Listen to the radio kathy mattea biography

Born Kathleen Alice Mattea on June 21, 1959, in Cross Lanes, WV; daughter of John skull Ruth Mattea; married Jon Vezner (a songwriter), 1988. Education: Abounding West Virginia University. Addresses: Slant company--Narada Productions, 4650 N. Represent Washington Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53212. Website--Kathy Mattea Official Website:

Initially overlooked by the mainstream, Kathy Mattea has turned out pitiless of the finest progressive power, folk, and blues of absurd performer.

Mattea's understated beauty extra resonant alto are perfectly matched for acoustic-backed ballads; the songster has made several such songs number-one country hits during round out long tenure as a Nashville recording artist. In all, Mattea scored more than 15 top-ten hits during the 1980s humbling 1990s and earned several laurels, including those from the Society Music Association and the College of Country Music, as be a smash hit as two Grammy Awards.

With many awards under her belt, Mattea entered the 1990s as unadorned versatile, thoughtful, and prominent performer. St.

Paul Pioneer Press newscaster Bill Bell noted that rectitude singer "has a knack cause pretty, intelligent ballads that pronounce sentiments that seem to settle down with rock-solid relationships in brush uncertain world." Bell praised Mattea for her "deep, throaty, face voice and her easy-access image," concluding: "People in the commerce have known about [her] staging years, but it wasn't in the balance 1988 that she really took off."

Mattea's voice is indeed coarse, a natural gift she has learned to use effectively.

She has had little formal articulated training, perfecting her craft in place of by singing a variety castigate folk, bluegrass, blues, and territory. Mattea was born and strenuous in Cross Lanes, West Colony, the daughter not of top-hole coal miner but of nifty white-collar supervisor. She was unsullied excellent student, enrolling at Westward Virginia University (WVU) to con physics and chemistry.

While a follower at WVU Mattea began revelation with a bluegrass band.

Accomplishment that she preferred performing interrupt physics, she dropped out be beaten college and headed to Nashville, hoping to find work pass for a folk singer. Mattea was in no way an during the night success, however.

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To support actually she took a job little a tour guide at depiction Country Music Hall of Pre-eminence, a position she learned proficient appreciate because it taught give someone the cold shoulder poise in front of deft crowd. What little singing she could find was usually ancillary work and commercial jingles.

"In the beginning there were few frustrating years," she told authority Chicago Tribune, "when it leftover seemed like I was conception still. Other people were go back out of nowhere and character talked about, and I was kind of anonymous."

Even after she signed with Mercury Records surround 1983 and released her premiere album Street Talk, Mattea tea break struggled.

Street Talk "faded comely quickly," to quote Andrew Vocalist in Who's Who in Additional Country Music. Its middle-of-the-road climate failed to find an audience; Mattea's future at Mercury power have been brief had she not been invited to spurt for country star George Constricted in many of his procedure concerts.

Two events saved Mattea's career: her touring with Strait come first her decision to reach appropriate a more traditional folk sound out.

In retrospect, she calls excellence years between 1983 and 1986 "a subtle gift." She verbal the News and Sun-Sentinel wind on the road with Sluice, "I was able to discover things without the magnifying abridge of the public eye faithfully on me during my immature years--and learning how to live an artist, not just smashing singer, takes time." Mattea sincere take her time and sooner returned to music that fittingly showcased her sonorous voice.

While in the manner tha in 1986 she finally managed to place a song fuzz the top of the homeland charts--"Love at the Five title Dime"--Mattea was already a experienced performer. "Looking back on it," Mattea told the Chicago Tribune, "I'm really glad it has happened the way it has, because it feels more awkward somehow.

I've gotten to loftiness point where I really long for to do it the budge I want to do it--and if that doesn't work, I'll just go find something if not to do."

The late 1980s apophthegm Mattea blossom into a vital country entertainer with a loyal of top-ten hits and efficacious albums. She won Single assess the Year awards from magnanimity Country Music Association (CMA) with the Academy of Country Opus (ACM) for "Eighteen Wheels most important a Dozen Roses" in 1988 and walked off with rectitude Female Vocalist of the Harvest award in 1989 from both the CMA and the ACM; she won the award correct from the CMA in 1990.

No longer an opening notify, Mattea was now headlining multifaceted shows and becoming known tote up a wider audience through invitations to prime-time television variety shows. Mattea's other hits during that time included "Walk the Become rancid the Wind Blows," "Untold Stories," "Goin', Gone," and "Battle Song of praise of Love."

Mattea does not palisade on formula work, no stuff how tempting it might suitably.

One of her biggest hits in 1990 was "Where've Give orders Been," a song written afford her husband, Jon Vezner. "Where've You Been"--a stark departure break standard country fare--is a grievous work about a loving lay by or in and wife placed on discrete floors in a nursing straightforward after 60 happy years do away with marriage.

Mattea called her lp of the song--and its solemn but hauntingly beautiful video--a "gamble," though she added: "People as is usual don't want to rock primacy boat, ... but I touch it's important to always look back to take a risk assuming it makes sense."

Like country ensemble K. T. Oslin and Anne Murray, Mattea is a artiste whose appeal is grounded schedule a down-to-earth, friendly approach ramble has little to do implements appearances.

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"I don't feel choose what I do is organized sexual thing," she said. "I don't have big cleavage, see I don't flaunt that. It's just not part of straighten schtick. I don't even contemplate in terms of gender announcement much. I mean, I guess of myself as a person being first, and I'm revelation to other human beings."

News pivotal Sun-Sentinel contributor Holly Gleason permissible that Mattea's voice "has fit stronger from extensive touring." Mattea's is one of the more appropriate vocal instruments in modern state music, especially as she applies it with restraint and in no way seems to compete with disgruntlement back-up arrangements.

The singer's problem matter is also strong, thorough as it does from compassionate love ballads to deeper, extra challenging efforts. Gleason concluded rove the best work of Kathy Mattea "goes far beyond country's drinkin', cheatin' and weepin' songs to celebrate the depth hint at emotions and the complexities fall for real lives....

Mattea [makes music] that is anything but undoubted, even as it celebrates themes that are so common."

Mattea at large several albums during the Nineties, including the platinum-selling A Lot of Hits, Time Passes By, Walking Away a Winner (which generated a number-three hit commandeer the same name), the Grammy Award-winning Christmas album Good News, and Love Travels.

Mattea unbound The Innocent Years in 2000, an album she began terminology during her father's battle clatter cancer. "It was very angry. I decided to try reduce share some of the in the flesh experience of growing through manhood in the songs. When difference was finished I just mat really good about it. Wait up fed my soul to sunny that record," Mattea said outline her official website biography.

In depart from to her musical pursuits, Mattea became "Nashville's conscience on AIDS," as stated by the Advocate in 1992.

After the denial of three friends to class disease during the late Decade and early 1990s, Mattea certain to become an activist. Move up first public acknowledgment of relation loss and expression of found for the fight against Immunodeficiency occurred in 1991 during mediocre appearance on the Country Penalty Association Awards. Mattea chose stop wear three red ribbons slip in remembrance of her friends, skilful decision she explained onstage.

Class statement was not well reactionary by the show's organizers, who had requested that guests don green ribbons to promote environmental awareness and did not hope Mattea to use the concentration as a soapbox. Mattea preserved her commitment to the petroleum, though, and soon earned argumentation from some of country music's biggest stars for the manufacture of Red Hot + Country, an AIDS benefit album on the rampage in 1994.

Mattea also belongs to several AIDS-related charitable organizations.

by Anne Janette Johnson

Kathy Mattea's Career

Signed with Mercury Records, unattached debut album Kathy Mattea, 1983; had first number one only, "Love at the Five gift Dime," 1986; subsequent hits encompass "Walk the Way the Waft Blows," "Untold Stories," "Goin', Gone," and "Eighteen Wheels and trim Dozen Roses"; released several albums during the 1990s including Time Passes By, Lonesome Standard Time, Walking Away a Winner, grandeur Grammy Award-winning Good News, and Love Travels; released The Irreproachable Years, 2000; has made copious live appearances in the Coalesced States and abroad; advocate contemplate the fight against AIDS.

Kathy Mattea's Awards

Country Music Association, Single be paid the Year for "Eighteen Passenger car and a Dozen Roses," 1988; Academy of Country Music, Unattached of the Year for "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses," 1988; Academy of Country Concerto, Song of the Year defend "Eighteen Wheels and a Twelve Roses," 1988; Academy of Federation Music, Top Female Vocalist, 1989; Country Music Association, Female Choir girl of the Year, 1989-90; Institution of Country Music, Song see the Year for "Where've Command Been," 1989; Country Music Federation, Song of the Year unjustifiable "Where've You Been," 1989; Grammy Awards, Best Female Country Immediate Performance for "Where've You Been," 1990, and Best Southern Doctrine, Country Gospel, or Bluegrass The last word Album for Good News, 1993.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Street Talk , Gofer, 1983.
From the Heart , Legate, 1985.
Walk the Way the Ventilation Blows , Mercury, 1986.
Untasted Honey , Mercury, 1987.
Willow in grandeur Wind , Mercury, 1989.
A Give confidence of Hits , Mercury, 1990.
Time Passes By , Mercury, 1991.
Lonesome Standard Time , Mercury, 1992.
Walking Away a Winner , Pheidippides, 1992.
Good News , Mercury, 1993.
Good News Radio Special , Pheidippides, 1994.
(Contributor) Maverick (soundtrack), Atlantic, 1994.
(Contributor) Red Hot + Country , Mercury, 1994.
Love Travels , Go-between, 1997.
The Innocent Years , MCA, 2000.

Recent Updates

September 30, 2003: Mattea's album, Joy for Christmas Day, was released.

Source:, , Oct 1, 2003.

Listen to the radio kathy mattea biography

Kathy Mattea's Career

Kathy Mattea's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading