Kathy Mattea
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea (born June 21, 1959, in South Charleston, West Virginia
) is an American country music
and bluegrass
performer who often brings folk, Celtic
and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard
Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. This total includes the number one hits "Goin' Gone
", "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses
", "Come From the Heart
" and "Burnin' Old Memories
", as well as twelve additional Top Ten singles.
, West Virginia
, because it had the nearest hospital to her parents' home in Cross Lanes
, where she grew up, graduating from nearby Nitro
High School. She discovered her love of singing at Girl Scout
camp. In 1976, while attending West Virginia University
, she joined the bluegrass band Pennsboro, and two years later dropped out of school to move to Nashville
. She worked as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame, did backup vocal work for Bobby Goldsboro
, and sang demos for several Nashville songwriters and publishers including Nashville songwriter/producer Byron Hill
who brought her to the attention of Frank Jones (then head of Mercury Records
), who signed her to her first record deal in 1983.
Mattea's third album, 1986's folky Walk the Way the Wind Blows
, proved to be her breakthrough both critically and commercially. Her cover of Nanci Griffith
's "Love at the Five and Dime" was her first major hit, reaching #3 (and in addition, earned Griffith notice as a songwriter), and the album produced three other top ten songs: "Walk the Way the Wind Blows" (#10), "You're the Power"(#5), and "Train of Memories" (#6). "Love at the Five and Dime" also drew attention because well-known country singer Don Williams sang harmony vocals on the track.
Further hit songs include her first #1, "Goin' Gone"; the truck-driving song "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" (1988); "Come From the Heart" and "Burnin' Old Memories" (both #1 hits in 1989); "She Came From Fort Worth" (1990); "Lonesome Standard Time" (1992); "Walking Away a Winner" (1994); "Nobody's Gonna Rain on Our Parade" (1994); "Maybe She's Human" (1994); and "455 Rocket" (1997, written by Gillian Welch
). "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses
" in late May 1988, became the first single by a solo female to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard
country singles chart since Dolly Parton
's "You're the Only One" in August 1979; both singles were on top of that chart for two weeks.
The heartrending "Where've You Been," which Mattea's husband Jon Vezner co-wrote with singer/songwriter Don Henry, reached #10 on the country chart and won her a 1990 Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal. Mattea is a repeat winner of the County Music Associations Female Vocalist of the Year, which she won on the success of "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" and "Where've You Been."
Mattea won another Grammy
in 1993 for her gospel
-oriented Christmas album, Good News
. Her first single from the album, "Mary, Did You Know?
," went on to be covered by Kenny Rogers
with Wynonna Judd
, as well as Reba McEntire
.
In 1994, Mattea collaborated with Suzy Bogguss
, Alison Krauss
, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash to contribute "Teach Your Children
" to the AIDS
benefit album Red Hot + Country
produced by the Red Hot Organization
. Also on that album, Mattea teamed up with Jackson Browne
to contribute "Rock Me on the Water". Also through the 90's, she often collaborated with Scottish folksinger songwriter Dougie MacLean
.
Mattea subsequently moved to MCA Nashville
and, in 2000, released the ballad
-heavy The Innocent Years, a heartfelt tribute to her ailing father. Wanting to explore her taste for Celtic folk, Mattea hopped labels to Narada
, for whom she debuted in 2002 with the eclectic Roses.
With her social activism and her taste for songs with introspective lyrics, it has been often said that Mattea owes as much to the traditions of folk music
as mainstream country.
Her 2008 release, Coal, combined her social activism with songs about coal-mining. It debuted at #64 on the country albums chart.
Kathy Mattea was honored as a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame 2011 class of inductees. She enjoys strong support from a very active fan club
, whose members refer to themselves as Matteaheads, and critical acclaim for her albums as she continues to tour and perform.
. The project included Garth Brooks
, Kenny Rogers
, Randy Travis
, and introduced Celine Dion
to the American audience.
She has also been heavily involved in HIV
/AIDS
-related charities, beginning in the early 1990s, and is often credited with being among the first to champion this cause among the country music community.
She performed with Mary Chapin Carpenter
on VH1
's very first Save The Music concert, which also starred Bette Midler
.
Mattea currently travels the country presenting Al Gore
's An Inconvenient Truth
and speaking to crowds about the importance of fighting global warming
and the environmental and physical devastation of coal mining.
South Charleston, West Virginia
South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, U.S. The population was 13,450 at the 2010 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1919 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature...
) is an American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
performer who often brings folk, Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts. This total includes the number one hits "Goin' Gone
Goin' Gone
"Goin' Gone" is a 1987 single written by Pat Alger, Bill Dale, and Fred Koller and recorded by Kathy Mattea. "Goin' Gone" was Kathy Mattea's ninth country hit and the first of four number one country singles. The single went to number one for one week and spent fifteen weeks on the country...
", "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses
Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses
"Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" is a country song by Kathy Mattea from her 1987 album, Untasted Honey. The song was released as a single and hit number one on both the US and Canadian Country charts in 1988. The song is about a truck driver called Charlie who is retiring after 30 years to spend...
", "Come From the Heart
Come From the Heart
"Come from the Heart" is a country music song written by Richard Leigh and Susanna Clark and published in 1987. It is most widely known through the 1989 single by Kathy Mattea, released in conjunction with her album Willow in the Wind, though the song was first recorded and released on the 1987...
" and "Burnin' Old Memories
Burnin' Old Memories
"Burnin' Old Memories" is a 1989 single written by Larry Boone, Paul Nelson, and Gene Nelson and recorded by Kathy Mattea. "Burnin' Old Memories" was Kathy Mattea's fourth and final number one on the country chart. "Burnin' Old Memories" went to number one for one week and spent fourteen weeks on...
", as well as twelve additional Top Ten singles.
Life & career
Mattea was born in South CharlestonSouth Charleston, West Virginia
South Charleston is a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, U.S. The population was 13,450 at the 2010 census. South Charleston was established in 1906, but not incorporated until 1919 by special charter enacted by the West Virginia Legislature...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, because it had the nearest hospital to her parents' home in Cross Lanes
Cross Lanes, West Virginia
Cross Lanes is an unincorporated census-designated place and suburb of Charleston in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 9,995.-Geography:...
, where she grew up, graduating from nearby Nitro
Nitro, West Virginia
Nitro is a city in West Virginia, along the Kanawha River. Most of the city lies in Kanawha County, with the remainder in Putnam County. The population was 7,178 at the 2010 census.Nitro was incorporated in 1932 by Circuit Court.- City name origin :...
High School. She discovered her love of singing at Girl Scout
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
camp. In 1976, while attending West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, she joined the bluegrass band Pennsboro, and two years later dropped out of school to move to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. She worked as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame, did backup vocal work for Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro
Bobby Goldsboro is an American country and pop singer-songwriter. He had a string of Pop and Country hits during the 1960s and 1970s, including his signature #1 classic "Honey," which sold well over one million copies in the United States.-Early life:Goldsboro was born in Marianna, Florida...
, and sang demos for several Nashville songwriters and publishers including Nashville songwriter/producer Byron Hill
Byron Hill
Byron Hill , is an American songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Working professionally in Nashville, TN for more than thirty years, his songs have been recorded by over 650 Country and Pop artists.-Music career:...
who brought her to the attention of Frank Jones (then head of Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
), who signed her to her first record deal in 1983.
Mattea's third album, 1986's folky Walk the Way the Wind Blows
Walk the Way the Wind Blows
Walk the Way the Wind Blows is the third album released by American country music singer Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1986 on Mercury Records. This album produced Mattea's first Top Ten country hit in "Love at the Five and Dime", which reached #3 on the Billboard country charts...
, proved to be her breakthrough both critically and commercially. Her cover of Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
's "Love at the Five and Dime" was her first major hit, reaching #3 (and in addition, earned Griffith notice as a songwriter), and the album produced three other top ten songs: "Walk the Way the Wind Blows" (#10), "You're the Power"(#5), and "Train of Memories" (#6). "Love at the Five and Dime" also drew attention because well-known country singer Don Williams sang harmony vocals on the track.
Further hit songs include her first #1, "Goin' Gone"; the truck-driving song "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" (1988); "Come From the Heart" and "Burnin' Old Memories" (both #1 hits in 1989); "She Came From Fort Worth" (1990); "Lonesome Standard Time" (1992); "Walking Away a Winner" (1994); "Nobody's Gonna Rain on Our Parade" (1994); "Maybe She's Human" (1994); and "455 Rocket" (1997, written by Gillian Welch
Gillian Welch
Gillian Welch 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, and Americana, is described by The New Yorker as "at once innovative and obliquely...
). "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses
Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses
"Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" is a country song by Kathy Mattea from her 1987 album, Untasted Honey. The song was released as a single and hit number one on both the US and Canadian Country charts in 1988. The song is about a truck driver called Charlie who is retiring after 30 years to spend...
" in late May 1988, became the first single by a solo female to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles chart since Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's "You're the Only One" in August 1979; both singles were on top of that chart for two weeks.
The heartrending "Where've You Been," which Mattea's husband Jon Vezner co-wrote with singer/songwriter Don Henry, reached #10 on the country chart and won her a 1990 Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal. Mattea is a repeat winner of the County Music Associations Female Vocalist of the Year, which she won on the success of "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" and "Where've You Been."
Mattea won another Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1993 for her gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-oriented Christmas album, Good News
Good News (Kathy Mattea album)
Good News is the title of the first album of Christmas music released by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in late 1993 on Mercury Records. "Mary, Did You Know?" and "What a Wonderful Beginning" were both covered by Kenny Rogers on his 1996 Christmas album The Gift...
. Her first single from the album, "Mary, Did You Know?
Mary, Did You Know?
"Mary, Did You Know?" is a Christmas song and Marian hymn with lyrics written by Mark Lowry and music written by Buddy Greene.-Background:Mark Lowry wrote the words in 1984 "when his pastor asked him to write the program for the living Christmas tree choir presentation. The music was written by...
," went on to be covered by Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
with Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Judd
Wynonna Ellen Judd is an American country music singer. Her solo albums and singles are all credited to the singular name Wynonna. Wynonna first rose to fame in the 1980s alongside her mother, Naomi, in the country music duo The Judds...
, as well as Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
.
In 1994, Mattea collaborated with Suzy Bogguss
Suzy Bogguss
Susan Kay "Suzy" Bogguss is an American country music singer. In the 1980s and 90s she released one platinum and three gold albums and charted six top ten singles, winning the Academy of Country Music's award for Top New Female Vocalist and the Country Music Association's Horizon Award.After...
, Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash to contribute "Teach Your Children
Teach Your Children
"Teach Your Children" is a song by Graham Nash. Although it was written when Nash was a member of The Hollies, it was never recorded by that group, and first appeared on the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released in 1970. The recording features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar...
" to the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
benefit album Red Hot + Country
Red Hot + Country
Red Hot + Country 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 and related health and social issues...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 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 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
. Also on that album, Mattea teamed up with Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
to contribute "Rock Me on the Water". Also through the 90's, she often collaborated with Scottish folksinger songwriter Dougie MacLean
Dougie MacLean
Dougie MacLean OBE is a Scottish singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist.His career started with a traditional band, The Tannahill Weavers, in 1976. His solo career started in 1981 and since then he has recorded numerous albums...
.
Mattea subsequently moved to MCA Nashville
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
and, in 2000, released the ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
-heavy The Innocent Years, a heartfelt tribute to her ailing father. Wanting to explore her taste for Celtic folk, Mattea hopped labels to Narada
Narada Productions
Narada is a record label formed 1983 as an independent New Age music label and distributed by MCA Records. Now a fully owned subsidiary of EMI, Narada evolved through an expansion of formats to include music from other styles including world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar...
, for whom she debuted in 2002 with the eclectic Roses.
With her social activism and her taste for songs with introspective lyrics, it has been often said that Mattea owes as much to the traditions of folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
as mainstream country.
Her 2008 release, Coal, combined her social activism with songs about coal-mining. It debuted at #64 on the country albums chart.
Kathy Mattea was honored as a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame 2011 class of inductees. She enjoys strong support from a very active fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
, whose members refer to themselves as Matteaheads, and critical acclaim for her albums as she continues to tour and perform.
Social activism
In 1991, Mattea took part in Voices That Care, a multi-artist project that featured other top names in music for a one-off single to raise money for the allied troops in the Gulf WarGulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. The project included Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, Randy Travis
Randy Travis
Randy Travis is an American country music singer and actor. Since 1985, he has recorded 20 studio albums and charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, 22 of which were number one hits...
, and introduced Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
to the American audience.
She has also been heavily involved in HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
-related charities, beginning in the early 1990s, and is often credited with being among the first to champion this cause among the country music community.
She performed with Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's very first Save The Music concert, which also starred Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
.
Mattea currently travels the country presenting Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
's An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth
An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate citizens about global warming via a comprehensive slide show that, by his own estimate, he has given more than a thousand times.Premiering at the...
and speaking to crowds about the importance of fighting global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and the environmental and physical devastation of coal mining.
Further reading
- Millard, Bob. (1998). "Kathy Mattea". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
. pages 329–330.