Don Henry (musician)

Last updated
Don Henry
Born (1959-12-30) December 30, 1959 (age 63)
San Jose, California
Genres Country music
Years active1990s–present
Labels Epic Records
Website www.donhenry.com

Don Henry (born December 30, 1959) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His career took off when the Kathy Mattea single "Where've You Been", which he co-wrote with Jon Vezner, won numerous awards in 1990 and 1991. [1] These included the "song of the year" award at the 25th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in 1990, [2] and a Grammy Award for Best Country Song at the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards. [3] He went on to team up with Vezner to write another song, "Whole Lotta Holes", which was also later recorded by Kathy Mattea and released as a single. [4]

Contents

In 1991, he released his first solo album, Wild in the Backyard , which was engineered and produced by Ray Kennedy. [5] The album's music was favorably compared to the music of Randy Newman. [6] [7] [8] The album was also named one of Billboard 's top 10 records of 1991. [9] Writing in Entertainment Weekly , Alanna Nash gave the album a B+ grade and described Henry as "One of Nashville’s best young tunesmiths". [8]

He performs with Jon Vezner as The Don Juans; they accompanied Tom Paxton on his 2018 and 2019 UK tours. [10]

Discography

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathy Mattea</span> American musician, activist (born 1959)

Kathleen Alice Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reached No. 1: "Goin' Gone", "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", "Come from the Heart", and "Burnin' Old Memories", plus 12 more that charted within the top ten. She has released 14 studio albums, two Christmas albums, and one greatest hits album. Most of her material was recorded for Universal Music Group Nashville's Mercury Records Nashville 8division between 1984 and 2000, with later albums being issued on Narada Productions, her own Captain Potato label, and Sugar Hill Records. Among her albums, she has received five gold certifications and one platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). She has collaborated with Dolly Parton, Michael McDonald, Tim O'Brien, and her husband, Jon Vezner. Mattea is also a two-time Grammy Award winner: in 1990 for "Where've You Been", and in 1993 for her Christmas album Good News. Her style is defined by traditional country, bluegrass, folk, and Celtic music influences.

<i>Time Passes By</i> 1991 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Time Passes By is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1991 on Mercury Records. The album, like her last two studio albums before it, was certified gold by the RIAA. Singles released from it include the title track at #7, "Whole Lotta Holes" at #18, and "Asking Us to Dance" at #27. "From a Distance" was originally recorded by Nanci Griffith and later versions were released by Bette Midler and Judy Collins.

<i>Lonesome Standard Time</i> 1992 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Lonesome Standard Time is the seventh studio album by American country artist Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 22, 1992, via PolyGram and Mercury Records. It was recorded during a period when she was experiencing vocal challenges. The project featured songs about heartbreak and loss written by various Nashville writers. It received a mixed critical response, but certified gold in the United States. The album spawned four singles. Both the title track and "Standing Knee Deep in a River " reached the American country chart top 20 in 1993.

<i>Good News</i> (Kathy Mattea album) 1993 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Good News is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 21, 1993, via Mercury Records and the PolyGram label. It was the eighth studio album of Mattea's career and her first collection of Christmas music. The project featured mostly new recordings that embedded gospel music sounds. Good News made the American country albums chart in 1993 and received an accolade from the Grammy Awards in 1994. Critics and writers remarked positively of the album and highlighted its uniqueness as compared to other Christmas album projects.

<i>Love Travels</i> 1997 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Love Travels is the tenth studio album by American country music artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on February 4, 1997, via Mercury Records Nashville. The disc contained a total of 11 tracks that blended a mixture of different musical styles. Love Travels spawned four singles, two of which made the North American country songs charts: "455 Rocket" and the title track. The album itself reached the top 20 of the American country albums chart and was reviewed positively by critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Where've You Been</span> 1989 single by Kathy Mattea

"Where've You Been" is a song recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in November 1989 as the third single from the album Willow in the Wind. The song reached #10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Few Good Things Remain</span> 1990 single by Kathy Mattea

"A Few Good Things Remain" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Pat Alger, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in November 1990 as the second single from her compilation album A Collection of Hits. The song reached #9 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

"Time Passes By" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Susan Longacre, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in March 1991 as the first single and title track from the album Time Passes By. The song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. The song features Trisha Yearwood on harmony vocals.

"Whole Lotta Holes" is a song written by Jon Vezner and Don Henry, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in July 1991 as the second single from the album Time Passes By. The song reached #18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.

<i>Coal</i> (Kathy Mattea album) 2008 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Coal is an album by American country artist Kathy Mattea. It was released on April 1, 2008 via Captain Potato Records and Thirty Tigers. The album consisted of 11 tracks, all of which were stemmed from themes of coal mining in the Appalachian region of the United States. A majority of the album's material were covers of songs previously recorded by other singer-songwriters such as Hazel Dickens and Jean Ritchie. Coal received several positive reviews from critics at the time of its release. It was also Mattea's first album to top the American bluegrass chart and was nominated by the Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Vezner</span> American country music songwriter (born 1951)

Jon Vezner is an American country music songwriter. He is best known for his work with Kathy Mattea, to whom he has been married since 1988.

<i>The Innocent Years</i> 2000 studio album by Kathy Mattea

The Innocent Years is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on May 16, 2000, via Mercury Nashville and included 12 tracks of original material. It was the eleventh studio project of Mattea's career and her last with the Mercury Nashville label. The Innocent Years was a collection of songs that discussed Mattea's feelings associated with her father's failing health. Among its songs were the singles "The Trouble with Angels" and "BFD". The album received positive reviews from critics and made the American country albums chart.

Wild in the Backyard is the debut studio album by American country singer-songwriter Don Henry, released in 1991 on Epic Records. It was produced by Henry and Ray Kennedy, the latter of whom also engineered the album. It was named one of the 10 best albums of 1991 by both Billboard's Ken Schlager and BAM's Larry McClain. Some critics, such as Alanna Nash, compared it favorably to the music of Randy Newman.

Jonathan Yudkin is an American multi-instrumentalist who is a proficient player of banjo, violin, mandolin, and other stringed instruments. He is a Nashville-based session musician, record producer, arranger, and band leader.

<i>Right Out of Nowhere</i> 2005 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Right Out of Nowhere is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 27, 2005 via Narada Productions and was the fourteenth studio album in her career. The disc featured 11 tracks of original material, all of which were self-produced by Mattea herself. The album was developed from her own personal struggles that helped create a variety of musical styles onto the project. The disc received positive reception at the time of its release and charted on the American country albums chart.

<i>Pretty Bird</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Kathy Mattea

Pretty Bird is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 7, 2018 via Captain Potato Records and the Thirty Tigers label. It marked the first album of new material by Mattea in several years after enduring several vocal challenges in previous years. The album contained 11 tracks that mixed cover tunes with original material. Pretty Bird received positive reviews from critics upon its release and included four singles.

References

  1. Mansfield, Brian. "Don Henry". AllMusic. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  2. "Winners at the 25th Academy of Country Music Awards". UPI. 1990-04-25. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  3. "33rd Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  4. Kening, Dan (1991-09-22). "Kathy Mattea Proves She Learned Her Lessons Well". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  5. "Ray Kennedy Biography". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  6. The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press. 2004-12-16. pp. 971–2. ISBN   9780199840441.
  7. Boehm, Mike (1992-04-16). "Musicians Use Gift of Gab in 'Their Own Words'". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  8. 1 2 Nash, Alanna (1991-06-07). "Wild in the Backyard". Entertainment Weekly.
  9. "Don Henry to appear in concert". Gadsden Times. 2006-06-21. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  10. Coventry, Joe. "Tom Paxton and the Don Juans:Capstone Theatre, Liverpool: 13th April 2018". Nerve Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2019.