Local country music fans can expect another superstar performance in Saratoga this weekend.
This Saturday, the Lodge and Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, presents “Valley Strong,” featuring Grammy Award-winning country singer Kathy Mattea at the Platte Valley Community Center. Proceeds from the concert fundraiser go to benefit local area non-profit organizations and charities.
Mattea, a two-time Grammy winner and Country Music Association (CMA) Female Vocalist of the Year honoree, said she is excited to sing and play her guitar for a small, rural-town audience again, and play for the first time in Saratoga.
“I have always loved playing in the mountains in places like Wyoming and Colorado, and I’ve always had an affinity for people so connected to the outdoors,” she said. “I love that small-town sense of community and the way music facilitates that. I really enjoy playing small towns, these are my kind of people.”
A West Virginia native, Mattea said she discovered her love of singing at age 10 while at Girl Scout Camp, where she witnessed the power of music from the voice and guitar together. She began her pursuit of a musical career while studying engineering and music at West Virginia University, where she co-founded the bluegrass band Pennsboro.
In 1978, Mattea quit school and moved to Nashville to further her music career. She first worked as a tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and later worked as a waitress and demo singer.
“In my spare time growing up I had been playing all kinds of music, and when I thought about going to Nashville, it was one of those things where if I didn’t go I would have had to live with that ‘What If?’ question,” Mattea said. “I decided to go there and find out.”
After moving to Nasvhille, Mattea eventually landed a recording contact with Mercury Records, releasing her first single in 1983, followed by her self-titled debut album in 1984. She released her first top ten country hit in 1986, with “Love at the Five and Dime,” which was followed by other successful singles such as “Walk the Way the Wind Blows,” “Untold Stories” and her first No.1 country hit, “Goin’ Gone,” released in 1987. Three more No.1 country hits followed, including the popular “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses,” released in 1988.
Mattea’s career continued further onward in the 1990s, with more top ten country hits and two Grammy wins. She won Best Female County Vocal Performance for “Where’ve You Been” in 1990, and Best Southern Gospel, Country Gospel or Bluegrass Gospel Album in 1993 for her gospel-oriented Christmas album, “Good News.”
Mattea was also named Female Vocalist of the Year twice by the Country Music Association, and in total has released 17 albums, including studio and compilation, with pop, bluegrass, gospel and Celtic influences alongside country roots.
“I was really lucky that I had been able to work with producer Allen Reynolds, a really wise and honest person,” Mattea said. “He told me that it’s all about finding a great song, and It’s because of him and his help that my songs have lived well over time. I’m glad that I was able to learn from one of the great masters in music.”
Mattea said she has played every state over the course of 30 years, and has several spots all over the U.S. lined up for her 2013-14 tour. She mentioned Morocco and the White House Lawn as some of her live performance highlights from past years.
“We had a gig in Morocco once for a 10-day music festival with some real diverse music, and it was so exotic and the people were so nice,” Mattea said. “I also played a world music festival on the White House lawn for a PBS Special, which featured artists like Sting, B.B. King and world music artists. Afterward the bands and crews were invited to tour the White House.”
For her Saratoga concert, Mattea said she may play a mix of well-known hits, newer songs and older songs that people may have forgotten. Her most recent album, “Calling Me Home,” was released on Sugar Hill Records in 2012.
“I look at my songs as my friends, where some are new ones you want to introduce to others, and some are old ones you want to revisit and add them back,” Mattea said. “Songs can also evolve over time, so we may do some can do different arrangements with them.”
As a lover of small towns, Mattea said she would like to see even more towns like Saratoga work to bring in more of the performing arts to a local level.
“I love being able to see the arts supported in small towns and not just the big cities,” she said. “It’s great when a small town makes a commitment to bring in music. The arts and a small community can really work together.”
Jan Grabow, director of marketing for the Lodge and Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, said she was quite pleased at the opportunity to have Mattea, whom she said has a long history in the country music world, be able to play in Saratoga. Grabow said this is the first time the ranch has presented an event like this, and that it was created to raise money to support area non-profit organizations.
“Kathy has really evolved professionally and personally and has a real connection with her fans, and her manager said she may go into the lobby after the show to meet them,” she said. “She brings country roots, and the true spirit of the west and what country music is all about to her music. The Brush Creek Ranch underwrote the expenses for the show, and this show was selected for the purpose of helping raise money for local organizations. I feel like it’s a vision for the ranch to come up with ways like this to support and give back to the community.”
Grabow said she hopes several people come out to attend the evening of live music.
“I hope it will be an enjoyable and memorable evening, and it is a great way to raise funds for various non-profit organizations,” she said. “We would love to consider doing another show like this in the future.”
The show begins at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Platte Valley Community Center (PVCC), 210 W. Elm St. in Saratoga, and doors open at 7 p.m. Rear seating tickets are $50 each; middle seating tickets are $75 each; front seating tickets are $100 each; and tickets for VIP seating with a private meet and greet is $200 each.
To purchase tickets through participating organizations, or for more information, contact the PVCC at 307-326-7822, or email [email protected]. One may also purchase tickets at the PVCC Box Office or Saratoga Museum. All proceeds go to benefit area non-profit organizations.
This event is underwritten by Brush Creek Ranch, with 100 percent of the ticket proceeds going directly to the charity organizations BEVO 4-H, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Grand Encampment Opera Company, Heart to Heart, Platte Valley Community Center Foundation, Saratoga Lions Club, Saratoga Museum Board, United Way of Carbon County, Wyoming Cutting Horse Association, Corbett Medical Foundation, Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust. Tickets are still available.
The Lodge & Spa at Brush Creek Ranch, a Preferred Boutique Hotel and Orvis Endorsed Fly-Fishing Lodge, is an exclusive, independent guest ranch set amid a century-old working cattle ranch outside of Saratoga. For more information on the ranch, contact 307-327-5284.
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