(SOUTH ORANGE, NJ) -- Grammy Award-winning singer Kathy Mattea brings the sounds of Nashville to the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) on May 6 at 8:00pm. Longtime friend and collaborator, guitarist Bill Cooley, is featured as he joins her in “Songs and Stories with Kathy Mattea.” Tickets range from $33-$43.
Kathy Mattea and Bill Cooley have played together for more than 27 years and share one of Nashville’s most musically rich partnerships. The duo meet as old friends, welcoming you into “The Acoustic Living Room” to share songs and stories near and dear to their hearts. They each have won acclaim in their own right, but find a great joy in performing together. Kathy Mattea is a two-time Grammy-Award winner with a multitude of chart-topping hits like her breakout single “Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses” and the plaintive “Where’ve You Been?” Bill Cooley is a critically-acclaimed guitarist who is considered one of Nashville’s best sidemen. He has shared a studio with Country powerhouses like Reba McEntire, Merle Haggard and others. In addition to accompanying other artists, he has released four well-received instrumental albums of his own.
The musical duo’s latest project, Acoustic Living Room came from acoustic sessions they held to experiment with new styles of singing and playing. They quickly realized they had stumbled upon something special and decided to take the sessions on the road to perform small, intimate concerts and connect with fans old and new. Those fans will enjoy the wonderful acoustics and intimacy of the SOPAC theatre as Kathy Mattea and Bill Cooley play old favorites, audience requests, and new tunes that have been created on the road.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at (973)-313-2787.
SOPAC is located at One SOPAC Way in South Orange, NJ.
Photo by David McClister