Story and Photos by Glenda S. Paradee

Kathy Mattea brought JOY to the audiences at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona on August 10th & 11th. 

Kathy engaged the audience throughout her show and asked them to sing along with her during her big hit songs "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", and "Love at the Five and Dime".

"I'm beginning to think that's my misson, says Mattea, to travel around the country yet and get people to reclaim their voices".  "I feel so lucky to get to do this, and to still ENJOY it after all these years".

Mattea said, "It's pretty thirsty here in Arizona". She got a good laugh from the Arizona audience. She also stated that the MIM is a wonderful performance venue and that all of her artist friends LOVE the MIM and they rate it high on their list of places to perform.  She had an opportunity to visit the instrument museum and loved it so much.  "It's amazing, and beautifully set up....you could easily spend a whole day here....soooo fun, and inspiring!"  Mattea says she loves playing the MIM.  

Mattea performed her classic hits including "Goin' Gone", "Train of Memories", "Come From The Heart", "The Battle Hymn Of Love", "Time Passes By",  

"Standing Knee Deep In A River (Dying Of Thirst)", "Walking Away A Winner", "455 Rocket" and her signature mega hit "Where've You Been". 

Mattea also sang songs off her newest CD titled "Pretty Bird" including "I Can't Stand Up Alone", Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe”, and the very beautiful Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now". 

Mattea told interesting and humorous stories throughout her performances. She really had the audience in the palm of her hand.  Mattea's final encore performance was “Turn Off The News (Build a Garden)”.  It is a perfect beautiful song to hear, especially what is going on in the world now.  

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOpJF7GYBYA

Besides herself playing guitar, Mattea has two wonderful musicians traveling with her on tour, Fred Carpenter on Fiddle and Mandolin, and Eric Frey on Standup Bass.  They are both awesome musicians.

Kathy Mattea put on fantastic performances both nights. She is a true treasure!

More About Kathy Mattea

Hailed by The Washington Post as “one of Nashville's finest song interpreters,” Kathy Mattea has enjoyed the kind of success many artists only dream of: two GRAMMY wins, four CMA Awards, four #1 country singles, and five gold albums (plus a platinum collection of her greatest hits). The dream almost ended, though, when Mattea entered her 50s and began to find her voice changing. What followed was a three year journey through life challenges and vocal glitches that she describes as her “dark night of the soul,” a trying time of personal anguish and professional uncertainty that threatened to silence her permanently. “The hardest thing was facing the question of whether I would still be able to sing well enough to enjoy it. That was the acid test for me, and I had to be willing to walk through a process that bumped me up against the very real possibility that, in the end, the answer might be “No.” Instead, Mattea dug in with a vocal coach, re-committed to her music, and emerged with the most poignant album of her career, “Pretty Bird.” Working with her old friend, music roots wizard Tim O’Brien, producing, “Pretty Bird” is a chronicle of her journey, song by song, back to singing for the sheer joy of it. It’s an emotional, moving collection, one that draws its strength not only from Mattea’s touching performances, but also from her uncanny ability to weave seemingly disparate material into a cohesive whole. From a playful take on Oliver Wood’s “Chocolate On My Tongue” to a tender rendition of Mary Gauthier’s “Mercy Now,” from a British traditional to a Bobbie Gentry classic, these are the songs that helped Mattea reclaim her voice, and she inhabits each as fully as if it were her own. Exquisitely arranged and delivered with the kind of subtlety and nuance that can only come from a lifetime of heartbreak and triumph, ‘Pretty Bird’ is a title Kathy Mattea inhabits quite literally, and it’s a welcome reintroduction to one of country and Americana music’s most enduring and beloved figures.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON KATHY AND TO SEE HER UPCOMING CONCERT TOUR DATES, VISIT HER WEBSITE AT https://www.mattea.com