer most popular during the 1950s. Biography Early life and rise to fame Amburgey was born in Neon, Kentucky (since absorbed in ...
's "I Can't Stand Up Alone", recorded as a tribute to Jesse Winchester. Also included on the album are covers of The Wood Brothers' "Chocolate on My Tongue", Bobbie Gentry's " Ode to Billie Joe", and Joan Osborne's "St. Teresa", the last of which is the album's second single. In 2021, Mattea became the new host of the ''
Mountain Stage ''Mountain Stage'' is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and curre ...
'', a program that is aired by West Virginia's NPR network. The program broadcasts once a week in two hour-long episodes that are aired on 280 stations.


Artistry


Musical styles

Mattea's music was categorized as country during her years as a commercial recording artist. During her peak success, Mattea also included elements of bluegrass,
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foo ...
and folk into her artistry. Authors Mary A. Bufwack and
Robert K. Oermann Robert Karl Oermann is a Nashville-based music journalist and author who is recognized as an authority on country music. Oermann is a long-time regular contributor to the trade publication ''MusicRow'', for which he writes a weekly column. Bio ...
noted that Mattea was part of a group of country artists that took inspiration from the
American folk revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Ben ...
by incorporating "modern sensibilities to create powerfully appealing images". Bufwack and Oermann found her counterparts to be Mary Chapin Carpenter, Suzy Bogguss and Wynonna Judd. Writer Thomas Harrison found that Mattea also had elements of "Southern California Rock" that mixed in "mountain elements" because she often incorporated the acoustic guitar. After recording 2008's ''Coal'', Mattea's musical identity shifted towards
Appalachian music Appalachian music is the music of the region of Appalachia in the Eastern United States. Traditional Appalachian music is derived from various influences, including the ballads, hymns and fiddle music of the British Isles (particularly Scotland) ...
and has since made it a part of her artistry.


Collaborations

Mattea participated in several collaborative works, primarily in the 1990s. In March 1991, Mattea was one of several artists on "
Voices That Care "Voices That Care" is a 1991 song written by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and Peter Cetera and recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians, entertainers and athletes. The song was released as a single on March 13, 1991 by Giant Records. The ...
", a charity single to help boost the morale of U.S. troops involved in
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
.
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album ...
's 1993 single "
Romeo Romeo Montague () is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest ...
" featured guest vocals from Mattea,
Tanya Tucker Tanya Denise Tucker (born October 10, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter who had her first hit, " Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13. Over the succeeding decades, Tucker became one of the few child performers to mature in ...
, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Pam Tillis, and
Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
. Mattea appeared on two tracks from the 1994 ''
Red Hot + Country ''Red Hot + Country'' (or ''RH+C'') was the follow-up to ''No Alternative'' in the Red Hot Series of compilation albums, a series produced to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV as well as other related health and social issues. This comp ...
'' compilation, put out by the
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...
activism group
Red Hot Organization Red Hot Organization (RHO) is a not-for-profit, 501(c) 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture. Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilati ...
. The first of these was a cover of "
Teach Your Children "Teach Your Children" is a song written by Graham Nash in 1968 when he was a member of the Hollies. Although it was never recorded by that group in a studio, the Hollies did record it live in 1983. The song first appeared on the album ''Déjà Vu' ...
" which also featured Suzy Bogguss,
Alison Krauss Alison Maria Krauss (born July 23, 1971) is an American bluegrass- country singer and musician. She entered the music industry at an early age, competing in local contests by the age of 8 and recording for the first time at 14. She signed wit ...
, and
Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth memb ...
, and the second was a duet with
Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
titled "Rock Me on the Water". The former, credited to "The Red Hots", charted at No. 75 on Hot Country Songs dated for October 22, 1994. Also in 1994, Mattea sang duet vocals on Johnny Hallyday's "Love Affair", which made No. 35 on the French
Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique The National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing (french: Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique; SNEP) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym ...
(SNEP) charts. In 1998, Mattea recorded a duet with Michael McDonald titled "Among the Missing", a charity single to help benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). It was written by Peter McCann and produced by
George Massenburg George Y. Massenburg (born Baltimore, Maryland c. 1947) is a Grammy award-winning recording engineer and inventor. Working principally in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, and Macon, Georgia, Massenburg is widely known for submitting a paper ...
, and a video of the performance was also issued on DVD. The song charted for a single week at No. 73 on Hot Country Songs dated for March 27, 1999.


Personal life

Mattea has been married to songwriter
Jon Vezner Jon Vezner (born June 6, 1951) is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for his work with Kathy Mattea, to whom he has been married since 1988. Vezner began working as a songwriter in Minnesota and later moved to Nashville, Ten ...
since February 14, 1988. He started a publishing company underneath the apartment in which Mattea lived in the 1980s, and the two met after he jump-started her car. Vezner wrote four of Mattea's singles: "Where've You Been", "Whole Lotta Holes", "Time Passes By", and "A Few Good Things Remain", along with singles by
Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was f ...
and
Clay Walker Ernest Clayton Walker Jr. (born August 19, 1969) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You", which reached Number One on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Song ...
. The couple briefly separated in the early 2000s, but later reconciled. "All marriages have their moments when things don't run smoothly," Vezner stated, "but neither of us walks away when things get difficult. We challenge each other and learn from each other." Mattea and Vezner do not have children but have had both cats and dogs. The couple currently resides in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
. In 2003, Mattea's father died following a long battle with
colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowe ...
. In 2005, Mattea's mother died due to complications of
Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As ...
. Mattea is known for her roles in AIDS activism. In 1992, many televised awards shows were handing out red ribbons to participants in honor of AIDS awareness, but the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
chose to hand out green ribbons promoting environmental awareness instead. Mattea chose to wear three red ribbons that night, each one honoring a friend of hers who had died of the disease, along with the green ribbon. A 1994 article in the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' noted that a Nashville newspaper interpreted a comment she had made on wearing both color ribbons as a confrontation, and that Mattea was often questioned as to whether her activism had a negative impact on sales of her then-current album. Besides her participation in the ''Red Hot + Country'' charity album series, Mattea also participated in charity concerts and made public appearances in activism campaigns. She was also the recipient of the inaugural Harvard AIDS Initiative award in 1994.


Discography

;Studio albums *'' Kathy Mattea'' (1984) *'' From My Heart'' (1985) *'' Walk the Way the Wind Blows'' (1986) *'' Untasted Honey'' (1987) *'' Willow in the Wind'' (1989) *'' Time Passes By'' (1991) *'' Lonesome Standard Time'' (1992) *'' Good News'' (1993) *'' Walking Away a Winner'' (1994) *'' Love Travels'' (1997) *'' The Innocent Years'' (2000) *''
Roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...
'' (2002) *'' Joy for Christmas Day'' (2003) *'' Right Out of Nowhere'' (2005) *''
Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...
'' (2008) *'' Calling Me Home'' (2012) *''
Pretty Bird ''Pretty Bird'' is a 2008 American comedy film. It competed in the Dramatic Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and was released on DVD in the United States on June 29, 2010. Plot A sweet-natured guy enlists his best friend, and an engi ...
'' (2018)


Filmography


Awards and nominations

Kathy Mattea has received a series of awards, including four from the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
and two from the
Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
.


References


Footnotes


Works cited

* *


External links


Kathy Mattea's Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mattea, Kathy 1959 births HIV/AIDS activists American country singer-songwriters American women country singers Grammy Award winners Living people Mercury Records artists Narada Productions artists Sugar Hill Records artists Nitro High School alumni People from Nitro, West Virginia People from South Charleston, West Virginia Country musicians from West Virginia People from Cross Lanes, West Virginia American women activists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from West Virginia Thirty Tigers artists