December 18, 2006 — In January, Kathy Mattea will begin work on an album of coal-mining songs — a subject that's close to her heart, since she comes from a coal-mining family.
"Both my grandfathers were coal miners, and one of them helped organize the UMW," Kathy tells the Kingsport Times-News. "My mom worked at the UMW. There's a lot of history in my family. So it feels like a good time in my life to go back to that."
Marty Stuart will produce the project. "He's got the chops, he's got the pedigree and he understands the music," Kathy says. "I love Marty, and we've always gotten along really well. It's a good chance to collaborate and have a lot of fun."
Kathy's newest song, "The Slender Thread That Binds Us," was written after the Sago Mine disaster. She performed the song on "Larry King Live" during a special broadcast that honored the 12 victims.