by Haydell Sisters

Here is another Rogue 2015 performer article. Rogue opens Thursday night, so watch for Rogue show reviews to start this weekend. To learn more about this year’s event check out our Rogue 2015 preview article, and check out our Rogue Performer event page to learn about more of the performers this year. You can find all of the Rogue articles as they go up in our Arts & Entertainment section.

The Famous Haydell Sisters, Mattie and Maybelle, have held a special place in the hearts of country music fans since the early ’90s. Now, over twenty years since their last concert, they are reuniting at last. The Famous Haydell Sisters Comeback Tour, playing at The Voice Shop during the 2015 Rogue Festival, reveals a pair of former teen stars, now tarnished with the patina of maturity after paying the debts of fame. But who were Mattie and Maybelle Haydell? The following interview was rejected from the July 1993 issue of Seventeen magazine, when the then-youthful sisters were about to crest the explosive apex of their career. They have scarcely spoken to each other since. Enjoy this throwback!

Who are your biggest musical influences?

MATTIE: Well, clearly our Granpa Haydell, without his guidance and emotional manipulation, we would have never stopped bickering long enough to get a note in!! So, definitely Granpa…and Sting. Face it, that man knows how to write a song. I hope he always stays angry!

MAYBELLE: I’m proud to be named after “Mother Maybelle” Carter and I think we have her and a whole line of strong women to thank for paving the way for us as musicians, including June Carter Cash, the fabulous Loretta Lynn, and others from the older generations that really laid down the foundation for us. Of course we are greatly influenced by our contemporaries as well, like Trisha [Yearwood], Faith [Hill] and Reba [McIntyre]. PSYCHE! It was totally the other way around with Reba.

How would your closest friends describe you?

MAYBELLE: Persistent, driven, never gives up.

MATTIE: I would say strong, clever, and slightly mannish.

You’ve mostly grown up in the public eye. How does it feel to have the eyes (and ears) of a nation following your every move?

MATTIE: Part of me didn’t even notice it happening. So much at the core had stayed the same…there’s always the music, and my sister, and somebody to tell us what to 20 hours out of the day. Heck, I don’t even have to think for myself half the time! It makes life a little easier, not thinking about our backhanded government institutions and [content edited] Waco!!!

MAYBELLE: I love it!

What was the last book you read?

MATTIE: Oh! Tammy Wynette just loaned me this book called The Illuminatis! Trilogy, and it’s really speaking to me. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it, but I now understand that weird song she recorded with the KLF. Kallisti!

MAYBELLE: The Pelican Brief by John Grisham. Hated it.

Your style has been described as alternately “homey,” “edgy” and “country fresh.” What are your essential accessories?

MATTIE: Based on those words? Clearly a lean-to, a set of Ginsu knives, and a can of air freshener.

MAYBELLE: A girl can never have too much nail polish. Tip! You can also paint it on the pads of your fingers to cover up those pesky prints!

You have a demanding tour schedule. What does a Famous Haydell Sister do to kick back between shows?

MATTIE: I like to check out small county rodeos and brisket joints when not in the bus. On the road–should I admit this?–I act out Shakespeare plays with my action figures from the movie “Dune”. It’s the best acting Sting has ever done, bless his perfect-songwriting heart!

MAYBELLE: I mostly answer fan mail and pay it forward by writing love letters to my OWN favorite celebrities!

It’s 1993 and contemporary country has developed its own sound. How do you predict the trends of country music playing out over, say, the next twenty years?

MAYBELLE: Whatever happens within the genre, The Famous Haydell Sisters are DEFINITELY going to be there!

MATTIE: I think the bar is gonna be raised for intelligent, really good song writing.

CONFIDENTIAL: who is the dreamiest dude on the country music scene today?

MATTIE: I wanna say my buddy Garth Brooks, but that’s like crushin’ on your brother! So maybe I’ll say…oh, yeah! Dwight Yokum! That’s a Wrangler Butt if I ever saw one!

MAYBELLE: I have been advised by my publicist’s lawyers not to publicly comment on this question at this time. But I definitely have someone special and I make sure he knows who he is every day! XOXO!

www.thefamoushaydellsisters.com
Facebook.com/FamousHaydellSisters
soundcloud.com/famous-haydell-sisters

Where and When: The Voice Shop, 1296 North Wishon Avenue, Fresno, CA
Friday, February 27, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 28, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 1, 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 5, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7, 5:00 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased ahead of time online: roguefestival.ticketleap.com/haydell