Jeffrey R. Hanna is an American singer, songwriter, and performance musician. He has been in the music entertainment industry for over 6 decades and was initially with the ‘Nitty Gritty Dirt’ band.
Jeff Hanna has over 300 musical recordings to his titles most of which are compositions. However, he infuses vocals, guitars, arranging, and producing. His works have even won him a couple of Grammy Awards to show how good he is at his musical exploits.
Is Jeff Hanna Married To Matraca Berg?
Jeff Hanna has been married to Matraca Berg since 5th of December 1993. They met while touring with Clint Black in the 1980s and shared a tradition of eating pie together before every show.
At the time, they were both married to different people but both marriages ended in divorces. When they were both back to being single, they were advised to write songs together. This advice they obliged to and that was the beginning of a close friendship which led to them dating by 1991.
Four years into their relationship, Jeff and Matraca decided to tie the knot again, this time, to each other. Their marriage was special because they had more than pies to seal the union, but the song-writing abilities which they shared was another strong bond. After their wedding, Jeff was inspired to write a song that eventually won him a Grammy award.
Here Are 10 Facts About Jeff Hanna And His Wife Matraca Berg
1. Jeff Hanna Started His Musical Career As A Teenager
Born Jeffrey R. Hanna on the 11th of July 1947, he grew up in Detroit, Michigan. By 1962 his family moved to Long Beach California and he was aged 15 then. Upon moving to Long Beach, Jeff enrolled and started high school there. However, at this point, he had already found passion for music and engaged his friends into it.
2. Hanna Founded The ‘Jug Band’ In High School
While in high school, Jeff Hanna formed a bond with a clique of friends with whom he went on to form a band. The name of the group was ‘Jug Band’ but was later renamed the ‘Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’. The band was formed in 1966 and over the years, they have taken different forms as well as changed over a dozen times.
3. Brief Info About Hanna’s Wife, Matraca Berg
Matraca Berg was born on the 3rd of February 1964 in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an American country singer and songwriter just like her husband. She has to her list of achievements, 5 albums released, and an induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
Berg was also recognized by the Academy of Country Music Awards when she was awarded the ‘Poet’s Award’. She was adopted by Ron Berg who was a nuclear physicist whom her mother got married to when Matraca was 2 years old.
4. She Was Born Into A Music-inclined Family
Marcata Maria Berg was born by Icie Calloway who was also into music. By the 1960s Berg’s mother moved from Harlan County, Kentucky to Nashville to pursue a career in music. Icie was a singer and songwriter who had a passion for music even before the birth of Matraca. Unfortunately, music did not work out well for her and she ended up being a nurse.
However, Berg’s aunt named Sudie Calloway was also into music. She was a successful backup singer for ‘Music Row’. Her other aunts named Coleida Calloway and Clara Howard also served as backup artists who worked on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance. Jeff’s wife also had an uncle named Jim Baker who was a steel guitar player.
5. There’s An Almost 20-Year Age Difference Between Them
Jeff Hanna was born on the 11th of July 1947 which makes him 77 years old. However, his wife, Matraca Berg was born on February 3rd 1964 and this puts her age to be 61 years. Therefore, there is an age difference of about 17 years.
6. Matraca Berg Has A Blog
Jeff Hanna’s wife, Matraca Berg has a personal blog where she writes down a lot. She keeps followers updated about tours, her music, videos, and news. She also shares photos and links to her social media accounts there. Matraca’s blog is titled ‘Matraca Berg: Love’s truck stop’.
7. Jeff Hanna’s Has Worked With A lot Of Artists
Hanna has credits of certain works that ended up being top-notch projects in the history of music composing, arranging, and producing. He has been associated with artists such as Steve Martin, Linda Ronstadt, Suzy Bogguss, Patty Loveless, and Johnny Cash.
He has worked with a lot of bands apart from his 1960 formed band, Nitty Gritty Dirt. Similarly, he has worked on the American teen sitcom, Hannah Montana. Jeff has also worked with Marcus Hummon on the song ‘Bless the Broken Road’ which he co-wrote.
8. How Many Children Does Jeff Hanna Have?
Jeff Hanna has two children according to his Wikipedia page. The children are named Christopher Hanna and Jamie Hanna. While Christopher is a visual artist, Jamie has gone on to follow the path of his father. However, on his Instagram handle, he has posted and shared pictures of a girl named Jennifer Hanna Czechanski who he refers to as his daughter.
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9. Jeff Hanna’s Connection to Hanna-McEuen
Hanna-McEuen is an American country music group formed by Jamie Hanna and Jonathan McEuen. The group is an iteration of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Jamie is the son of Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Jeff Hanna while Jonathan is the son of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band co-founder John McEuen.
Both Jamie and Jonathan’s fathers were members of the band and they passed on their relationship and love for music to their kids. The duo started the Hanna-McEuen group in 2005 in Nashville, Tennessee.
10. Jeff Hanna’s Grammy Awards History
Jeff Hanna has been nominated for the Grammy Awards 9 times and has won 4 out of those 9. In 1989 he was nominated for the ‘Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal’. He won this nomination and also the ‘Best Bluegrass Recording’ award. Hanna got another nomination in 1992 for Best Country Vocal Collaboration’. In 2002, he was nominated for ‘Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal’ and ‘Best Country Collaboration With Vocals’.
By 2004, Jeff also got nominated and won the ‘Best Country Instrumental Performance’. For the 48th Annual Grammy Awards held in 2005, Jeff Hanna got nominated in two categories and won one.
