Songwriter Matraca Berg broke through as a composer in the early 1980s and as a solo artist in the 1990s. She penned several chart-topping hits, tunes recorded by elite Nashville stars such as Clint Black, Suzy Bogguss, Patty Loveless and Reba McEntire. Her own records were more middle-of-the-charts material, although her fan base remains fierce. Berg came from a deeply musical family. Her mother, Icie Callaway, was a struggling songwriter and backup singer in early 'Sixties Nashville, while her aunts -- Clara, Coleida and Sudie Callaway -- formed a vocal group called the Callaways, which also included future solo artist Lois Johnson. The family had ties to the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, an Opry-like variety show based in Kentucky, and steel guitarist Jim Baker became her uncle when he married Aunt Sudie. Her mother's second husband was songwriter Dave Kirby, author of the smash hit "Is Anybody Going To San Antone." Doubtless all of this helped open a few doors in Nashville, as when established songwriter Bobby Braddock agreed to collaborate with Matraca on some of her earliest commercial hits. As a Music Row songwriter, Matraca Berg had a pretty remarkable run, and her catalog includes an impressive chunk of the 1990's Nashville charts. Here's a quick look at her work...
Discography - Best-Ofs
Matraca Berg "Lying To The Moon & Other Stories" (RCA Nashville, 1999)
Better known as a songwriter than as a performer, Nashville native Matraca Berg became sort of a critic's and artist's favorite among those who wanted to inject a loftier, more artsy tone into the country hits of the '90s. She was particularly adept at writing for the female perspective, and was popular with singers such as Suzy Bogguss, Patty Loveless, Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood, all of whom explored a more ornate -- some might say overly dense -- style of songwriting. This is an odd compilation of her recorded work in the 1990s -- it omits several of her chart entries (hard to call 'em hits; she never got that far up the charts), while those that it does include tend to be a bit cerebral. Still, it's a nice portrait of one of the more influential under-the-radar artists working in modern-day Music City, even if she does get a bit Carly Simonesque at times.
Matraca Berg "The Masters" (Eagle Records, 1998)
This best-of came out in the UK only... Not sure how it overlaps or differs from her American releases...
Discography - Albums
Matraca Berg "Lying To The Moon" (RCA Nashville, 1990)
(Produced by Josh Leo & Wendy Waldman)
Matraca Berg "The Speed Of Grace" (RCA Nashville, 1994)
Matraca Berg "Sunday Morning To Saturday Night" (Rising Tide Records, 1997)
Matraca Berg "The Masters" (Eagle Records, 1998)
Matraca Berg "The Dreaming Fields" (Dualtone Records, 2011)
Matraca Berg "Love's Truck Stop" (Proper Records, 2012)
Links
Hick Music Index
