Published: November 09, 2008 08:43 pm      

Kathy Mattea plays at sold-out show

Kathy Mattea sang Saturday night of how midnight, morning or midday is same to a miner who labors away — in a place where “the demons of death often come by surprise” and “one fall of the slate, and you’re buried alive.”

But during her appearance in Beckley, she said she did not have to explain the meaning of those lyrics.

Mattea, a Cross Lanes native and a Grammy-winning country singer, brought her “Moving Mountains” tour to Woodrow Wilson High School Saturday night. All 1,001 seats in the auditorium were sold for the Beckley Concert Association’s third show of the 2008-09 season.

Mattea is known for strong social activism as well as her music. She is credited with leading the country music community to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and she has been involved in HIV/AIDS charities since the early 1990s. She has traveled the country presenting Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” — speaking to crowds about global warming and her concerns about some coal mining practices.

Her latest CD, “Coal,” combines Mattea’s social activism with songs about coal mining.

“Being in place where I don’t have to explain what this means is a real treat for me,” Mattea told the crowd after performing Merle Travis’ “Dark as a Dungeon.” “This is not just about the people in Appalachia. Every time we turn on the light switch, we’re connected to that story.”

Peggy Debnam, publicity chairwoman for the Beckley Concert Association, said the Mattea concert was one of the largest the association had ever sponsored — with all tickets selling out by the middle of last week. During its 70-year history, BCA has normally sponsored classical music performances. Artists like Mattea are some of the first in BCA’s ongoing effort to further diversify its offerings.

Bringing a prominent performer like Mattea to Beckley is already wonderful, Debnam said, but the fact that Mattea is a native West Virginian is even better.

“It magnifies the event,” she said. “We’ve already found someone very, very popular in the beginning, but she’s from right here in West Virginia. She’s so well known and well traveled.”

Debnam noted Saturday night’s concert was made possible thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. The number of season ticket-holders has also increased, which shows the region’s continued support for BCA.

The Rev. Eric L. Miller of St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Beckley came to the concert after his wife Rosemary said they should go. They were both pleased they did not have to drive far to enjoy a concert — and a parents’ night off.

“The community is coming together for a good cause — supporting the arts,” Eric Miller said. “Plus this also gives us a ‘date night’ away from the kids.”

Rosemary Miller said she’s a Mattea and general country music fan, and she said Mattea’s music is soothing, easy for her to listen to.

“She’s from West Virginia, so she has to be good,” Rosemary Miller said.

— E-mail: apridemore@register-herald.com