Kathy Mattea used to be the "wonderful" opening act who got audiences keyed up for luminaries like George Strait. Today, no country music star shines brighter than she does - and this year she stepped out on her own as the main attraction at concerts across the nation.

She's proving she can draw thousands of fans who want nothing more than to hear her stunning alto rendition of songs like "Where-'ve You Been?" and "From a Distance."Mattea performs at the Utah State Fair Monday, Sept. 9. Her two 60-minute shows begin at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.

Since the release of her first album in 1985, she has been recognized as one of the best-loved female performers in country music, with hit singles like "Whole Lotta Love," "Goin' Gone," "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" and "Life as We Knew It." She earned a Grammy for best country vocal performance and was twice named the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year.

The Deseret News conducted an unusual interview with Mattea - courtesy of the wonders of technology. Because of a rupture to a blood vessel on her vocal cords, the award-winning singer was placed on "vocal rest." Unable to speak for a few weeks, then scrambling to catch up on her concert schedule, Mattea answered questions via a fax machine.

QUESTION: When Nanci Griffith wrote "Love at the Five and Dime," how were you able to get it and how did it come to your attention?

ANSWER: Nanci and I had a mutual friend from Austin, Texas, who had moved to Nashville. For a long time, he had told us about each other, but every time Nanci would come to town, I would be out and we could never seem to get our schedules together to actually meet. One day I was at the studio where I record and the door into the control room was shut. There weren't a lot of outside sessions going on around there at that time, so I asked who it was. It was Nanci working on her current album.

So I went in uninvited and unannounced and introduced myself. "Love at the Five and Dime" was playing on the machine at the time - they were mixing it. A week or two later, Allen Reynolds, my producer, was telling me about this song that Nanci's publisher had pitched to us. He sang a little of the chorus and I immediately recognized it. It caught me from the beginning, but I had no idea it would be a hit. I really never thought of it as a single.

Finding songs is a tedious process. You really have to go through a lot to find the good ones. It's a matter of tuning in to an emotional reaction and not settling for anything that doesn't make you feel something when you hear it the first time. Then you can live with it for a while and make sure it's something you want to say and something that still interests you after time.

I wouldn't say I have one favorite songwriter. I really try to be open to everyone. There are so many talented people in Nashville. One of the biggest thrills is to give somebody their first cut or their first single. That's really a wonderful thing to be able to do as an artist.

Q: You have a tremendous ability to choose good music. How do you screen songs? What do you look for and who has input on what you should or shouldn't release?

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A: I trust Allen's judgment so much. He's really been involved with cutting some great songs, from Don Williams to Crystal Gayle to Garth Brooks. He is very good at not letting the hype of the business interfere with his focus on the song first. Mostly, he and I select the songs. Jon (Vezner), my husband, is always on the lookout for stuff for me. He spends time with a lot of writers in town and is always bringing me tapes of things they have that strike him. But mostly it's Allen and myself. We try very hard not to cut anything that doesn't hit both of us. If one of us loves a song and the other isn't sure, we usually chuck that one. I think that brings our standards up considerably.

I don't think a song has to be, word for word, something that has happened to me, but I have to relate to it somehow emotionally or I can't sing it every night. Also, a song has to be consistent with my values. It's impossible to stand up every night and sing a song that doesn't represent the way I try to live in the world.

Q: The recent album "Time Passes By" reflected your trip to Scotland and was quite different. Do you think that experience will impact future projects?

A: I think the involvement with (Scots musician and songwriter) Dougie MacLean and the experience of Scotland was so powerful for me, it can't help but influence future projects. I learned a lot about creating for the joy of creating. Like playing some primitive instruments on my own. It wasn't what a "professional" would have played, maybe, but it came from a place where we were just having fun and playing for the joy of it. I think, in the professional recording experience, it's easy to get away from that, and I want to move more in that direction.

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