Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville’s finest song interpreters,” Kathy Mattea has enjoyed much success and acclaim during her 35-year career in Country, Bluegrass and Folk music, including 2 Grammy wins, 4 CMA Awards, 4 #1 country singles, and five gold albums (plus a platinum Greatest Hits collection). Her latest album is Pretty Bird, produced by her old friend, roots music wizard Tim O’Brien. The wide-ranging collection of songs chronicles a period of rededication to singing, digging back in and emerging with a poignant and eclectic CD. In addition to creating and recording music and performing live on tour, Kathy is increasingly involved with public broadcasting, regularly guest-hosting on the long-running NPR show “Mountain Stage” (sitting in for longtime host Larry Groce), as well as consulting and contributing on screen in Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary for PBS “Country Music.”
Additional materials available at www.mattea.com/photobiopage
HI-RES IMAGES
^Photo Credit: Reto Sterchi
VIDEOS
“Mercy Now” (Embed)
“Ode to Billie Joe” (Embed)
“Butter Fingers” (Embed)
“I Can’t Stand Up Alone” – Audio (Embed)
BIOGRAPHY/PROGRAM NOTES
Biography/Program Notes: Download (doc)
EDUCATION/SPEAKING
Educational Programs & Additional Offerings: Download (pdf)
Speaking/Keynotes: www.mattea.com
Official Website: www.mattea.com
CURRENT RELEASE
Pretty Bird (September 7, 2018)
PRESS REQUESTS
Don London
donlondon455@gmail.com
Please contact IMN’s Director of Marketing with any additional questions.
Women’s History Month
From CMT Women’s History Month: The Shifting Landscape of the ’70s and ’80s By: Edward Morris Kathy Mattea will probably always be most fondly remembered for her majestic and tear-inducing 1989 single, ‘Where’ve You Been,’ which, while ascending only to No. 10, earned her two Grammys. Originally a bluegrass singer, Mattea came to Nashville and embraced country in the early...
Posted Mar 16th, 2020
Kathy to host Mountain Stage
From www.wvpublic.org Live Show News: Yola and Pokey LaFarge Added to Mountain Stage Lineups By: ADAM HARRIS “As previously announced, Mountain Stage returns to the campus of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio on Sunday April 26 at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium as guests of OU Events and our affiliate WOUB Public Media. This will be our first show in...
Posted Jan 22nd, 2020
Kathy Mattea presents the CMA Award for Female Vocalist of the Year to Kacey Musgraves.
The CMA Awards | Kacey Musgraves Wins Female Vocalist of the Year at CMA Awards 2019Watch The CMA Awards: Watch her full acceptance speech. video at abc.com
Posted Nov 14th, 2019
Kathy Mattea to present at CMA
See the full list of performers and presenters here
Posted Nov 5th, 2019
Kathy Mattea to be Distinguished Artist in Residence at WVU
From My Buckhannon Grammy-winning recording artist Kathy Mattea to be Distinguished Artist in Residence at WVU “Masterclasses, one-on-one mentoring and maybe even a jam session with a country music icon await students in the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts. Grammy-winning recording artist Kathy Mattea has been named a Distinguished Artist in Residence in the School of Music for...
Posted Oct 28th, 2019
9 Things We Learned About Country Music
From Paste 9 Things We Learned About Country Music, Ken Burns and Dolly Parton at WETA’s Panel Discussion By: ALEXIS GUNDERSON “This past Thursday evening, hundreds of civically engaged residents from the D.C. metro area congregated in George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium to get a small taste of what promises to be one of this fall’s most comprehensive (and publicly...
Posted Sep 12th, 2019
Kathy Mattea ‘made friends’ with her fear
From The Advocate Back from the dark: Faced with career challenges, Kathy Mattea ‘made friends’ with her fear By: JOHN WIRT “When Kathy Mattea reached her 50s, there were some nights on stage she sang better than ever. But on other nights, she couldn’t hit notes in songs she’d been singing for decades. It was a frightening time. The two-time...
Posted Jun 27th, 2019
Kathy Mattea Featured in Bluebird Cafe Doc
From WMOT ‘Bluebird’ Realizes A Long-Standing Dream Of Bringing The Songwriters’ Mecca To Film By: Craig Havighurst For decades, songwriters and aspiring artists have lined up at The Bluebird Cafe, hoping to get noticed as part of the journey to a star-level country music career. This week at Austin’s South By Southwest conference, the boot is on the other foot....
Posted Mar 12th, 2019
Kathy Mattea on Celtic Connections
From BBC Radio Scotland Another Country with Ricky Ross, Celtic Connections 2019 Live music from some of the Americana acts in Scotland for Celtic Connections 2019. Featuring Kathy Mattea, Willie Watson, May Erlewine and Israel Nash all performing ‘in the round’ and sharing the stories behind their songs. Listen here
Posted Jan 21st, 2019
How Kathy Mattea Got her Groove Back
From The Irish Times How Kathy Mattea got her groove ‘” and voice ‘” back By: Siobhan Long West Virginian native, Kathy Mattea has carved her reputation as an ace interpreter of other people’s songs over the course of three and a half decades now, and her instincts for a good song are as keen as ever. The songs on...
Posted Jan 14th, 2019
Kathy Mattea Follows the Breadcrumb Trail
From NPR Kathy Mattea And Alanna Quinn-Broadus Followed The ‘Breadcrumb Trail Back To Singing’ By: Jewly Hight The human voice is the most physical instrument of all, its sound generated by delicate, undulating pleats of flesh in the throat that give each singer a distinctive timbre and are exceedingly vulnerable to all manner of injury and decline. But that unique...
Posted Nov 14th, 2018
Bluegrass Underground: Kathy Mattea
From Bluegrass Underground – PBS Kathy Mattea Kathy Mattea is a storied Nashville singer/songwriter. A genuine storyteller drawing on Appalachian roots, hers are classics infused with Bluegrass, Gospel and Celtic influences. Mattea pulls an acoustic eclectic set in duo long-time collaborator Bill Cooley featuring new material mixed with her extensive and decades-deep archive. Read more here
Posted Oct 22nd, 2018
Kathy Mattea On Mountain Stage
From NPR Kathy Mattea On Mountain Stage By: Adam Harris In front of a home state crowd gathered for the Augusta Heritage Festival and Workshops in Elkins, W.V., Kathy Mattea unveils songs from her latest release, Pretty Bird. Mattea made her first of many appearances on Mountain Stage in 1985, after leaving West Virginia for Nashville, where she had signed...
Posted Oct 12th, 2018
Rolling Stone: Kathy Mattea on New Album
From Rolling Stone Kathy Mattea on New Album, Voice Struggles, Grappling With Loss By: Stephen L. Betts ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ feels like a natural fit for this record because there’s darkness and mystery to it, but it absolutely draws you in. Do you remember when you first heard it? My mother kept the radio on all the time. We...
Posted Oct 1st, 2018
NPR: Kathy Mattea Got Her Voice Back
From NPR How Kathy Mattea Got Her Voice Back With ‘Pretty Bird’ By: Alyssa Edes and Mary Louise Kelly Kathy Mattea has been successfully making music for a long time. Her first gold album came out in 1987. She won her first Grammy in 1990. For a while, she was putting out albums every year or two. But Mattea’s latest...
Posted Sep 20th, 2018
“Mercy Now” – New Video from Kathy Mattea
From People Magazine After Years of Struggle, Kathy Mattea Gets Her Voice Back: ‘I Think I’ve Found My Superpower’ By: Nancy Kruh What fans will hear in her new music ‘” including on the video for album cut ‘Mercy Now,’ debuting exclusively on PEOPLE ‘” is a voice that’s more burnished and soulful than before. But it is still clearly...
Posted Sep 17th, 2018
Kathy Mattea Soars on ‘Pretty Bird’
From The Tennessean After having to relearn to sing, Kathy Mattea soars on ‘Pretty Bird’ By: Juli Thanki […] After months of living room sessions, Mattea forced herself to return to the stage. She told Cooley, ‘If I wait until I am through with whatever this is, I’ll be so scared to walk on stage that I’ll sabotage myself.’ The...
Posted Sep 4th, 2018
Kathy Mattea – Hangin’ and Sangin’ with Kelly McCartney
From Hangin’ and Sangin’ with Kelly McCartney Episode 65 – Kathy Mattea Country, folk, and bluegrass singer Kathy Mattea pops into the studio to talk about her career as an interpreter of songs, as well as her new release, Pretty Bird. Produced and hosted by music journalist Kelly McCartney in Nashville, Tennessee. Read more here
Posted Sep 1st, 2018
‘Pretty Bird’ Displays Kathy’s Song Interpreter Chops
From Wide Open Country Kathy Mattea’s ‘Pretty Bird’ Displays Her Song Interpreter Chops By: Bobby Moore […] A definitive work from another woman without concern for country, folk and pop boundaries represents both Mattea as an artist and also the album itself. Other covers include mighty renditions of Mary Gauthier’s ‘Mercy Now,’ Loreena McKennitt’s take on the British folk song...
Posted Aug 29th, 2018
Kathy Mattea Shares “Mercy Now”
From Parade Exclusive Premiere: Kathy Mattea Shares the Compassionate ‘Mercy Now’ By: Laura B Whitmore Like a hand extended to help you on your path, Kathy Mattea’s new song, ‘Mercy Now’ reaches out to touch the listener with a message of empathy. The song is from Mattea’s new album, Pretty Bird, releasing on September 7. Gorgeously performed, this tender prayer...
Posted Aug 24th, 2018
Kathy Mattea: Voice of America
From Voice of America Border Crossings Interview Conducted By: Larry London Border Crossings is the Voice of Americas perennial daily music program. Every Monday through Friday at 1500UTC Border Crossings airs listeners’ favorite song requests and dedications along with featuring interviews from some of the biggest names in music. Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, Adele, Katy Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Lady Gaga,...
Posted Aug 13th, 2018
Kathy Mattea, “St. Teresa”
From All Music Song Premiere: Kathy Mattea, “St. Teresa” By: Chris Steffen […] Mattea’s upcoming album, Pretty Bird, finds her taking on Joan Osborne’s “St. Teresa,” a haunting character sketch of a woman Osborne regularly saw in Manhattan’s Lower East Side who sold drugs on the street with her baby nearby in a stroller. The track is highlighted by Mattea’s...
Posted Aug 10th, 2018
Kathy Mattea’s New Album Releases Sept 7
From Rolling Stone Hear Kathy Mattea’s Cover of Martha Carson’s ‘I Can’t Stand Up Alone’ By: Stephen L. Betts On September 7th, CMA Award-winning vocalist Kathy Mattea will release Pretty Bird, her first new album in six years. A sublime acoustic collection including a number of smartly chosen and heartfelt covers, the record marks something of a new era in...
Posted Jul 12th, 2018
Kathy Mattea: “Mountain Stage” Guest Host
From Charleston Gazette-Mail Kathy Mattea poised to make debut as ‘Mountain Stage’ guest host By: Bill Lynch Country star and Cross Lanes native Kathy Mattea isn’t sure how many times she’s been a guest on ‘Mountain Stage.’ ‘Between 10 and 20,’ she guessed. ‘Maybe more than 20?’ Actually, according to ‘Mountain Stage,’ it’s 19, but who’s counting? Regardless of how...
Posted Mar 2nd, 2018
Kathy Mattea featured on All-Star Album Tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens
From Huntington Herald Dispatch Album to be all-star tribute to Little Jimmy Dickens Country and bluegrass hero Little Jimmy Dickens was a true American icon, but he was a West Virginian first. So when the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame contacted other HOF inductees and noted Mountain State musicians about recording a tribute to the “little but proud” hillbilly...
Posted Sep 29th, 2017
Kathy Mattea Narrates National Parks Series
From PBA30 – Atlanta Heart of the World: Colorado’s National Parks Narrated by Grammy-winning country music star Kathy Mattea, “Heart of the World: Colorado’s National Parks” tells the stories of five of the most amazing parks on the planet. Each episode elegantly fuses together the natural histories of each park (approximately 10 to 12 minutes per park, per program). The...
Posted Jul 25th, 2017
Kathy Mattea at ABQ Bio Park
From Albuquerque Journal Country-bluegrass star Kathy Mattea to perform at ABQ BioPark By: Adrian Gomez After more than 30 years in the music industry, Kathy Mattea still takes one day at a time. In fact, she’s slowly working on music for a new album ‘” and she’s not in a rush. ‘Things are good; I had a birthday yesterday,’ she...
Posted Jun 30th, 2017
Kathy Mattea’s ‘Living Room’
From The Arizona Republic Visit singer Kathy Mattea’s ‘Living Room’ on 7/2 in Phoenix By: Randy Cordova Country radio sure could use someone like Kathy Mattea these days. Blessed with a gorgeous alto that infuses everything she sings with warmth and honesty, she was a major star in the ’80s and ’90s. Her choice in material is superb: Smart, ruminative...
Posted Jun 27th, 2017
Kathy Mattea brings her living room to the Holland Center
From Omaha World-Herald Singer Kathy Mattea brings her living room to the Holland Center By: Betsie Freeman Not long after singer Kathy Mattea took the stage at the Holland Center on Saturday night, the folding chairs started to feel like comfy couches. The tables in the Scott Recital Hall seemed different, too, like the kind you’d put in your home...
Posted Mar 23rd, 2017
Kathy Mattea makes winter a little warmer
From The Daily Campus Kathy Mattea makes UConn winter a little warmer By: Brian Roach On Saturday, Feb. 11, at 8 p.m., Grammy Award-winning country singer Kathy Mattea appeared on stage, alongside her guitarist and friend Bill Cooley, at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. They styled their event ‘The Acoustic Living Room’, featuring a wide variety of both...
Posted Feb 14th, 2017
Kathy Mattea warms up a cold night
From Hot Springs Village Voice Kathy Mattea warms up a cold night By: Sandy Johansen A sold-out audience at the recent Kathy Mattea concert was not disappointed as she brought her best game, along with her longtime collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley. The duo’s instrumentals were perfection and it seemed their hearts were beating as one. They have shared this musically...
Posted Dec 13th, 2016
Kathy Mattea The Teacher
From The Asheville Citizen-Times Finding your voice: Swannanoa Gathering announces 26th go By: Hayley Benton As Kathy Mattea waltzes onto the stage, she grabs her guitar and, for just a moment, she hesitates. She’s done this thousands of times ‘” but the two-time Grammy winner knows that, no matter how many times a song is rehearsed, a live performance is...
Posted Nov 17th, 2016
When Kathy Mattea Met Tony Bennett
From The Farmington Daily Times Kathy Mattea performs concert in Durango, Colo. By: Mike Easterling Years ago, after performing during an afternoon show that also featured a performance by legendary crooner Tony Bennett, country singer Kathy Mattea found herself navigating a post-event cocktail party for VIPs, something she freely admits she’s not very good at. Plotting her escape, she spotted...
Posted Nov 3rd, 2016
Kathy Mattea Branches Out
From The Independent Tribune Mattea’s music branches out from her Grammy-winning days By: Lisa Thornton A few years ago, Grammy Award winning country artist Kathy Mattea came to the proverbial fork in the road. She knew she could either keep on crooning the series of smash hits that shot her to stardom beginning in the late ’80s, or she could...
Posted Oct 5th, 2016
Kathy Mattea’s Acoustic Living Room
From The Asheville Citizen-Times Kathy Mattea & more Americana music around Asheville By: Carol Rifkin Come on in. Grammy winning country music star Kathy Mattea’s new show at Diana Wortham Theatre invites the public into her living room for a visit. Sharing the stage with long time accompanist Bill Cooley, they’ll take requests from the audience and work spontaneously. ‘I’m...
Posted Sep 23rd, 2016
As Nashville’s Voice of Reason, Kathy Mattea Practices What She Teaches
From The Huffington Post As Nashville’s Voice of Reason, Kathy Mattea Practices What She Teaches By: Michael Bialas On the road again after taking an extended break in 2015, singer-songwriter Kathy Mattea recently decided to grant a request from the audience to perform one of the tunes she wrote for a record released in 1986. Such occurrences aren’t unusual for...
Posted Aug 15th, 2016
Kathy Mattea finds new ways to “walk the edge”
From CapeCod.com That Girl Chats with Kathy Mattea Kathy Mattea is coming to play an intimate show at the Cotuit Center for the Arts this Wednesday. (7/27/16) I had a chance to chat with Kathy a little bit about what she has been up to the past couple years. She shared some advice she got from Tony Bennett and what...
Posted Jul 25th, 2016
Kathy Mattea narrates PBS documentary
From WGBY Narrated by Grammy-winning country music star Kathy Mattea, “Heart of the World: Colorado’s National Parks” tells the stories of five of the most amazing parks on the planet. Each episode elegantly fuses together the natural histories of each park (approximately 10 -12 minutes per park, per program). The three-hour documentary series combines stunning photography of the parks filmed...
Posted Mar 31st, 2016
Kathy Mattea Hosts Christmas at Belmont
Premiering on PBS affiliates tonight, join host Kathy Mattea for a concert of carols, classical works and seasonal favorites in Christmas at Belmont! About the Program Hosted by Grammy Award-winning country recording artist Kathy Mattea, nearly 700 student musicians join the Belmont School of Music faculty and the Nashville Children’s Choir to present this production of traditional carols, classical masterworks,...
Posted Dec 21st, 2015
Kathy Mattea Brings Holiday Show To Durham’s Carolina Theatre
From The News & Observer Kathy Mattea brings holiday show to Durham’s Carolina Theatre By: Issac Weeks There is something about this time of year that calls for acoustic concerts. Whether it’s the sun going down earlier in the day, the leaves on the ground or just the nip in the air, it feels right that performers would unplug their...
Posted Nov 30th, 2015
Kathy Mattea Enchants Chadron Audience
From KCSR 610AM Kathy Mattea Enchants Chadron Audience By: John Axtell Award-winning country singer Kathy Mattea enthralled an audience at Chadron State College for two hours last to open the Galaxy Series of fine and performing arts events. Although the concert was in the 700-seat Memorial Hall Auditorium, the show had a much more intimate feeling with just Mattea and...
Posted Sep 25th, 2015
Kathy Mattea: If Trees Could Sing
From The Knoxville News Sentinel Kathy Mattea: Program lets singers tell you about trees By: Kathy Mattea If you are like me, you have probably been to a park or in a forest and wondered: What kind of tree is that? In addition to being beautiful, trees are also so different, which makes identifying them a challenge. Just think about...
Posted Aug 31st, 2015
Kathy Mattea in Bill Withers Tribute at Carnegie
Kathy Mattea will join D’Angelo, Ed Sheeran, Sheryl Crow, Dr. John, Michael McDonald, Aloe Blacc, Keb’ Mo’, and more in celebrating Bill Withers at Carnegie Hall on October 1st. To learn more about the event click here
Posted Aug 10th, 2015
Kathy Mattea on Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage is re-airing some of their favorite broadcasts this weekend — starting things off with a show recorded in September 2011 featuring IMN’s own Kathy Mattea! For more info click here
Posted Jun 11th, 2015
Kathy Mattea and others celebrate Jean Ritchie
From Pop Matters Various Artists: Dear Jean – Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie By: Gideon Thomas Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie acts as both a tribute to an amazing singer and person, and a reminder of the power of song, story and legacy in Ritchie’s life. Housing a total of 37 tracks over 2 CDs, the collection encompasses performances of...
Posted Oct 31st, 2014
Mattea to share her cancer story for McLeod annual cancer benefit
from SCNow.com Mattea to share her cancer story for McLeod annual cancer benefit by Matt Tate Some have happy endings. Some, sadly, do not. Kathy Mattea’s tale falls in the latter category. She lost her father 11 years ago to the dreaded disease. But just because the ending is sad doesn’t mean something good can’t come from the epilogue. His...
Posted Sep 21st, 2014
Kathy Mattea to Honor Jean Ritchie
From Lexington Herald-Leader Concert in Berea, album honor legacy of Jean Ritchie By: Walter Tunis Sometimes the only thing more difficult than establishing a musical legacy is ensuring it endures. That was the feeling Michigan folk artist Mick Lane got after a journey to Berea to visit with his longtime friend, Kentucky mountain music matriarch Jean Ritchie. Lane had enlisted...
Posted May 22nd, 2014
Kathy Mattea: Why Music Matters
From Making Music Kathy Mattea: Activist & Musician Reveals Why Music Matters By: Cherie Yurco One of the most successful female country musicians of all time, Kathy Mattea has had numerous top 40 hits in her three-decade career. Early hits include ‘Love at the Five and Dime’ and ‘Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses.’ Her more recent projects have focused...
Posted Apr 7th, 2014
West Virginians Who Matter: Kathy Mattea
From The Martinsburg Journal West Virginians Who Matter: Kathy Mattea By: Bob O’Connor Editor’s Note: This is the ninth part of a 52-week series to run throughout 2014 on 52 West Virginians who made a difference and who matter. They are authors, entertainers, politicians, historical figures and others. She is a country singer, and the daughter of a coal miner....
Posted Mar 12th, 2014
Kathy Mattea: The Bard of West Virginia
From The Schenectady Daily Gazette Impressive Mattea shows she’s bard of W. Virginia By: Michael Hochanadel …On Saturday at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Mattea displayed impressively courageous artistic growth since her mainstream country stardom, retaining the strengths that burnished that star: a gorgeous voice and unerring intelligence in choosing songs that make the most of it in sound...
Posted Feb 24th, 2014
Kathy Mattea Charms at Intimate Seven Days Concert
From Tallahassee.com Kathy Mattea charms at intimate Seven Days concert By: Kati Schardl The Big Room at Pebble Hill Plantation was barely big enough for the blast of sheer, unadulterated musical joy that singer-songwriter Kathy Mattea brought with her top-drawer band for a sold-out Seven Days of Opening Nights performance Sunday afternoon. Maybe Ruby Diamond Concert Hall will be able...
Posted Feb 10th, 2014
Kathy Mattea’s “My Coal Journey”
From The Hartford Courant OnStage At Connecticut College Presents Kathy Mattea By: Karen Laskey Mattea has received numerous awards from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association, including Female Vocalist of the Year and Single of the Year, for songs like “Love at the Five and Dime,” “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses,” and “Where’ve You Been,”...
Posted Jan 17th, 2014
Kathy Mattea & NPT Tackle Aging Issues
From The Tennessean NPT tackles aging issues in series with Mattea By: Brad Schmitt For Kathy Mattea, the issue is personal and intense. Her father died of cancer while her mother was dying of Alzheimer’s disease. “My mom asked where he was,” Mattea said. “I called the Alzheimer’s Association and got some good information.” The advice, she said: “You can...
Posted Oct 25th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Shares Lessons on Music & Life
From MetroNews Kathy Mattea shares lessons on music, life during Ripley High visit By: Jeff Jenkins Kanawha County native and country music star Kathy Mattea urged Jackson County high school students to pursue their dreams during a visit to Ripley High School Tuesday afternoon. The award-winning Mattea appeared very relaxed as she answered questions from Ripley and Ravenswood high schools....
Posted Oct 22nd, 2013
Kathy Mattea Advocates Arts’ Role in Education
From The State Journal Kathy Mattea advocates arts’ role in education By: Mike Ruben Kathy Mattea continues to come home to West Virginia through her music and her messages. The Cross Lanes native was motivated to produce her “Coal” album following the 2006 Sago mine disaster. Her latest album, “Calling Me Home,” presents a strong reference to her Mountain State...
Posted Oct 11th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Brings a Country Vibe
From The Daily Record Kathy Mattea brings a country vibe to Sanctuary Concert Series By: Bill Nutt Kathy Mattea traces her music as about as deep into the earth as someone can go. Mattea’s family and friends in her native West Virginia encompass generations of coal miners. Her most recent CDs ‘” ‘Coal’ (2008) and ‘Calling Me Home’ (2012) ‘”...
Posted Sep 27th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Becomes Advocate for Aging
From Country Weekly Kathy Mattea Becomes Advocate for Aging: HOSTING NASHVILLE PUBLIC TELEVISION’S NPT REPORTS: AGING MATTERS By: Tammy Ragusa Singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea has become a well-respected advocate for issues from AIDS awareness and research to global warming and Appalachian mining practices, and now she is lending her support to the elderly. Kathy will host Nashville Public Televisions’s NPT Reports:...
Posted Aug 23rd, 2013
Kathy Mattea: more than just music
From Door County Advocate Mattea more than just music: The country superstar, who performs Sunday at Door Community Auditorium, takes on a variety of causes By: Kate Stein Given her sizeable collection of music honors, it’s easy to overlook the importance of activism to country singer Kathy Mattea. Mattea, who will perform at Door Community Auditorium this Sunday, has won...
Posted Aug 7th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Celebrates West Virginia’s Birthday
From The Charleston Gazette 5 Questions with Kathy Mattea By: Bill Lynch Helping to celebrate West Virginia’s birthday (and coincidentally her own), country star Kathy Mattea returns to Charleston for a special FestivALL Live on the Levee show Friday that also features country harmonica legend and fellow West Virginia native Charlie McCoy. McCoy opens the free concert at 6:30 p.m.,...
Posted Jun 20th, 2013
Watch Kathy Mattea’s ‘My Coal Journey’
A dedicated arts and education advocate, Grammy Award winning singer Kathy Mattea is also deeply involved in social and environmental activism. She believes that music can influence social change by giving a voice to those who have none. Trained by Al Gore following An Inconvenient Truth, Mattea has traveled the country with her own lecture presentation: My Coal Journey, a...
Posted May 16th, 2013
Listen to Kathy Mattea on Mountain Stage Tomorrow!
From Mountain Stage Kathy Mattea’s performance on Mountain Stage will start broadcasting on NPR affiliates across the nation tomorrow. Click here to find out when you can hear the show in your area and click here to learn more about the program. Won’t be near a radio? Not to worry – you’ll be able to stream her set at www.npr.com...
Posted Apr 11th, 2013
Fan Captures the Essence of a Kathy Mattea Show
From My Kind of Country Concert Review ‘” Kathy Mattea at Silver Center For The Arts in Plymouth, NH By: Jonathan Pappalardo Kathy Mattea came ready to give it her all. Amidst a blinding snowstorm, and the after effects of the head cold that had eluded her to three days prior, she took the stage Feb 23 in the teeny...
Posted Mar 26th, 2013
A Conversation With Singer and Activist Kathy Mattea
From WPSU A Conversation with Country Music Singer and Activist Kathy Mattea The two-time Grammy winning singer Kathy Mattea has never been afraid to push the creative envelope. Her newest albums, “Coal” and “Calling Me Home,’ are her most personal and daring. Both records pay tribute to her rich alto and to the folk music of her native Appalachia. We’ll...
Posted Feb 20th, 2013
Kathy Mattea’s ‘My Coal Journey’
From The Centre Daily Times Grammy-winner Kathy Mattea lends voice to environmental causes in talk at Penn State By: Luke Michael Petkac Students and adults alike packed The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on Thursday to hear two-time Grammy award-winning musician Kathy Mattea discuss her environmental activism, her personal experiences with the coal industry and to perform a few hit...
Posted Feb 1st, 2013
Kathy Mattea Says: “Music Fuels Conversation”
From Gazette Grammy-winning artist Kathy Mattea returns to her roots on latest record By: Cara Hedgepeth Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea will stop by the Weinberg on Saturday night and she’s got someone she wants you to meet. ‘It’s kind of like introducing audiences to your new friends,’ said Mattea of the music from her latest album, ‘Calling Me Home,’...
Posted Jan 29th, 2013
Kathy Mattea: Long-lost Daughter
From Port Washington Patch Kathy Mattea: Long-lost Daughter By: Mark Underwood At the Jeanne Rimsky Theatre on Saturday, an audience waiting for the start of Americana crooner Kathy Mattea’s show gazed upon a handsome lineup of nine stringed instruments ‘” several guitars, a standup bass, a wired violin, mandolin and a bouzouki. They probably weren’t thinking of Jean Ritchie just...
Posted Jan 28th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Highlights Appalachia
From The Hartford Courant Kathy Mattea In Two Concerts By: Erik Ofgang Celebrated country-pop singer Kathy Mattea has deep ties to Appalachia and its coal industry. “Both my grandfathers were coal miners,” says the West Virginia Native during a recent interview. “My dad’s dad picked 30-inch coal with a pick and in the winter he never saw the light of...
Posted Jan 24th, 2013
Humor, Emotion Mark Kathy Mattea Performance
From The Sturgis Journal Humor, emotion mark Mattea performance By: Laura Kurella Anticipation was high Saturday prior to Kathy Mattea’s performance at Sturges-Young Auditorium. “I think its going to be fabulous show,” said Delbert Walling of Coldwater. “I’ve been listening to her since I was a student‘¦when I learned to play her songs, but I have never seen her live...
Posted Jan 22nd, 2013
The Ever-Compassionate Kathy Mattea
From The Toledo Blade Country singer Kathy Mattea to perform Friday in Monroe By: Brian Dugger Kathy Mattea has always been a bit of a softie. She has a couple of dogs she rescued from the streets of Nashville, and as she talked by phone last week, one of them, Sam, was curled up on the couch next to her....
Posted Jan 18th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Digs Into Her WV Roots
From The Toledo Free Press Country star Kathy Mattea shares coal heritage in song By: Vicki L. Kroll When Kathy Mattea started digging into her family’s West Virginia history, she unearthed a load of Appalachian mining songs. ‘When ‘Coal’ came out [in 2008], in order to do that album, I wound up exploring all this music that I grew up...
Posted Jan 14th, 2013
Kathy Mattea Takes Her Roots to Heart
From Sturgis Journal Music Q&A: Mattea takes her roots to heart By: David T. Farr Where do you go after you’ve charted more than two dozen Top 40 country singles, won two Grammys, four Country Music Association Awards and two Academy Of Country Music Awards, including three honors for Female Vocalist of the Year? If you’re singer Kathy Mattea, you...
Posted Dec 14th, 2012
Kathy Mattea on BBC Radio
From BBC Radio Kathy Mattea in session for Bob Harris By: BBC Radio Grammy-winning singer Kathy Mattea performs songs from her latest album Calling Me Home in session for Bob. Tracklist: - Hello, My Name is Coal - Love at the Five and Dime Click here to see a clip of the show! To read more about the session click...
Posted Dec 10th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Premieres New Video!
From American Songwriter Video Premiere: Kathy Mattea, ‘Hello, My Name Is Coal’ By: Andrew Leahey Raised in the mountains of West Virginia, Kathy Mattea explores the dirty, dangerous lives of coal miners on her new album, Calling Me Home. It’s an all-star record, featuring cameos from Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, Stuart Duncan and Bryan Sutton. Mattea is still the star,...
Posted Nov 13th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Returns to Her Roots
From GoTriCities Grammy winner Kathy Mattea returns to her roots in music, activism, advocacy Often, the old ways are the best ways. Call and response is a hymn-singing tradition in the mountains of Appalachia, so it is fitting that the mountains have called singer/songwriter Kathy Mattea, and the West Virginia native has responded. Mattea will bring her unique mixture of...
Posted Nov 9th, 2012
Review: Kathy Mattea ‘Calling Me Home’
From Bluegrass Today Calling Me Home- Kathy Mattea By: John Goad Traditional musicians, particularly folk artists, have long been known for their tendency to write and record songs of protest. Most musicians today are not quite as outspoken and often choose to celebrate the things that make America great, rather than speak out against the things which they may see...
Posted Oct 31st, 2012
Kathy Mattea Brings Musical Past & Present
From AL.com Kathy Mattea bringing musical past, present to Saenger show on Saturday By: Lawrence Specker For some artists, trying to bridge two worlds is an either-or choice. But Kathy Mattea says fans won’t have to settle for just the past or the present when she comes to the Mobile Saenger Theatre on Saturday. Mattea was a major force in...
Posted Oct 28th, 2012
Video: Kathy Mattea’s Calling Me Home
From YouTube Kathy Mattea- “Agate Hill” Here is a video of the shoot on Kathy Mattea’s farm with songs from her album, ‘Calling Me Home’.
Posted Oct 24th, 2012
Kathy Mattea: “Calling Me Home” Album Review
From Country Standard Time Kathy Mattea: Calling me Home By Donald Teplyske As a commercially successful country artist during the ’80s and ’90s, Kathy Mattea hit the top 20 with no fewer than 21 singles, and although she last reached the top 10 almost 2 decades ago with Walking Away a Winner, she has continually produced high quality music that...
Posted Oct 17th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Guides the Audience on a Sonic Trip
From Relix Kathy Mattea at the Birchmere By: Nancy Dunham ‘We are quickly losing our ability to have a nuanced conversation about anything we disagree about,’ country turned Americana-folk artist Kathy Mattea said as she spoke of the Appalachian-born music that she now performs. It’d be too easy to credit election fatigue for the enthusiasm with which the Washington, D.C.-area...
Posted Oct 15th, 2012
Kathy Mattea’s Rich Vocals Will Take You Home
From The Encore Sun Journal Kathy Mattea’s rich alto vocals will take you ‘home’ By: Emily Tuttle Sometimes I wish I lived in the mountains ‘” up high, above and away from the lowness and busy-ness of taking care of business. Sometimes I wish time would rewind to the days before instant communication, to an era when a silent handshake...
Posted Oct 2nd, 2012
Kathy Mattea Comes Home on New Album
From CMT Kathy Mattea Comes Home on New Album By: Terry Bumgarner Kathy Mattea’s home state of West Virginia inspired her compelling new album, Calling Me Home. Even though she’s no longer striving for country radio success, she considers her current music-making approach to be similar to her hit-making heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. “Really, the process that I...
Posted Sep 25th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Gets Back to Her Folkie Roots
From The Chicago Tribune Kathy Mattea Gets Back to Her Folkie Roots By: Chrissie Dickinson Kathy Mattea’s evolution from country hit-maker to respected trad-folkie isn’t a reinvention. It’s a return home. Mattea, 53, first made her name in mainstream country in the late 1980s and early ’90s with a string of hits, including “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and...
Posted Sep 20th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Strips Away Old Habits on ‘Calling Me Home’
From Billboard Kathy Mattea Strips Away Old Habits on ‘Calling Me Home’ By: Chuck Dauphin Kathy Mattea’s last album, 2008’s “Coal,” topped the Bluegrass Albums chart and earned her a Grammy nomination. Her newest Sugar Hill release, “Calling Me Home,” is very much in the same vein musically as its’ predecessor, but the singer tells Billboard that she feels she...
Posted Sep 17th, 2012
Calling Me Home
From Sugar Hill Records KATHY MATTEA RELEASES CALLING ME HOME ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2012 Nashville, TN ‘” June 27th, 2012 – Most artists take fewer and fewer risks as they get older, but Kathy Mattea is a striking exception. She didn’t play it safe while she charted mainstream country hits’“16 of them reaching the top ten’“and she’s not about to...
Posted Sep 11th, 2012
REVIEW: Kathy Mattea – Calling Me Home
from The Washington Post Music Review: On ‘Calling Me Home,’ Kathy Mattea sings eloquently about her native Appalachia Associated Press Kathy Mattea, ‘Calling Me Home’ (Sugar Hill) The album opens with a forlorn fiddle, feverish and fidgety until it finally settles on a D. With that, the tone is set. Bluegrass rarely gets more bluesy than on ‘Calling Me Home.’...
Posted Sep 10th, 2012
Kathy Mattea’s Nostalgic Approach to Her Roots
From Nashville Scene Folk songstress Kathy Mattea returns with a new record and a nostalgic approach to her roots Calling Her Home By: Jon Weisberger “I’m from West ‘by-God’ Virginia,” says the opening line of Larry Cordle and Jenee Fleenor’s brilliant first-person narrative, “Hello, My Name Is Coal,” and when Kathy Mattea sings it, as she does on Calling Me...
Posted Sep 6th, 2012
New Album and Website for Kathy Mattea
Take a peek at Kathy Mattea’s brand new website at www.mattea.com, where you can preview some videos from her upcoming release Calling Me Home and pre-order the album now! While you’re there, be sure to check out the Speaking Programs page with information about bringing Kathy to speak at your venue. The unmistakable voice of Grammy Award winner Kathy Mattea...
Posted Aug 1st, 2012
For Some Veteran Country Acts, Making Lean, Mean Indie Labels Could Extend Recording Careers Beyond Hits
From: The Nashville Scene For some veteran country acts, making lean, mean indie labels could extend recording careers beyond hits By: Jewly Hight If you’ve seen Little Jimmy Dickens on the Opry this century, you’ve probably heard him introduce a song about like this: “A song from my latest album, ladies and gentlemen. Came out in 1965, I think it...
Posted Jul 12th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Delves Deeper Into Appalachian Heritage
From The Boot Kathy Mattea, ‘Calling Me Home’ Album Due Sept. 11 By: Stephen L. Betts Kathy Mattea, whose 2008 album of Appalachian mining songs, Coal, earned a Grammy nomination and topped the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart, will release the follow-up to that collection on Sept. 11, 2012. Calling Me Home, on Sugar Hill Records, is described by the label...
Posted Jul 2nd, 2012
Kathy Mattea Not Afraid To Take A Risk
From: Nashville.com Kathy Mattea Not Afraid To Take A Risk Most artists take fewer and fewer risks as they get older, but Kathy Mattea is a striking exception. She didn’t play it safe while she charted mainstream country hits’“16 of them reaching the top ten’“and she’s not about to start now. Four years ago, Mattea, one of the most sure-footed...
Posted Jun 28th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Talks About Her New Album
From WPOC Kathy Mattea Full Interview on the Laurie DeYoung Morning Show Kathy Mattea is coming to town! Kathy Mattea will be at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis on Sunday (4/29) for two shows. She called in to talk about her new album, the show and everything else that’s been going on in life recently. Take a listen below...
Posted Apr 25th, 2012
Grammy Winning Kathy Mattea Signs to Sugar Hill Records
From CMT Kathy Mattea Signs to Sugar Hill Records Kathy Mattea has signed to Sugar Hill Records and will release an album that pays homage to her native West Virginia. Titled Calling Me Home, the project will be released later this year. “Signing at Sugar Hill is like coming home. It’s a wonderful fit for the music I am making...
Posted Apr 6th, 2012
Kathy Mattea’s Opening Night a Success
From Art Now Nashville Kathy Mattea’s opening night a success By: Ron Wynn Kathy Mattea’s career and stature have blossomed since her third LP, 1986’²s Walk The Way The Wind Blows, made her a country sensation. Newly inducted last year into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and coming off the signature LP Coal, Mattea’s an established star with...
Posted Mar 26th, 2012
Kathy Mattea: New album ‘love letter to Appalachia’
From The Baton Rouge Advocate Mattea: New album ‘love letter to Appalachia’ By: John Wirt West Virginia native Kathy Mattea, whose country hits include ’18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses’ and ‘Where’ve You Been,’ continues the journey she began with her 2008 album, Coal. The 2006 mine disaster in Sago, W.Va., which killed 12 miners, inspired Coal, a collection of...
Posted Mar 16th, 2012
Kathy Mattea’s ‘Love Letter to Appalachia’
From Metro Pulse Kathy Mattea and Barbara Kingsolver Team Up to Stop Mountaintop-Removal Mining By: Cari Wade Gervin ‘I’ve never really thought of myself as an activist,’ Kathy Mattea says at the beginning of our interview. You can hear the melody in Mattea’s slightly gravelly voice as she talks, sounding as down to earth as you or I, not like...
Posted Mar 7th, 2012
Kingsolver & Mattea: Two of Appalachia’s Favorite Daughters
From KnoxNews Novelist/activist Kingsolver talks about preserving the mountains she loves By: Silas House On March 11, two of Appalachia’s favorite daughters combine their talents to present a show at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville. Bestselling author Barbara Kingsolver will be there with Grammy-award winning singer Kathy Mattea for “A View from the Mountaintop,” an evening of spoken word and...
Posted Mar 5th, 2012
A View From The Mountaintop: Barbara Kingsolver & Kathy Mattea
From The Bijou Theatre A View From The Mountaintop: An Evening with Barbara Kingsolver & Kathy Mattea On March 11, 2012, renowned author, Barbara Kingsolver, and Grammy-award winning singer, Kathy Mattea, will combine their talents to present ‘A View from the Mountaintop,’ an evening of spoken word and song on the U.S. Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre that celebrates...
Posted Feb 29th, 2012
Kathy Mattea Travels to Antarctica
From blog.algore.com and mattea.com To better understand the changes taking place near the South Pole and the impacts those changes will have around the world, Al Gore and Kathy Mattea recently traveled to Antarctica with The Climate Reality Project. A large number of civic and business leaders, activists and concerned citizens from many countries on this voyage will be joined...
Posted Feb 28th, 2012
Check Out Kathy Mattea’s New Website
In anticipation of her upcoming album release, Calling Me Home, Kathy Mattea has given her website an entirely new look. New features include videos with sneak peeks at Calling Me Home and blog entries from Kathy’s trip on Al Gore’s Climate Reality Cruise to Antarctica. Check it out at www.mattea.com
Posted Feb 1st, 2012
Kathy Mattea Mines Her Appalachian History
From The Boston Globe Kathy Mattea Continues To Mine Her Appalachian History By: James Reed In 2008, Kathy Mattea quietly released an album she figured would be a side project, yet another stylistic departure in an eclectic country-music career full of them. She was wrong. ‘Coal’‘ ended up setting Mattea on an intense personal journey to discover her Appalachian roots,...
Posted Jan 22nd, 2012
Kathy Mattea Sings in Roanoke, Highlights Environmental Issues
From WDBJ7 Kathy Mattea Sings in Roanoke, Highlights Environmental Issues By: Joe Dashiell Grammy award winner Kathy Mattea is in Roanoke for a concert at the Jefferson Center Friday night. Thursday morning, her audience was a group of high school students and her focus was finding common ground on environmental protection and other challenging issues. Mattea entertained the audience with...
Posted Nov 18th, 2011
Kathy Mattea’s 15th Appearance on Mountain Stage
From NPR Kathy Mattea on Mountain Stage Kathy Mattea makes her 15th appearance on Mountain Stage, in a show recorded on the road in the lakeshore town of Grand Marais, Minn. Rightfully referred to by host Larry Groce as the show’s sweetheart, Mattea is backed by the Mountain Stage band and her longtime sideman, guitarist Bill Cooley. Mattea kicks off...
Posted Nov 18th, 2011
Kathy Mattea Wants Conversation About Coal
From The Roanoke Times Kathy Mattea Wants Conversation About Coal By: Tad Dickens Singing has gotten Kathy Mattea a long way in life. Her smooth, dark, versatile voice has graced hit songs, brought awards and enabled her to transition away from the Nashville, Tenn., music machine with grace. But these days, she is at least as interested in talking as...
Posted Nov 15th, 2011
Podcast: Kathy Mattea Comes to Jefferson Center
From The Roanoke Times Podcast with Kathy Mattea, who comes to Jefferson Center on Thursday and Friday By: Tad Dickens Kathy Mattea will be at Jefferson Center on Thursday, to talk about coal and the environment, and on Friday, to perform. Listen to Kathy’s discussion with music reporter Tad Dickens on Cut N Scratch here.
Posted Nov 15th, 2011
Kathy Mattea on Mountain Stage
From NPR Kathy Mattea on Mountain Stage Kathy Mattea makes her 15th appearance on Mountain Stage, in a show recorded on the road in the lakeshore town of Grand Marais, Minn. Rightfully referred to by host Larry Groce as the show’s sweetheart, Mattea is backed by the Mountain Stage band and her longtime sideman, guitarist Bill Cooley. Mattea kicks off...
Posted Nov 8th, 2011
PREVIEW: Kathy Mattea on Mountain Stage
From WV Public Broadcasting Mountain Stage Radio Preview: Tim O’Brien, Kathy Mattea & more This week’s premier broadcast of Mountain Stage was recorded on the road in Grand Marais, Minnesota, in partnership with our friends at theNorth House Folk School, as a part of their tenth-annual Unplugged concert series. The second of the two shows Mountain Stage recorded on the...
Posted Nov 3rd, 2011
Kathy Mattea Inducted Into WV Music Hall of Fame
From The West Virginia Music Hall of Fame IMN congratulates Grammy Award winning artist Kathy Mattea, who was recently inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame! In a ceremony hosted by Huntington native Peter “Hollywood Squares” Marshall and filmmaker Morgan “Supersize Me” Spurlock, this year’s inductees included legendary country singer Connie Smith, longtime Jimi Hendrix bassist Billy Cox,...
Posted Oct 20th, 2011
PREVIEW: Kathy Mattea’s Passion For Music
From Detroit Lakes Online KATHY MATTEA IN DL FRIDAY: Grammy-winning singer at Holmes By: Vicki Gerdes Kathy Mattea, the beloved, Grammy award-winning singer of such classics as ’18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses,’ ‘Where’ve You Been,’ and many more, will be performing live at the Historic Holmes Theatre in Detroit Lakes this Friday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Though music...
Posted Oct 6th, 2011
REVIEW: Kathy Mattea at the Holly Theatre
from North Georgia News Kathy Mattea show benefits North Georgia’s performing arts (May 23, 2011) A packed house of more than 300 people at the Holly Theatre in Dahlonega were treated Saturday night to the music of Grammy award-winning country artist Kathy Mattea, who performed for the first North Georgia at the Holly event. North Georgia at the Holly aims...
Posted May 27th, 2011
Kathy Mattea Speaks Out Against Moutaintop Removal Mining
from PR Newswire Artists Join Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Broad Coalition to Speak Out Against Mountaintop Removal Mining in Online Video Campaign Emmylou Harris, Naomi Judd and Kathy Mattea Raise Awareness for March on Blair Mountain and the June 3 Theatrical Release of The Last Mountain Film WASHINGTON, May 25, 2011 – Emmylou Harris, Naomi Judd, and Kathy Mattea...
Posted May 23rd, 2011
Kathy Mattea Puts Her Life Into Her Music
From The Gainesville Times Mattea puts her life into her music: Country star’s songs reflect her own family’s past, emotions By: Tasha Biggers It’s hard to listen to “Where’ve You Been,” the 1989 hit by country singer Kathy Mattea, without shedding a tear. The song details the relationship between a man and a woman through courtship and marriage, then to...
Posted May 12th, 2011
Kathy Mattea Surprise Performance
From The Boston Globe A Star-Studded Retirement Party By: Mark Shanahan & Meredith Goldstein Members of Boston’s arts community gathered at the Paramount Theatre on Monday night for ‘Mad About Marty,’‘ a tribute to retiring Celebrity Series of Boston executive director Martha H. Jones, who’s been with the organization for 25 years. The night in Jones’s honor included entertainment by...
Posted May 5th, 2011
Kathy Mattea: The Wolf Trap Interview
From Wolf Trap This is the first interview we’ve done in which we explored an artists life from childhood through the absolute present day. And this approach worked perfectly for Kathy Mattea because of the amazing number of “major crossroads” type decisions she has made that have helped shape her life and career. This is actually a very inspirational interview,...
Posted Mar 23rd, 2011
PREVIEW: Kathy Mattea Mining Musical Gold
From The Fairfax Times Mining Musical Gold By: Keith Loria Grammy winner Kathy Mattea has been a fixture on country charts for 25 years, but it’s her ability to seep into bluegrass, gospel and folk, combined with a bit of social activism thrown in, that has kept her thriving. Born in West Virginia, Mattea became interested in music at Girl...
Posted Mar 15th, 2011
LIVE VIDEO: Kathy Mattea Performs With Berklee Students
From Berklee College of Music The 2011 Berklee College of Music Signature Series, where world-renowned musicians share the stage with Berklee students, continues on Thursday, March 10, with two-time Grammy Award-winning country and bluegrass singer Kathy Mattea. Best known for blending folk, Celtic, and country sounds, Mattea, a repeat Country Music Association Award winner, has recorded 17 albums and has...
Posted Mar 10th, 2011
PREVIEW: Kathy Mattea’s Crowd Magic
From The Kinston Free Press Mattea’s ’18 Wheels’ Hit Town With Music And Crowd Magic Kathy Mattea, one of country music’s most respected artists, whose music combines elements of folk, bluegrass and gospel, will roll her tour bus, production crew, musicians and personal vocal style into the New Bern Convention Center for a live Friday night concert. She has charted...
Posted Mar 7th, 2011
PREVIEW Kathy Mattea’s Road to Stardom
From ENCToday Achieving stardom includes hard work, dedication, courage By: Charlie Hall Singing talent doesn’t guarantee stardom. Mix in hard work, dedication and even the courage to simply go for your dream. That’s the case with Grammy-winning singer Kathy Mattea, who brings her show to New Bern Friday night as a fundraiser for the New Bern Historical Society. She was...
Posted Feb 28th, 2011
PREVIEW Kathy Mattea’s Songs and the Season
From STL Today Kathy Mattea’s Country Music Style Strikes A Balance By: Terry Perkins Kathy Mattea is one of those rare country artists who has managed to succeed on the commercial level while retaining strong links to the traditional music that first captured her heart. Although Mattea, a native of Cross Lanes, W.Va., began her musical studies with classical voice...
Posted Dec 10th, 2010
Kathy Mattea Inducted into WV Music Hall of Fame
From The Charleston Daily Mail Hall of Fame inducts seven musicians The latest inductees into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame are seven musicians who have made lasting contributions to American music, including Kanawha County’s own Kathy Mattea. The inductees were announced Tuesday; the formal ceremony will take place Friday at the state Culture Center. This year’s inductees include:...
Posted Oct 13th, 2010
REVIEW Kathy Mattea charms Infinity Hall
from the Hartford Courant Concert Review: Kathy Mattea at Infinity Hall in Norfolk By Thomas Kintner From her time in mainstream country’s spotlight to her current work further from the beaten path, Kathy Mattea tells simple human stories. Her performance Sunday night at Infinity Hall in Norfolk made the most of that quality and the intimate setting while highlighting the...
Posted Jul 21st, 2010
New Kathy Mattea Music Available for Download
from Kathy Mattea’s newsletter Yes, you heard right: there’s new music from Kathy available for download at the Kathy Mattea online store – a little something to help tide you over until the next release (there are rumors, that’s all I’m sayin’…). Kathy’s songwriter husband Jon Vezner was inspired to write “Tell Me What You Ache For” when he came...
Posted Jun 1st, 2010
Kathy Mattea @ “Music Saves Mountains”
On Wednesday, May 19, Kathy Mattea joined Emmylou Harris, Dave Matthews, Alison Kraus, Patty Griffin, Patty Loveless and a stellar cast at the legendary Ryman Auditorium for the benefit concert supporting “Music Saves Mountains”, sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Gibson Foundation, raising money and awareness in the fight against mountaintop removal strip mining used in the...
Posted May 22nd, 2010
Kathy Mattea on WV Mining Disaster (CNN)
(From CNN) By: Jessica Ravitz Published: April 10, 2010 Country singer Kathy Mattea still feels a deep kinship with miners and their families. Her two grandfathers were miners in West Virginia, where she grew up outside Charleston. One was an organizer in the 1920s and ’30s for the United Mine Workers of America. When she heard the news Monday, she...
Posted Apr 12th, 2010
Kathy Mattea to Give Keynote Address at Arts Northwest
Arts Northwest has invited Kathy Mattea to give the Keynote Address at their annual conference in Bellevue, WA on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Two-time Grammy winner Kathy Mattea’s music has spoken to millions of people during her 20-plus years as a singer, songwriter, and recording artist. In recent years she has found a growing audience for the words and ideas...
Posted Apr 9th, 2010
Kathy Mattea Update
Click here for note from Kathy Mattea with a list of upcoming shows, news, and photos of Kathy. You can also sign up to receive future updates via email.
Posted Apr 7th, 2010
Kathy Mattea to Give Keynote Address at PAE
South Arts has invited Kathy Mattea to give the Keynote Address at the annual Performing Arts Exchange conference on September 30, 2010 in Pittsburgh, PA. (From South Arts) Two-time Grammy winner Kathy Mattea’s music has spoken to millions of people during her 20-plus years as a singer, songwriter, and recording artist. In recent years she has found a growing audience...
Posted Mar 30th, 2010
Kathy Mattea Digs In for Her ‘Coal’ Journey
(From The Boot) By: Nancy Dunham Published: March 16, 2010 Kathy Mattea says if you want to know about her inspiration, listen to her latest album. Little did the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter know that when she released ‘Coal’ in 2008, it would launch something of an adjunct career for her. At the time, she thought of the 11-track CD as a...
Posted Mar 23rd, 2010
Mattea to Perform at NRDC Music Saves Mountains Concert
The Natural Resources Defense Council is presenting the Music Saves Mountains concert in Nashville on May 19th to raise awareness about the negative effects of moutaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia. The concert will include performances by Kathy Mattea, Dave Matthews, and Emmylou Harris, among others. Frances Beinecke, President of the NRDC says, “The Appalachian Mountains are where country music...
Posted Mar 4th, 2010
Kathy Mattea Speaks Out at “I Love Mountains” Rally
From Louisville Courier-Journal (by: James Bruggers) Yesterday, the annual “I Love Mountains” rally was held at the Kentucky Statehouse to protest mountaintop removal mining. Kathy Mattea spoke about the impact of coal mining: People tucked in the hills and hollows of Appalachia near strip mines ‘are living in their own personal hell,’ she said, with ‘black water running from their...
Posted Feb 12th, 2010
“A Carolina Christmas” with Kathy Mattea
WDAV 89.9 presents “A Carolina Christmas from Biltmore Estate with Kathy Mattea” will air nationwide through the holidays on NPR stations. The concert was recorded at Biltmore, the monumental estate built by George Vanderbilt in Asheville, NC. Kathy Mattea performed songs from her holiday albums, including the Grammy award-winning Good News. VOX, a choral group from the Carolinas, and The...
Posted Dec 23rd, 2009
Mattea’s COAL One of Top 10 Country Records of Decade
9513, a popular country music blog, has released a list of their Top 10 Country Records of the Decade. The list, which varies from blue grass to pop country, took three months, 10 voters and 300 nominated albums to create. Among them is singer and activist Kathy Mattea’s COAL, a collection of mining songs that reflect on life in Appalachia...
Posted Dec 11th, 2009
Kathy Mattea Performs on Mountain Stage
From NPR.org. West Virginia-born country singer Kathy Mattea has appeared on Mountain Stage 14 times since 1986. Her latest album, Coal, is a collection of mining songs. Both of Mattea’s grandfathers were coalminers, and her mother worked for a mineworkers’ union. Coal was nominated for Traditional Folk Album of the Year at the 2008 Grammy Awards. In this segment, recorded...
Posted Nov 30th, 2009
‘Coal Country’ Documentary with Kathy Mattea Premieres on Planet Green
On November 14th, the powerful documentary Coal Country will premiere on Planet Green. The film chronicles the ‘civil war’ currently fought in the small towns where townspeople are dependent, but also adversely affected by the mining. It has earned exceptional buzz following the release of Kathy Mattea’s Coal last year, in which Mattea tells her story of growing up in...
Posted Nov 11th, 2009
Kathy Mattea sings for Clean Energy Jobs
Pittsburgh, PA ‘” The Alliance for Climate Protection’s Repower America campaign, the United Steelworkers and the Blue Green Alliance will conclude their Clean Energy Jobs Tour with a rally in Pittsburgh on September 23rd. The Jobs Tour, a month‘long campaign with more than 50 events in 22 states, is highlighting how a transition to a clean energy economy will create...
Posted Sep 22nd, 2009
Kathy Mattea Warms Up Crowd for Obama’s Labor Day Speech
CINCINNATI, OH- Singer Kathy Mattea was on hand to warm up for President Barack Obama on Monday. She played for a gathering of top AFL-CIO leaders, politicians, union members, and activists at Cincinnati’s Coney Island Park as they awaited the President’s remarks. At the annual picnic, which was hosted by the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council, The President discussed the progress...
Posted Sep 8th, 2009
Kathy Mattea to Co-host 20th International Bluegrass Music Awards
Nashville, TN-Grammy®-winning country artist Kathy Mattea and the legendary bluegrass band, Hot Rize will co-host the 20th annual International Bluegrass Music Awards on Thursday, October 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium. According to show co-producer Cindy Baucom, “Kathy Mattea and Hot Rize are a perfect fit as our hosts. With their long musical history, the chemistry between...
Posted Aug 14th, 2009
Fans Turn Out in Force for Kathy Mattea at Long’s Park
from Lancasteronline.com by Stephanie Weaver It may have been a long time since Kathy Mattea last visited Lancaster County, but the country and bluegrass singer still has a special connection with her fans. In her first appearance at Long’s Park, marking the halfway point in the free summer-long concert series, Mattea packed the amphitheater’s lawn. Series director Stella Sexton said...
Posted Jul 29th, 2009
Kathy Mattea: Mining Coal Songs for Historic Perspective
IndyWeek.com 17 JUN 2009 ‘¢ by Andrew Ritchey “He’s had more hard luck than most men could stand/ The mines was his first love but never his friend,” opens “Black Lung,” a tune penned by West Virginia bluegrass singer Hazel Dickens in 1969. In the weeks before writing “Black Lung,” Dickens sat beside the deathbed of her brother, Thurman, watching...
Posted Jun 17th, 2009
Spring has Sprung for Kathy Mattea
Ahhh, Spring! And a girl’s fancy turns to…….Road Trip!! Kathy’s highly successful “Moving Mountains” Tour rolls on into 2009 in support of her latest release, “COAL”. Many of the April-May concerts are combined with her multi-media educational program, “My Coal Journey”, in cooperation with the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, which sponsors the presentations on campuses and in theaters to reach and...
Posted May 5th, 2009
Kathy Mattea’s Coal goes to Newcastle…
…and to Sheffield, London, Glasgow, and Wales. Kathy and the band just completed their first tour of the UK in more than 10 years, to rave reviews and enthusiastic audiences.Among the many highlights on the 2-week excursion: performing at the Park & Dare Theatre, built inside a miners’ union hall in Treorchy, Wales (the “West Virginia” of British Isles), a...
Posted Mar 9th, 2009
Kathy Mattea featured on NPR Music
Singer Kathy Mattea has never stuck to conventions within any genre: A country-music hitmaker in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mattea has also made forays into Scottish folk, gospel and roots music. In 2008, she made perhaps the most personal record of her career, Coal. Mattea, a West Virginia native and the granddaughter of coalminers, drew material for her...
Posted Mar 5th, 2009
Kathy Mattea is guest at 66th Annual Santa Train
via The New York Times:GRAMMY Award winner Kathy Mattea will be the special guest on the 2008 Santa Train, CSX Transportation (CSXT) officials have announced.Mattea, a native of Charleston, W.Va., is no stranger to Appalachia. Her most recent album, Coal, released in April 2008, describes the hardships many coal miners face in Appalachia. Many of the songs on the album...
Posted Sep 9th, 2008
Kathy Mattea named to “The Indie 100”
Kathy has been named to “The Indie 100: 100 Most Influential Independent Artists of the Past 15 Years” in the June Collectors’ Edition of Performing Songwriter magazine. “Hard-headed. Defiant. Progressive. Fearless. Inspiring. These are all words that describe an independent artist. And over the past 15 years we’ve watched as the indie movement has become the music-business model of today...
Posted Jul 10th, 2008
Kathy Mattea’s ‘Coal’ released today!
Released today, Coal is collection of songs paying tribute to Kathy Mattea’s West Virginian family heritage in the region’s coal mining culture. Coal was produced by country singer/songwriter/performer Marty Stuart.
Posted Apr 1st, 2008
Mattea Returns to Roots with New CD: COAL (4/1/08)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NASHVILLE, TN – On April 1, 2008, Grammy-award winning singer Kathy Mattea will release her 17th album, Coal, a collection of songs paying tribute to her West Virginian family heritage in the region’s coal mining culture. Coal was produced by country singer/songwriter/performer Marty Stuart. Appropriately, best-selling novelist and fellow West Virginia native Homer Hickam (Rocket Boys and...
Posted Feb 18th, 2008
Kathy Mattea Sounds of the Season
KATHY MATTEA RINGS IN THE SEASON WITH GOOD NEWS AND JOY Kathy Mattea wraps up her 2007 performing season with an 11-city Christmas tour, Songs and the Season. Initially based on the non-traditional Christmas songs from her Grammy-winning release, Good News, her holiday show has become a tradition in theaters and performing arts centers across the country over the past...
Posted Nov 28th, 2007
Kathy Mattea’s Summer Filled with Highlights
KATHY MATTEA SUMMER FILLED WITH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL HIGHIGHTS Nashville, TN – Summer is the season most often associated with a chance to break free and look at the world without the confines of a schoolroom or office.Kathy Mattea found that summer might be the best time for stretching out both personally and professionally, and for proving that music is...
Posted Aug 30th, 2007
Kathy Mattea and Sierra Club join forces
Country Music Star Kathy Mattea, Sierra Club Join Forces; Aerial Tour and Press Conference to Oppose Mountaintop Removal Coal MiningCHARLESTON, WV Grammy-award winning country music star Kathy Mattea returns to her native West Virginia on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, to view the devastation caused by mountaintop removal coal mining and to fight the destructive practice. Sierra Club Vice President for...
Posted May 25th, 2007
Kathy Mattea – Live on the Mall – 4th of July!
If your going to be in the nations Capital this 4th of July check out Kathy’s performance at the Washington Monument just before the Fireworks. Kathy recently performed on the hit ABC show Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Catch her performance on July 10th on ABC. For more info go to� ABC.com: ABC’s ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition’For more info on the...
Posted Jul 1st, 2005
Kathy Mattea Symphony
Grammy Award winner Kathy Mattea has an innate ability to connect intimately with any audience, whether performing in a small acoustic band or alongside a full symphony orchestra. Author Barbara Kingsolver writes, “The particular genius of Kathy Mattea is to call up the touchstones of hope and heartbreak that we all carry in our pockets.” Featuring her signature blend of Appalachian roots, bluegrass, and folk, Kathy’s symphonic program includes recent compositions interspersed with her classic hits like “18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses,” “455 Rocket,” and “Where’ve You Been?” This performance has delighted audiences of the National Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Atlanta Symphony, and many other esteemed orchestras.
Kathy Mattea: Songs and the Season
Kathy Mattea adds layers of artistic and spiritual growth to the long tradition of holiday music with her Songs and the Season program: a thoughtful blend of old favorites and music from her celebrated holiday albums, Joy For Christmas Day and the Grammy Award winning Good News. The unmistakable voice of Mattea explores music’s most basic human essence through timeless melodies and uplifting narratives while intimately connecting with her audience. From “Christmas Collage,” an innovative, insightful medley of traditional carols, to the supple gospel call-and-response of “Baby King,” to the dramatic “Mary Did You Know?,” Mattea’s Songs and the Season program displays her natural flexibility and hard-won artistic integrity. Mattea brings a fresh ear and a natural, unforced eclecticism to this musical experience and the result is a performance that will bring both joy and reverence to this season of celebration.
Kathy Mattea Speaking/Keynote
The unmistakable voice of Grammy Award winner Kathy Mattea explores music’s most basic human essence through timeless melodies and uplifting narratives. Singer, musician, songwriter, public speaker, activist: Mattea’s music and message have taken her to venues across America from Maine to Alaska, and overseas from England to Morocco, from college campuses to capitol buildings, and from festivals to concert halls. Mattea’s music has spoken to millions of people during her 30-plus years as a recording and touring artist. Increasingly in demand as a public speaker, she has found a growing audience for the words and ideas she has to offer on a variety of issues, ranging from arts education to finding your creative path to global climate change, regularly presenting keynotes and educational programs at colleges and civic venues, both as stand-alones and in conjunction with concert appearances. Often interweaving her message with musical selections, Kathy’s speeches and keynotes seek to provide her audience with spiritual nourishment: food not only for thought, but also for the soul. An accomplished speaker, Mattea was chosen to deliver keynote addresses at the Arts Northwest, Performing Arts Exchange, Climate Reality Project, and National Assembly of State Arts Agencies conferences.
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One of country music’s most successful artists of the past several decades
Rolling Stone
Mattea remains one of Nashville’s most spiritual singers, and the songs she sings about love lost and humility are as fine as any she has recorded.
USA Today
Her voice stands out as a rare blend of warmth and power.
Hartford Courant
Kathy Mattea has never stuck to conventions within any genre: a country-music hitmaker in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Mattea has also made forays into Scottish folk, gospel and roots music.
NPR