PHOTOS BY GLENDA S. PARADEE

Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss put on their “Together At Last,” show in Prescott, AZ at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center on June 9, 2023, then 4 more shows at the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) on June 10-11, 2023.

These special shows featured both artists on stage together for the entire performance, swapping songs, singing harmonies, and playing guitar on each other’s biggest hits. The pair shared humorous stories from their careers and life and told some funny jokes too. They dubbed their music Folk 'n' Roll.  They both each sure played guitar wonderfully!

They started their concert out with a Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard song "Hello Stranger".

Longtime friends Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss have individually carved out careers in popular music with a multitude of hits spanning over two decades. Suzy’s “Outbound Plane”, “Aces”, and “Someday Soon” are among the many songs beloved by music fans around the world, as are "Goin' Gone", “Where’ve You Been?”, “455 Rocket”, and “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” from Kathy’s deep well of material. Friends since their early days in Nashville, they had only found a few opportunities to collaborate musically along the way.  They included all of these songs in their concerts. They also sang Kathy's songs "Goin' Gone", and "Come From The Heart". Suzy's songs also included "Letting Go", "Aces", and "Hey Cinderella". 

During their concerts in Arizona, they asked the audience to sing along with them numerous times.  

They performed 3 songs as a tribute to Nanci Griffith including the very beautiful "Gulf Coast Highway", "Love At the Five and Dime", and "Outbound Plane". Kathy Mattea had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover of Griffith's "Love at the Five and Dime and Suzy Bogguss had one of her largest hits with Griffith's and "Outbound Plane.

For their well deserved enthusiastic standing ovation they came back out for an encore performance and sang Kathy's "Harley" and then Suzy's "Night Rider's Lament". To the audience's delight, they both yodeled during this song. There is a fun video of them singing this song way back when at a combined fan club Fan Fair breakfast party in Nashville, TN. Search for the video on YouTube. Very funny.

They ended their show with their Grammy-nominated collaboration with Alison Krauss and Graham Nash, “Teach Your Children,” from the Red, Hot, and Country compilation.  It was an AWESOME performance.

The first show, Kathy and Suzy surprised each other by wearing the exact same sparkly boots and jeans with the right knee “rip”. They looked wonderful every show in their size whatever jeans and all that energy was fun to watch.  Comparing the Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ and the MIM audiences in Phoenix, AZ:  They were both fantastic crowds…the College audience was way bigger and rowdier.  The MIM room was smaller and maybe a tiny bit more reserved.  Not a criticism by any means.  For instance, Kathy or Suzy would launch a song and five seconds into it, the audience responded by clapping/cheering.  At the MIM, all the enthusiasm was saved till the end.  Small matter, just an observation.  Believe me, these shows have been well attended and Kathy & Suzy very well received. 

It was totally awesome to get to see Kathy and Suzy 5 times in 3 days. All were amazing shows that I will always remember. What a blessing it is to share these beautiful songs and music Together At Last with Kathy & Suzy. 

Kathy Mattea and Suzy Bogguss put on fantastic shows together. It was worth the wait after all these years to see them "Together At Last".

A big thank you goes out to Don London, road manager, and Doug Crider, songwriter/sound man.

Also, a big thank you to the folks at the MIM. The MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) is a treasure.  In it are thousands of instruments from around the world in an exhibit that is second to none.  Their performance space only seats 299 people. The sound there is fantastic.  

Mattea’s recently released album, Pretty Bird, was produced by her old friend Tim O’Brien. She also played a role in consulting and contributed to Ken Burns’ 2019 documentary Country Music, and recently replaced founder Larry Groce as the host of the long-running NPR show Mountain Stage.

Bogguss’ shows her folk roots in her frequent appearances on public radio’s A Prairie Home Companion, in the Grammy she earned for her work on Beautiful Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster, and in her album and book project, American Folk Songbook. In addition to her busy touring schedule, Bogguss hosts a weekly livestream, Wine Down Wednesday that's a big hit.

Besides guesting on each other’s recordings, the two have performed together in the past on the Women of Country showcase and a PBS White House special, as well as the Grammy-nominated collaboration with Alison Krauss and Graham Nash on his classic “Teach Your Children,” from the Red, Hot, and Country compilation.  

For concert tour schedule and more information on Kathy Mattea, go to www.mattea.com

For concert tour schedule and more information on Suzy Bogguss, go to www.suzybogguss.com