Kathy Mattea has always known who and what she is - and what she isn't.
When Nashville recording moguls told her that her rich alto voice made her a "country-pop" singer, she was willing to walk away.It didn't fit and she didn't think she could be believable. Her style, she knew, was more country-folk, with a love of music deeply rooted in folk and bluegrass tradition. She had to be true to her muse.
She was discouraged. But happily for Mattea fans around the world, she wasn't alone. An encounter with a frustrated record producer, Allen Reynolds, resulted in six albums between 1984 and 1991.
She moved from playing fairs and opening shows for "real" country music acts to the big venues. Along the way, she added songs like "Where've You Been," "From a Distance" and "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" to country music's list of classics.
Mattea and Vince Gill will appear at the Delta Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Tickets are available at Smith'sTix and the box office.
A few years ago, while she was recuperating from a blood blister on her vocal chords and doctors put her on complete voice rest, she explained in a fax-machine interview how she finds memorable songs that become so uniquely her own.
"Finding songs is a tedious process," she wrote. "You really have to go through a lot to find the good ones. It's a matter of tuning in on 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."
Her quest for the perfect song - and her love of different kinds of music - has made her a generous and willing mentor to young songwriters. Being in a position to give a songwriter his first single or cut is a "thrill" for Mattea.
It has also led her far away at times. Her "Time Passes By" album resulted from a trip to Scotland, where she encountered primitive musical instruments and learned about "creating for the joy of creating."
Mattea is also something of a social activist, quietly lending her support and her voice to benefit AIDS research. She was a featured performer on the "Red, Hot + Country" four-album series.
Other collaborations have been just for fun. She's one of many established musicians appearing in Dolly Parton's "Romeo" video.
Last fall, Mattea released "Good News," which won a Grammy this March as the best country gospel album. Most of the songs were unknown when she recorded them and unforgettable once heard.
Her most recent effort, "Walking Away a Winner - Song by Song," is an infectious, lovely album that demonstrates her superb pacing. But the main event, for Mattea fans, is that voice: controlled, rich and vibrant.
The pairing of Mattea and Gill in concert seems natural. In an era of glitz, choreography and hype, both are unassuming performers who stay true to their own music traditions.
Gill, a six-time Country Music Association award winner, has produced such hits as "When I Call Your Name," "Pocket Full of Gold" and "I Still Believe in You."
Like Mattea, he grew up playing bluegrass music and he first made his mark as an opening act for groups like Pure Prairie League. In a twist of fate, he eventually became the lead singer for that group. But at heart he was no more country-rock than Mattea was country-pop. He returned to his country roots.