More than 40 years after releasing her self-titled debut album, two-time Grammy-winning country singer Kathy Mattea has finally been invited to join Nashville’s most prestigious institution, the Grand Ole Opry.
On Saturday evening, Mattea’s longtime friend, Opry member, and fellow West Virginian Charlie McCoy surprised her onstage while she was performing her award-winning hit “18 Wheels and A Dozen Roses” at the historic music venue.
“I want to ask you a question: How would you like to be the next member of the Grand Ole Opry?”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and thank you!” Mattea replied as the audience erupted in a standing ovation.
“I just want to take this in and just remember this moment,” she added. “I’m here to tell you, I will not forget this night. Ever. Ever. Ever.”
After debuting “Kathy Mattea” in 1984, the country singer released her sophomore album, “From My Heart,” the following year.
Her third record, 1986’s folky “Walk the Way the Wind Blows,” served as her breakthrough album, with her title track, “Walk the Way the Wind Blows,” and smooth cover of the late Nanci Griffith’s “Love at the Five and Dime” cracking the top 10 on the Billboard country charts.
Mattea, 66, has since released more than a dozen albums, including “Untasted Honey” (1987), “Willow in the Wind” (1989), “Time Passes By” (1991), “Lonesome Standard Time” (1992), “Coal” (2008), and “Pretty Bird” (2018).
The four-time CMA Award winner has been a regular performer at the Grand Ole Opry, which is set to mark its 100th anniversary on Nov. 28.
“When you play the Opry, you’re entering history, right there,” Mattea said in a press statement.
“There’s a wonderful sense of community—family really—that’s inter-generational. From the welcoming presence of a long-timer stepping into the dressing room saying, ‘Glad to have you back!’ to the spontaneous backstage jam sessions, to catching up with old friends, there’s just no place like it.”
Mattea, who serves as the host of NPR Music’s popular radio program “Mountain Stage,” will officially join the Grand Ole Opry during an Oct. 11 ceremony.
“I’ve personally watched for nearly 30 years now as Kathy Mattea has brought such great songs, so much artistic integrity, and sheer joy to the Opry stage,” Dan Rogers, the Opry’s executive producer, said in a statement.
“We all look forward to many more such performances in that circle she’ll call home.”
