Matraca Berg

Matraca Maria Berg Hanna is an acclaimed American country music singer and songwriter. Over her career, she has released five albums across RCA, Rising Tide, and Dualtone Records, earning Top 40 hits on the Billboard country charts with “Baby, Walk On” and “The Things You Left Undone.” Beyond her own recordings, Berg is best known for penning enduring hits for artists such as Trisha Yearwood, Deana Carter, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Kenny Chesney, and T.G. Sheppard, among many others.

Born into a musical family—her mother, Icie Calloway, and several aunts were singers and musicians—Berg began writing songs as a teenager. Her first major success came at age 19 with “Faking Love,” a No. 1 hit for T.G. Sheppard and Karen Brooks. She went on to craft some of country music’s most beloved songs, including “The Last One to Know,” “Wrong Side of Memphis,” “You Can Feel Bad,” and “Strawberry Wine,” which won the 1997 CMA Song of the Year award.

In recognition of her lyrical depth and influence, Berg was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and received the Academy of Country Music’s Poet’s Award in 2018. She continues to live and write in Nashville, where she resides with her husband, Jeff Hanna, founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.