This year, volunteering at the Country Music Hall of Fame, I found out that Kathy Mattea was going to be giving a performance there on Thursday. This would be a free performance for me since I volunteer. I decided that I would take a couple of hours off and go see her. I am so glad that I did, she did such a great job! I really miss hearing her music on the radio. She sang some songs off of her new cd, from what I heard, I think it would be a great cd. Then she sang some of her older stuff, in fact, we all sang with her on "18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses." It was really neat to hear. The theatre that she was in holds only about 200-300 people, so it was a really neat intimate setting. She talked about how some of the songs came about and what she has been up to for the last 10 years. She then ended with the song that my mom and I love, and I found out that it's a true story that her husband wrote about his grandparents. The song is called, "Where Have You Been," she stated that this song is her "signature song", how every artist has a "signature song". She joked that when you have a "signature song", you better enjoy singing it every day for the rest of your life! :-)
For those of you not familiar with the song, here are the lyrics, I also posted some pictures from the performance.
Where Have You Been
Claire had all but given up
When she and Edwin fell in love
She touched his face and shook her head
In disbelief she sighed and said
In many dreams I've held you near
Now at last you're really here
Chorus
Where have you been?
I've looked for you for ever and a day
Where have you been?
I'm just not myself when you're away
He asked her for her hand for life
Then she became a salesman's wife
He was home each night by 8
But one stormy evening he was late
Her frightened tears fell to the floor
Until his key turned in the door
Chorus
They'd never spent a night apart
For 60 yrs she heard him snore
Now they're in a hospital
In seperate beds on different floors
Claire soon lost her memory, forgot the names of family
She never spoke a word again
Then one day they wheeled him in
He held her hand and stroked her hair
In a fragile voice she said
Chorus
Where have you been
Ive searched for you forever and a day
Where have you been
Im just not myself when your away
Im just not myself when your away
Then on Saturday, I had volunteered to help out at the museum. Phil Vassar was going to be performing in the same theatre and I wanted to see that too. He did such a great job as well, he talked more about his songs, he's got a great sense of humor and then he also donated some of his original writings of some of his songs to the museum, that was really neat.
After the performance, I went into the gift shop to see what I needed to do. I thought for sure that they were going to tell me to fold t-shirts and just help with any questions. Well, I was actualy asked to help with the autograph session. Phil Vassar was going to be signing autographs for about an hour and I was incharge of making sure that the isle was clear so that those that were getting autographs could get through. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it! I couldn't believe it, how was I so lucky!
Phil Vassar's mom and two sisters were there and they walked past me a couple of times. One of the sisters came up to me and asked "How many times have peope told you that you look like Alison Krauss?" I told her, "Not enough!" :-)
I took a few pictures of Phil Vassar, when he was signing autographs and some at the performance, unfortunately not alot of them came out from the performance, I think it was too dark in there. Anyway, here are some pictures.
Okay, I'm almost done with my story, just hang in there!
I had found out a couple days before the CMA Festival that a friend from Wisconsin was going to be coming with her mom (Pat)to the festival. Tracy and I hadn't talked or seen each other since I move down here so it was great to see her again and hang out a little bit. On Friday night I had taken them out to the Loveless Cafe for supper, I thought it would be a great place that they wouldn't get to go to anywhere else and it was far enough out that the other fesival goers wouldn't be at.
Here's a picture of us at the cafe.
For the most part Tracy and her mom were at the festival the whole weekend, but on Sunday they went to church with me and then afterwards, Pat was tired and so she suggested that I take her pass and that Tracy and I should go to the Riverfront and watch the performances and then we would go back to the hotel and then Tracy and Pat would go to the concerts that night.
That was alot of fun at the Riverfront, there are two stages set up on the bank of the Cumberland and they have acts alternating on the stages all day long. This event is more for the up and coming stars and the "seasoned" stars that you haven't heard from lately. Some of the stars that we saw were Ty Herndon and T. Graham Brown, then I noticed that "Cowboy Crush" was going to be playing, I had met the fiddle player (Renae' Truex) from that group a couple of months ago, she came to the museum and helped us with the "Musical Petting Zoo", this is an event that the museum does 2x a month, where they put out a whole bunch of instruments and then they let kids come and play with them and learn about the instruments.
Renae' is such a neat person, she is about as sweet as they come. She plays the fiddle and mandolin, she smiles the entire time that she plays. I had asked her when she started playing, I don't remember how old she was, but she was very young. She had told me that she is from West Virginia and that is how you are raised.
I think Renae' will be very successful with her music and I am honored that I was given the chance to meet her.
Here are a couple of picutures of Cowboy Crush!
What a great weekend! I got to spend sometime with a friend I hadn't seen in a while and I got to hear some great music!!!! Ahh, LIFE is GOOD!
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