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, o ...
songwriter. He is best known for his work with
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that re ...
, to whom he has been married since 1988.
Vezner began working as a songwriter in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
and later moved to
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 t ...
. He set up a publishing company underneath the apartment in which Mattea lived, and befriended her after jump-starting her car. They began dating in 1986, and married on February 14, 1988.
Vezner wrote several of Mattea's songs, including "
Where've You Been
"Where've You Been" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in November 1989 as the third single from the album '' Willow in the Wind''. The song reached #10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tra ...
Then What?
"Then What?" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Randy Sharp, and recorded by American country music artist Clay Walker that reached the Top 5 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Count ...
" for
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 Son ...
Steve Wariner
Steven Noel Wariner (born December 25, 1954) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Initially a backing musician for Dottie West, he also worked with Bob Luman and Chet Atkins before beginning a solo career in the late 1 ...
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 foun ...
Tom Paxton
Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than fifty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.