- From South Charleston, West Virginia. Lives in Nashville.
- 1976, while a student at WVU, she was a member of a bluegrass band called Pennsboro.
- 1978, moved to Nashville, got a job as tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame and did background vocals for Bobby Goldsboro and others.
- 1983, signed her first record deal and has since recorded seventeen albums (as of 2012) with more than thirty singles appearing on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts including number one hits “Goin’ Gone”, “Where’ve You Been?” “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses”, “Come From the Heart” and “Burnin’ Old Memories.” She has had 12 number one singles.
- 1990, won Grammy for Best Female Vocal (“Where’ve You Been”)
- 1990, recorded “The Battle Hymn of Love,” a duet with Tim O’Brien which reached #9 on the country music charts (Billboard).
- 1992, had a hit with Larry Cordle’s composition “Lonesome Standard Time.”
- 1993. won Grammy for her Christmas album Good News
in the Gospel category.
- 2008, recorded Coal
, her first bluegrass/acoustic album.
- 2011, was inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
Mattea, Kathy
