Biography

Matt Cline was born and raised on the edge of the Ozarks in Carthage, MO, on 10 acres in the country surrounded by plenty of land to hunt/fish/get hurt on/learn from it, etc. He spent many hours hunting deer, squirrel, rabbit, and especially coon in those woods and loved to hear those dogs work!

He is proud to come from Godly parents who took what little extra time they had after work to play, cook, teach, and love Matt and his three younger sisters. His dad was a rural mail carrier who taught him shade tree mechanical skills, as he tried to keep the fleet of cars it took to haul mail on rough country roads running. To this day, Matt can often be found under the hood of an old clunker he cannot bear to haul to the scrap yard. Matt’s mom worked full time raising the kids.

“I could not have been more blessed that they saw the importance and responsibility to teach each of us God's love, to continually seek Him, and to learn on our own about the One who created us”, Matt states.

Matt’s interest in music began as a teenager, influenced by his grandmother, who plays guitar and introduced him to bluegrass at a young age. His own sound was also sculpted from classic rock, contemporary hits, classic country, soul, and as much comedy as he could get his hands on.

Sports were never a big deal for Matt until he rode his first bull and consequently spent two years in high school hooked on the rodeo. He claims it taught him a lot, though he learned most how hard it was on his mother. She was only able to watch him ride on video after she knew he was safe.

While Matt’s focus was primarily on music, he went on to earn a college degree in business. Before music became a full-time job, he worked numerous others and is proud to say he was never fired from any of them.

“I've worked at Taco Town (a Carthage, MO staple), butchered, roofed, sheet rocked, drove a forklift in a cave storing cheese, bought and sold houses, and was even a salesman for a company that specialized in high-end pastry ingredients - mainly CHOCOLATE! In between playing and writing, I spent the first few years in Nashville as an on-the-road salesman, selling pastry ingredients to high-end restaurants and hotels.”

Around this time, Matt met his beautiful, talented wife, Beth, who encouraged him to make music full time. He began songwriting every day, and in 2009 caught the ear of Ray Stevens, who came out to hear him at the Bluebird Café and immediately signed him to a publishing/writing deal. Having been a lifelong fan with a preference for comedy, it was a wonderful fit. Stevens even cut eight of Matt’s songs! This partnership lasted through the beginning of 2012.

With his debut solo recording, Welcome To My Party, Matt Cline combines his years of experience in musical comedy with a passion for politics and justice. Several special guests lend their talents, as well, including Ray Stevens, the legendary Steve Cropper, and country stars Andy Griggs and Buddy Jewell. Timing the release of this project during a presidential election season ensures the perfect entertainment storm!