Kathy Hussey
Gig Seeker Pro

Kathy Hussey

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Band Folk Acoustic

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Critics Wonder about Kathy Hussey..."

“[Hussey has] a nice touch with both lyrics and guitar….a songwriter to watch.”
– Dirty Linen Magazine

“...a woman who can bring you to tears with her words and to your knees with her guitar. Kathy’s new CD, “Moments of Wonder” has recently been released, and contains more gems from one of the most talented writers who ever wielded a pen.” – Mark Wehner – producer “Americana Tonight”

“Lovely songs beautifully sung.” – Acoustic Routes (UK)

“She has nice comfortable voice…as in, not affected at all. It’s very natural. There is some real intricate guitar playing. Hussey is very skilled as both a musician and songwriter, as well as having that great voice. The songs are hearfelt; they stir up vivid images and emotions. These songs don’t just wash over you and then disappear, they are each stories, or at least feelings, that the listener gets really involved.” – Collected Sounds

“There is a bright, energetic, uncluttered sound to this melodic folk/country serenade with a flavor of traditional rhythm and color. The lyrical image is well formed and engaging in each song. And she sings quite well, too!” – PickNDawg.com

“Sweet and sumptuous guitar playing, personal lyrics that touch your heart with their candor and playfulness, and a voice that soothes. Kathy is a substantial singing/songwriting talent.” – EarBuzz.com

“I needed something to remind me that there was still some real creativity left in the songwriting world. I was not disappointed. A tonic for sore ears.”
– John Braheny, author The Craft and Business of Songwriting

“Even devout fans will be surprised and delighted by Moments of Wonder – an insightful, sexy, challenging-yet-accessible new collection that lives up to its title. Hussey’s voice here is, as always, crisp and communicative – easy on the ear as a vessel designed to share a story, capable of nuance that becomes more evident with each listen. Moments of Wonder‘s true accomplishment is its successful framing of top-rate story-songs. [This] is soul-touching stuff.” – Alliance Entertainment

“[Moments of Wonder] is a satisfying collection of thoughtful, melodic gems given just the right studio treatment – eschewing kitchen sinkism, but not too stripped down, either. Ask five people what their favorite song of the bunch is and you’re liable to get five different answers. To me, that’s a sign of a great recording: bits of brilliance throughout, not a good song or two padded to album length.” – Tom Manche, Studio X (Nashville, TN)

“[‘Sing My Memory’] has evolved for us and become one of our favourites – it’s so different from everything else we play. Delicious harmonies.”
– Tom Hanway, The Bluegrass Ravens (Ireland)
- various


"Moments of Wonder"

Kathy Hussey...has a nice comfortable voice…as in, not affected at all. It's very natural. There is some real intricate guitar playing. Hussey is very skilled as both a musician and songwriter, as well as having that great voice.

This is a very personal recording. The songs are heartfelt; they stir up vivid images and emotions. They are a portal to the artists' life and mind.

The CD came with card, which describes what each song is (genre-wise) and tells a little about what the song is about. Nice touch. I love that the artist takes the time to let us in on the background of the songs. Beth Amsel's CD is like this too. I know some people would rather have the songs speak themselves, but for me, this way makes it a much more rich listening experience. The songs don't just wash over you and then disappear, they are each stories or at least feelings that the listener gets really involved in.

The Americana sounding "Turtle" has this great lyric: "If I had a nickel for every penny I've spent…" no kidding! Sign me up!

"Sunset on the La Garitas" is so pretty it could be in a movie.

But "La Bonne Glace" is my favorite. I'm a sucker for the French language. This is a very nice adult contemporary/folk album that I'm sure will please many. - Collected Sounds: A Guide to Women in Music


"GRAND PRIZE in Great American Song Contest"

The grand prize winner of the 8th Annual Great American Song Contest is Kathy Hussey of Nashville, TN.

Her compelling song "The Same Mary" swept all categories with its
well-crafted, emotionally complex lyric, written from the perspective
of an elderly woman.

"There are moments of magic in that song that came to me almost
like out of a dream," Kathy says. "As I wrote it, I kept wondering how it was going to end...the twist that happens in the bridge was a surprise
even to me."

Kathy writes intelligent, progressive acoustic folk music, characterized
by engaging imagery and memorable people. She performs and leads
songwriting workshops for both kids and adults nation-wide.

To find our more about her music and preview her excellent "Moments of Wonder" cd, visit Kathy's website at: www.kathyhussey.com
- Great American Song Contest


Discography

If Wishes Were Horses (1998)
Stranger Than Fiction (2002)
Moments of Wonder (2005)
Natural Habitat (2010)

Photos

Bio

*** "The Same Mary" wins the Grand Prize in the 8th Annual Great American Song Contest ***
find out more here:
http://www.greatamericansong.com
be sure to check out the "Hall of Fame" link and click on Kathy's picture for all the details...

**********************
Please visit
http://www.kathyhussey.com
for more samples, performance calendar,
photos, stories behind the songs, etc.

Scroll to end for list of contests,
accolades, etc...
**********************

“Folk Medicine” – maybe that’s the best way to describe Kathy Hussey’s music. Let’s just say there’s no better elixir to counteract the occasional ills of the songwriting scene -- the preoccupied navel-gazing, the world-saving, and the love-lost-lamenting -- than a healthy dose of Kathy’s insightful and inspiring songs.

Where some cling to tired cliches, she invigorates the listener, spinning stories that are fresh and involving, and delivering them onstage with charm and abundant personality. Her songs channel others, giving voice to the abandoned dog, the child within a 90-year-old woman, the French ice cream vendor, the earth itself. She knows the important light isn’t the spotlight on the singer, but the one shed on the truth.

Kathy comes from everywhere, tapping into her four-corners-of-the-country upbringing and her self-described “wonder-lust” to turn out a wide range of compelling characters. And why not? Her own story is compelling. One of identical twins, adopted at birth. A hopscotch childhood, always the “new kid.” The high school for rodeo hopefuls. The college commune. The bartending. Every stop full of new things and people to try to figure out.

Kathy’s songs come to life, because she's immersed in it. She’s a trail guide, a horsewoman, a tie-dye teacher and a leader of songwriting workshops for kids. She connects with the things that connect us all, and the proof is in the accolades. Critical raves for her three self-released albums. Festival performance honors at Kerrville, Telluride and Suwannee. Songwriting awards from Mountain Stage Newsongs, American Songwriter Magazine, Just Plain Folks, and the Grand Prize from the 2006 Great American Song Contest for “The Same Mary.”

“Folk medicine.” Hmm, could be. Consider the evidence. Endorsed by the wisdom of the elders. Natural, with a finger on the human pulse. Stimulates the brain and examines the heart. Dispensed with care and humor, often enough on a house (concert) call.

Sure looks like the prescription from here. Whatever you want to call it, the doctor says that Kathy Hussey’s music is mighty good for what ails you.

*******************************

What does a 9-year old girl do with a guitar that she has begged for for three whole years? She endures classical guitar lessons long enough to develop strong hands, and a technical foundation. She learns all her favorite songs, lifting and dropping the needle on her record player until she gets all the chords...she beats the poor instrument with Neil Young tunes until the top brace cracks. She swabs her little fingertips with rubbing alcohol to toughen her callouses. She discovers, on her own, that to play Joni Mitchell songs, you have to re-tune, and she does it by ear. She decides right away that the way to become a better guitar player is to keep learning stuff that is way over her head, and just play it until it isn’t anymore.

At least, that’s what Kathy Hussey did. Eventually, she would be equally as consumed by writing songs – but for the first decade of her musical life, her passion was for her guitar, and for interpreting the songs of her 70’s pop radio childhood...James Taylor, CSNY, Grateful Dead, John Denver, Led Zeppelin, Elton John...not to mention country heroes Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, John Conlee and the like...

Born in Chicago to a family that was constantly on the move, Kathy’s guitar and her music were among the few constants in her life. In Texas, she serenaded friends on the beaches of Galveston, and around campfires at rodeos and trail rides, where she and her unruly and legendary horse, Storm, were a fixture. In Arizona, Kathy would hike miles into the desert with her guitar and some friends to sing Pink Floyd songs into the night. In Massachusetts, Kathy led her high school’s 8-piece a capela singing group, and arranged vocal parts for songs like Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A’Changin’”, and “Dedicated to the One I Love” by The Mamas and the Papas.

By the time she was in college in Upstate NY, she was a well-seasoned performer with a huge repetoire of cover songs. This landed her in several campus bands as lead singer and guitarist, covering everything from Fleetwood Mac and Heart to Steely Dan and the Grateful Dead. She was scooped up by some local musicians, who handed her a lime-green stratocaster and asked her to front The Nortons – a soon-to-be-popular rock band who, for several years, layed down the party grooves for all of NY sta