NASHVILLE, Tn. — Since she was 19 years old, Cross Lanes, W.Va. native Kathy Mattea has been dedicated to country music.
“I moved to Nashville when I was 19 and got a job at the (country music) Hall of Fame. We talked about the history of country music and the history of the Opry. So now at the other end of my life to get to be a member and be part of what I started teaching people about when I was young feels like a beautiful, full-circle moment,” said Mattea in a recent conversation with MetroNews.
Mattea was performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage on Saturday night, August 9th when fellow West Virginia native Charlie McCoy walked onto the stage with a bouquet of roses and interrupted her performance. Mattea’s speaker was shut-off mid-song and for a brief moment she was unsure of what was happening, but soon, McCoy with a large smile offered those words which mean everything to country music performers…