This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1988.
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.
"He Thinks He'll Keep Her" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was released in December 1993 as the sixth single from the album Come On Come On. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was written by Carpenter and Don Schlitz.
Larry Eugene Boone is an American country music artist and songwriter. Between 1985 and 1993, Boone recorded five major label studio albums, in addition to charting several singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts. His highest-charting single, "Don't Give Candy to a Stranger", reached No. 10 in 1988. Boone has also co-written several singles for other country music artists, including a Number One single for Kathy Mattea, and Top Ten hits for Don Williams, Tracy Lawrence, Rick Trevino and Lonestar.
The discography of American country music artist, Kathy Mattea, contains 17 studio albums, four compilation albums, five video albums, one extended play (EP), 51 singles, 27 music videos and has made 19 additional album appearances. Under PolyGram and Mercury Records, Mattea's first two albums were releases: her eponymous debut album (1984) and From My Heart (1985). In 1986, Walk the Way the Wind Blows reached number 13 on America's Billboard Top Country Albums chart and spawned four top ten Billboard Hot Country Songs singles: "Love at the Five and Dime", the title track, "You're the Power" and "Train of Memories". It was followed by Untasted Honey (1987), which was Mattea's first album to certify gold in the United States. Of its four singles, "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" and "Goin' Gone" both topped the Billboard country chart. In 1989, PolyGram/Mercury released Willow in the Wind, which also certified gold and reached number six on the Billboard country albums chart. Its first single, "Come from the Heart", topped both the American and Canadian country charts. Its remaining three singles were also top ten North American country chart songs: "Burnin' Old Memories", "Where've You Been" and "She Came from Fort Worth".
"Song for the Life" is a song written by American singer Rodney Crowell and originally recorded by The Seldom Scene. Crowell recorded the song in 1978 on his debut album Ain't Living Long Like This, and since then, the song has been covered by several other artists. One version, recorded by Alan Jackson, was released as a single in 1995, and was a Top Ten country hit for him that year. However, it has yet to be featured on any of his compilation albums.
Untasted Honey is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1987 on Mercury Records. The album produced Mattea's first Number One hit on the Billboard country charts in its lead-off single "Goin' Gone". Following this song was another Number One hit, "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", then "Untold Stories" and "Life as We Knew It", both of which reached #4. "The Battle Hymn of Love" was later released as a single from Mattea's 1990 album A Collection of Hits. Like Walk the Way the Wind Blows before it, this album includes a cut originally found on Nanci Griffith's 1986 album The Last of the True Believers, this time in the track "Goin' Gone". Untasted Honey was certified gold by the RIAA.
Willow in the Wind is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1989 on Mercury Records. The album is her highest-peaking entry on the Top Country Albums charts, where it reached number 6. It was also certified gold by the RIAA. Four singles were released from it, and all four reached Top Ten on the Billboard country singles charts. First were the back-to-back number 1 hits "Come from the Heart" and "Burnin' Old Memories", followed by the number 10 "Where've You Been" and number 2 "She Came from Fort Worth". "Where've You Been" also charted on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, peaking at number 25 there. This song also earned her the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Untold Stories: A Collection of Hits is the first compilation by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in 1990 on Mercury Records and has been certified platinum by the RIAA. The album includes eight of her previous singles, as well as one newly recorded track, and an album cut from 1987's Untasted Honey, the Tim O'Brien duet "The Battle Hymn of Love". Both of these songs were released as singles in 1990, and both reached #9 on the Billboard country charts.
Walking Away a Winner is the ninth studio album by American country music artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on May 17, 1994, via the Mercury/PolyGram labels and contained ten tracks of original material. The album's production featured a pop rock sound that was considered unique from Mattea's previous country-folk albums. Its title track was issued as the lead single and became her first top ten hit in several years on the American country chart. Three more singles were also commercially-successful and the album sold more than 500,000 copies in the United States. Walking Away a Winner received mostly positive reception from critics. It also charted on the American country albums and Billboard 200 charts.
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.
"Burnin' Old Memories" is a song written by Larry Boone, Paul Nelson and Gene Nelson, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from the album Willow in the Wind. The song was Mattea's fourth and final number one on the country chart. It was number one for one week and spent fourteen weeks on the country chart.
"Goin' Gone" is a song written by Pat Alger, Bill Dale and Fred Koller, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in September 1987 as the first single from the album Untasted Honey. The song was Mattea's ninth country hit and the first of four number one country singles. The single went to number one for one week and spent fifteen weeks on the country chart.
"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.
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.
"It's Your Reputation Talkin'" is a song written by Mitch Johnson and Harry Shannon, and recorded by American country music artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released in January 1985 as the lead single from her album From My Heart. The song became Mattea's third single to reach the top 40 of the American country chart.
Roses is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on July 30, 2002 via Narada Productions and was the twelfth studio project of her career. The album contained 12 tracks of original material that featured a Celtic-folk sound that was considered a departure from Mattea's previous works. It was also Mattea's first album following her exit from her longtime country label, Mercury/PolyGram. The album received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. One single was issued from the project and the album reached the top 40 of the American country albums chart.
Calling Me Home is a studio album by American country artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on September 11, 2012 via Sugar Hill Records and contained 12 tracks. It was Mattea's second collection of Appalachian and bluegrass music. Its themes focused on coal mining and ways people experienced living in the Appalachian Mountains. Calling Me Home appeared on both the American country albums and bluegrass albums charts following its release. It was received favorably by music critics.
