Iain Matthews
Encyclopedia
Iain Matthews is an English
musician
and songwriter
. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe
, Lincolnshire
, England
. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews. In 1989 he reverted to the original spelling of his first name.
Influenced by both rock and roll
and folk music
, he has performed mainly as a solo
act, although he was a member of Fairport Convention
during the early period when they were heavily influenced by American
West Coast
folk rock
. He later had a solo career and fronted the bands Plainsong
, Hi-Fi, No Grey Faith, More Than A Song and Matthews' own Southern Comfort.
, Lincolnshire
, England
. He sang with several minor bands during the British pop music
explosion of the mid-1960s and moved to London
in 1966, taking a job in a Carnaby Street
shoe shop. That year he formed a trio, The Pyramid, an English short-lived surf music band
, which recorded one single, "Summer Of Last Year" in January 1967, on Deram Records
. A remaining song, "Me About You," surfaced on Matthews' Orphans & Outcasts Volume 3 in 1999.
as a male vocalist for Fairport Convention
, where he duetted
first with Judy Dyble
, and then with Sandy Denny
. In 1969, as Fairport drew increasingly from a British traditional folk repertoire, Matthews found out he had not been invited to a recording session and, after a short discussion with Ashley Hutchings, departed toward a musical direction of his own.
With Thompson, Simon Nicol
, and Hutchings from Fairport Convention, guitar
ist Mark Griffiths
, drummer
Gerry Conway
(of Fotheringay
; later to join first the Cat Stevens
, backing band, Jethro Tull
and then Fairport Convention from the 1990s on) and pedal steel player Gordon Huntley, and drummer Ray Duffy, Matthews recorded his debut solo album
, Matthews' Southern Comfort, whose sound was rooted in American country music
and rockabilly
. This was his first significant experience as a songwriter
, although the band also covered the likes of Neil Young
and Ian and Sylvia
. He followed it up by forming a working band using the name of his first album and Second Spring
(UK
#52) and Later That Same Year
followed. The band went through several different lineups and toured extensively for the next two years, to general critical acclaim. They had one commercial success: a 1970
cover version
of "Woodstock"
(written by Joni Mitchell
) was a number one hit single in the UK Singles Chart
. It experienced heavy airplay in Canada reaching #5, as well as peaking at #23 on the Billboard singles charts
in the United States in 1971. Afterwards, Matthews split with Southern Comfort, who went on to release three albums of their own on Harvest Records
.
, under the sponsorship of former Yardbird
Paul Samwell-Smith
and surrounded by a who's who of likeminded British semi-folkies (notably another ex-Fairporter, Richard Thompson), he formed Plainsong
, who signed to Elektra Records
and in 1972 produced In Search of Amelia Earhart
, which solidified Matthews' songwriting reputation with the critics, if not with the general public. The album included a cover of Dave McEnery
's "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
", plus a song of Matthews' own, "True Story of Amelia Earhart's Last Night" based on the research that suggests that Earhart on her round-the-world flight may have been spying on Japan
ese bases in the Pacific
islands. It also included "Even the Guiding Light", a spiritually positive answer to Thompson’s powerful but bleak "Meet on the Ledge".
, and with his career now based in Los Angeles
, Matthews released several more albums with ad hoc bands, including one produced by Michael Nesmith
, formerly of the Monkees; Valley Hi
, but none met with commercial success. He bounced from Elektra to Columbia Records
, to the small Rockburgh label, where he finally scored a hit single in 1978 with a cover of Terence Boylan
's "Shake It", which reached #13 in the U.S.A charts, and a moderately successful follow-up covering Robert Palmer's "Gimme an Inch". However, the North American rights for his album were held by the small Canadian
label Mushroom
. Label-owner Shelly Siegel, died suddenly in 1979, leaving the label rudderless. The song "Shake It" is heard at the beginning of the 1980 movie Little Darlings
. It can also be heard on the radio in the game The Warriors
from Rockstar games
.
Matthews' official web site states that at this point he "had been struggling for nearly 15 years now and was still living hand to mouth, with nothing to show for his efforts but a string of out-of-print albums, and the loyalty of those musicians and fans who shared his vision." He moved from Los Angeles to then-inexpensive Seattle, where he teamed up with David Surkamp, formerly of the St. Louis band Pavlov's Dog
, to form the power pop
band Hi-Fi, whose repertoire included Matthews originals, but also covers of Neil Young's "Mr. Soul
" and Prince's "When You Were Mine
". Neither this nor a return to solo recording in England turned his luck. He worked for a while in an A&R capacity at Island Records
and then New Age
Windham Hill Records
.
; since 1979, this annual reunion had primarily the height of their activity at that period in time as a band, but in the mid-1980s several members became interested in reviving the band, stimulating creativity as a group and in recording new material. Matthews was invited to perform with them as a part of the band, and in their other side-projects, at the 1986 Cropredy Festival. This led to Walking a Changing Line (1988) on Windham Hill Records
, an unlikely album-length tribute to Jules Shear
of Jules and the Polar Bears. Matthews found himself moving to Austin, Texas
, and recording several albums for a series of German independent labels. It also led to his first truly solo performances: his previous "solo" outings had always been as a frontman for a one-shot band. He appeared with Andy Roberts
at the 1992 Cambridge Folk Festival
, which led to the first of what became several changed versions of Plainsong
.
Since that time, Matthews has had a moderately successful career, releasing records on a number of small labels in Germany, the UK, and the US, before moving to Amsterdam
in 2000, where he continues to be involved in various indy projects and collaborations, including the Sandy Denny tribute
band "No Grey Faith" and another revival of Plainsong. Moving to Horst in the south of Holland, in 2008 he produced a new album, Joy Mining, in collaboration with the Dutch jazz combo Searing Quartet. In this album he could work with his lifelong love for jazz
. September sees the first Matthews Southern Comfort album in 40 years, and Matthews return to a major label. Matthews is a season ticket holder at Scunthorpe United.
1996 Songs From The Red Couch - Live ( Iain Matthews & Julian Dawson)
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He was born Iain Matthew McDonald, in Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He was known in the 1960s first as Ian McDonald, then as the 1960s progressed, as Ian Matthews. In 1989 he reverted to the original spelling of his first name.
Influenced by both rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, he has performed mainly as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
act, although he was a member of Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
during the early period when they were heavily influenced by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
. He later had a solo career and fronted the bands Plainsong
Plainsong (band)
Plainsong was originally a British country rock/folk rock band, formed in early 1972 by Ian Matthews, formerly of Fairport Convention; Andy Roberts, previously of The Liverpool Scene; Dave Richards; and Bob Ronga...
, Hi-Fi, No Grey Faith, More Than A Song and Matthews' own Southern Comfort.
Origins
Matthews grew up in ScunthorpeScunthorpe
Scunthorpe is a town within North Lincolnshire, England. It is the administrative centre of the North Lincolnshire unitary authority, and had an estimated total resident population of 72,514 in 2010. A predominantly industrial town, Scunthorpe, the United Kingdom's largest steel processing centre,...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He sang with several minor bands during the British pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
explosion of the mid-1960s and moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1966, taking a job in a Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street
Carnaby Street is a pedestrianised shopping street in London, United Kingdom, located in the Soho district, near Oxford Street and Regent Street. It is home to numerous fashion and lifestyle retailers, including a large number of independent fashion boutiques...
shoe shop. That year he formed a trio, The Pyramid, an English short-lived surf music band
Surf music
Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Orange County and other areas of Southern California. It was particularly popular between 1961 and 1965, has subsequently been revived and was highly influential on subsequent rock music...
, which recorded one single, "Summer Of Last Year" in January 1967, on Deram Records
Deram Records
Deram Records was a subsidiary record label established in 1966 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. At this time U.K. Decca was a completely different company than the Decca label in the United States, which was then owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings were also distributed in the U.S. through...
. A remaining song, "Me About You," surfaced on Matthews' Orphans & Outcasts Volume 3 in 1999.
Fairport Convention
In the Spring of 1967, Matthews was recruited by Ashley HutchingsAshley Hutchings
Ashley Stephen Hutchings is an English bassist, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, band leader, writer and record producer. He was a founder member of three of the most noteworthy English folk-rock bands in the history of the genre; Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band...
as a male vocalist for Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
, where he duetted
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
first with Judy Dyble
Judy Dyble
Judith Aileen Dyble, better known as Judy Dyble , is an award winning British singer/songwriter most notable for being one of the vocalists with, and founder members of, Fairport Convention and Trader Horne; in between these she was very briefly with Giles, Giles and Fripp, which evolved into...
, and then with Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny
Sandy Denny , born Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny, was an English singer and songwriter, perhaps best known as the lead singer for the folk rock band Fairport Convention...
. In 1969, as Fairport drew increasingly from a British traditional folk repertoire, Matthews found out he had not been invited to a recording session and, after a short discussion with Ashley Hutchings, departed toward a musical direction of his own.
With Thompson, Simon Nicol
Simon Nicol
Simon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
, and Hutchings from Fairport Convention, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist Mark Griffiths
Mark Griffiths
Mark Griffiths is a British musician famous for touring with Neil Innes in his touring ensemble of the fictional Beatles parody The Rutles where he performs Rutles songs and other songs from his career such as his songs from the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. He also plays with Cliff Richard's backing...
, drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
(of Fotheringay
Fotheringay
Fotheringay was a short-lived British folk rock group, formed in 1970 by singer Sandy Denny on her departure from Fairport Convention. The band drew its name from her 1968 composition "Fotheringay" about Fotheringhay Castle, in which Mary, Queen of Scots had been imprisoned...
; later to join first the Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
, backing band, Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
and then Fairport Convention from the 1990s on) and pedal steel player Gordon Huntley, and drummer Ray Duffy, Matthews recorded his debut solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
, Matthews' Southern Comfort, whose sound was rooted in American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
. This was his first significant experience as a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, although the band also covered the likes of Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and Ian and Sylvia
Ian and Sylvia
Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959, married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.-Early lives:...
. He followed it up by forming a working band using the name of his first album and Second Spring
Second Spring
Second Spring is the 1969 album by Country rock/Folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews' Southern Comfort. This was Ian's second album after his departure from Fairport Convention.-Track listing:#"Ballad of Obray Ramsey" - 2:25...
(UK
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
#52) and Later That Same Year
Later That Same Year
Later That Same Year is the 1970 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews' Southern Comfort. This was Iain's third album after his departure from Fairport Convention.-Track listing:#"Woodstock" - 4:26...
followed. The band went through several different lineups and toured extensively for the next two years, to general critical acclaim. They had one commercial success: a 1970
1970 in music
- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Woodstock"
Woodstock (song)
"Woodstock" is a song about the Woodstock Music and Art Festival of 1969.Joni Mitchell wrote the song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival. She had not been there herself, since she was told it would be more advantageous to appear on The Dick Cavett Show by...
(written by Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
) was a number one hit single in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It experienced heavy airplay in Canada reaching #5, as well as peaking at #23 on the Billboard singles charts
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States in 1971. Afterwards, Matthews split with Southern Comfort, who went on to release three albums of their own on Harvest Records
Harvest Records
-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
.
Plainsong
After recording two acclaimed solo albums on Vertigo RecordsVertigo Records
Vertigo Records today is a UK-based record label operated by Universal Music UK.-History:Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the late 1960s for its record sub-label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI with Harvest Records and Decca Records with Deram...
, under the sponsorship of former Yardbird
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
Paul Samwell-Smith
Paul Samwell-Smith
Paul Samwell-Smith is best known as a founding member and bassist of the 1960s English band, The Yardbirds, a group that spawned such noteworthy musicians as Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page...
and surrounded by a who's who of likeminded British semi-folkies (notably another ex-Fairporter, Richard Thompson), he formed Plainsong
Plainsong (band)
Plainsong was originally a British country rock/folk rock band, formed in early 1972 by Ian Matthews, formerly of Fairport Convention; Andy Roberts, previously of The Liverpool Scene; Dave Richards; and Bob Ronga...
, who signed to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
and in 1972 produced In Search of Amelia Earhart
In Search of Amelia Earhart
In Search of Amelia Earhart is the 1972 album by Plainsong, a band formed by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews and Andy Roberts.Ian Matthews played in four different incarnations within three years...
, which solidified Matthews' songwriting reputation with the critics, if not with the general public. The album included a cover of Dave McEnery
David McEnery (musician)
Red River Dave McEnery was a musician and writer of topical songs. He was born in San Antonio, Texas. He got the nickname "Red River Dave" because he enjoyed singing "Red River Valley" in high school...
's "Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
Amelia Earhart's Last Flight
"Amelia Earhart's Last Flight" is a song written by Red River Dave McEnery shortly after Amelia Earhart's disappearance.It was copyrighted in 1939, and was first performed by David McEnery on a pioneer television broadcast from the 1939 New York World's Fair.It has maintained continued popularity...
", plus a song of Matthews' own, "True Story of Amelia Earhart's Last Night" based on the research that suggests that Earhart on her round-the-world flight may have been spying on Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese bases in the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
islands. It also included "Even the Guiding Light", a spiritually positive answer to Thompson’s powerful but bleak "Meet on the Ledge".
"Bouncing around"
After Plainsong collapsed due to a bandmate's alcohol problemAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and with his career now based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, Matthews released several more albums with ad hoc bands, including one produced by Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
, formerly of the Monkees; Valley Hi
Valley Hi (album)
Valley Hi is the 1973 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews. The album was produced by Michael Nesmith who also sat in on guitar.-Track listing:#"Keep On Sailing" - 4:42#"Old Man at the Mill" - 2:30...
, but none met with commercial success. He bounced from Elektra to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, to the small Rockburgh label, where he finally scored a hit single in 1978 with a cover of Terence Boylan
Terence Boylan
Terence Boylan is an American singer/songwriter.Brought up in Buffalo, New York, Terry Boylan first appeared on local radio in the late 1950s performing a song he had written at the age of 11...
's "Shake It", which reached #13 in the U.S.A charts, and a moderately successful follow-up covering Robert Palmer's "Gimme an Inch". However, the North American rights for his album were held by the small Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
label Mushroom
Mushroom Records (Canada)
Mushroom Records was a recording label company founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, by brothers Wink and Dick Vogel in 1974. Shelly Siegel was the label's Vice-president and creative director. Mushroom released approximately 15 LPs and 50 singles between 1974 and 1980.The Mushroom...
. Label-owner Shelly Siegel, died suddenly in 1979, leaving the label rudderless. The song "Shake It" is heard at the beginning of the 1980 movie Little Darlings
Little Darlings
Little Darlings is a 1980 teen film starring Tatum O'Neal, Kristy McNichol, Matt Dillon and Armand Assante, directed by Ronald F. Maxwell.The screenplay is written by Kimi Peck and Dalene Young. The original music score is composed by Charles Fox...
. It can also be heard on the radio in the game The Warriors
The Warriors (video game)
The Warriors is a beat 'em up video game published by Rockstar Games. It was released on October 17, 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and February 12, 2007 for PlayStation Portable. The game is based on the 1979 film, The Warriors...
from Rockstar games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
.
Matthews' official web site states that at this point he "had been struggling for nearly 15 years now and was still living hand to mouth, with nothing to show for his efforts but a string of out-of-print albums, and the loyalty of those musicians and fans who shared his vision." He moved from Los Angeles to then-inexpensive Seattle, where he teamed up with David Surkamp, formerly of the St. Louis band Pavlov's Dog
Pavlov's Dog
Pavlov's Dog is a 1970s progressive rock/AOR band formed in St. Louis, Missouri in 1972. Pavlov's Dog originally comprised David Surkamp, Mark Gahr on lead guitar, Mike Safron, Rick Stockton, David Hamilton, Doug Rayburn, and Siegfried Carver . Mark Gahr left the band and was replaced by Steve...
, to form the power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band Hi-Fi, whose repertoire included Matthews originals, but also covers of Neil Young's "Mr. Soul
Mr. Soul
"Mr. Soul" is a song written by Canadian rock musician Neil Young, and first recorded by folk rock band Buffalo Springfield and released on their second album, Buffalo Springfield Again...
" and Prince's "When You Were Mine
When You Were Mine
"When You Were Mine" is a song written and released by Prince on his 1980 album, Dirty Mind. Though not released as a single, the song received a promotional 12" release...
". Neither this nor a return to solo recording in England turned his luck. He worked for a while in an A&R capacity at Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and then New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
.
Later career
Since 1974, Fairport Convention had been staging the annual Cropredy FestivalCropredy Festival
Fairport's Cropredy Convention is an annual festival of folk and rock music held on the edge of the village of Cropredy in Oxfordshire, England. It has taken place in August since 1976....
; since 1979, this annual reunion had primarily the height of their activity at that period in time as a band, but in the mid-1980s several members became interested in reviving the band, stimulating creativity as a group and in recording new material. Matthews was invited to perform with them as a part of the band, and in their other side-projects, at the 1986 Cropredy Festival. This led to Walking a Changing Line (1988) on Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records
Windham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
, an unlikely album-length tribute to Jules Shear
Jules Shear
Jules Mark Shear is a US singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Pittsburgh in 1952. Although he has had only one minor hit as a performer , he has recorded almost 20 albums to date...
of Jules and the Polar Bears. Matthews found himself moving to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and recording several albums for a series of German independent labels. It also led to his first truly solo performances: his previous "solo" outings had always been as a frontman for a one-shot band. He appeared with Andy Roberts
Andy Roberts (musician)
Andrew "Andy" Roberts is an English musician.He gained a violin scholarship to Felsted School. He then attended Liverpool University. He has played with The Liverpool Scene, Plainsong, The Scaffold, Roy Harper, Chris Spedding, Pink Floyd, Hank Wangford, Kevin Ayers, Vivian Stanshall and Grimms...
at the 1992 Cambridge Folk Festival
Cambridge Folk Festival
The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival held on the site of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is renowned for its eclectic mix of music and a wide definition of what might be considered folk. It occurs...
, which led to the first of what became several changed versions of Plainsong
Plainsong (band)
Plainsong was originally a British country rock/folk rock band, formed in early 1972 by Ian Matthews, formerly of Fairport Convention; Andy Roberts, previously of The Liverpool Scene; Dave Richards; and Bob Ronga...
.
Since that time, Matthews has had a moderately successful career, releasing records on a number of small labels in Germany, the UK, and the US, before moving to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
in 2000, where he continues to be involved in various indy projects and collaborations, including the Sandy Denny tribute
Tribute
A tribute is wealth, often in kind, that one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often the case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance. Various ancient states, which could be called suzerains, exacted tribute from areas they had conquered or threatened to conquer...
band "No Grey Faith" and another revival of Plainsong. Moving to Horst in the south of Holland, in 2008 he produced a new album, Joy Mining, in collaboration with the Dutch jazz combo Searing Quartet. In this album he could work with his lifelong love for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. September sees the first Matthews Southern Comfort album in 40 years, and Matthews return to a major label. Matthews is a season ticket holder at Scunthorpe United.
Discography
The following is a partial discography; a comprehensive discography is available on Matthews' personal website.Singles
- Pyramid, "The Summer of Last Year"/"Summer Evening" (1967) UK Deram RecordsDeram RecordsDeram Records was a subsidiary record label established in 1966 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom. At this time U.K. Decca was a completely different company than the Decca label in the United States, which was then owned by MCA Inc. Deram recordings were also distributed in the U.S. through...
; his first recording
Albums
- Fairport Convention, Fairport ConventionFairport Convention (album)Fairport Convention is Fairport Convention's debut album. The band formed in 1967, with original line-up Judy Dyble and Ian MacDonald , Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol , Ashley “Tyger” Hutchings and Sean Frater, replaced after their first gig by Martin Lamble...
(1968) UK Polydor/ US Cotillion - Fairport Convention, What We Did On Our HolidaysWhat We Did on Our Holidays- Personnel :* Sandy Denny - vocals, acoustic & 12-string acoustic guitars, organ, piano, harpsichord* Iain Matthews - vocals, congas* Richard Thompson - electric, acoustic & 12-string acoustic guitars, piano accordion, vocals...
(1968) UK Island/ US A&M - Fairport Convention, Heyday(1986) BBC - a release of recordings from 1968/1969 UK Island/ US Hannibal
- Ian Matthews, Matthews' Southern ComfortMatthews' Southern Comfort (album)Matthews' Southern Comfort is the debut solo album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews' Southern Comfort. This was Matthews' first album after leaving Fairport Convention.-Track listing:...
(1969) UK Uni/ US Decca (actually his first solo album) - Matthews Southern Comfort, Second SpringSecond SpringSecond Spring is the 1969 album by Country rock/Folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews' Southern Comfort. This was Ian's second album after his departure from Fairport Convention.-Track listing:#"Ballad of Obray Ramsey" - 2:25...
(1969) UK Uni/ US Decca - Matthews Southern Comfort, Later That Same YearLater That Same YearLater That Same Year is the 1970 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews' band Matthews' Southern Comfort. This was Iain's third album after his departure from Fairport Convention.-Track listing:#"Woodstock" - 4:26...
(1970) UK Uni / US Decca - Matthews' Southern Comfort, The Essential Collection (1997) Half Moon (a retrospective of 1970s recordings)
- Ian Matthews, If You Saw Thro' My EyesIf You Saw Thro' My EyesIf You Saw Thro' My Eyes is the 1971 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews. Guest musicians were former Fairport Convention bandmates Sandy Denny supplying vocals & keyboards, and Richard Thompson on accordion & guitar.-Track listing:...
(1971) UK and US Vertigo (2nd solo album) - Ian Matthews, Tigers Will SurviveTigers Will SurviveTigers Will Survive is the 1971 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews. Former Fairport Convention bandmate Richard Thompson sat in on guitar and accordion.-Track listing:#"Tigers Will Survive"...
(1971) UK and US Vertigo (3rd solo album) - Plainsong, In Search of Amelia EarhartIn Search of Amelia EarhartIn Search of Amelia Earhart is the 1972 album by Plainsong, a band formed by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews and Andy Roberts.Ian Matthews played in four different incarnations within three years...
(1972) UK and US ElektraElektra RecordsElektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009.... - Ian Matthews, Journeys from Gospel OakJourneys from Gospel OakJourneys from Gospel Oak is the 1972 album by Country rock/Folk rock musician Ian Matthews.-Track listing:#"Knowing the Game" #"Polly" #"Things You Gave Me" Journeys from Gospel Oak is the 1972 album by Country rock/Folk rock musician Ian Matthews.-Track listing:#"Knowing the Game" (Ian...
(1972) UK Valley Hi]] (1973) UK and US Elektra Records - Ian Matthews, Some Days You Eat the Bear...Some Days the Bear Eats YouSome Days You Eat the BearSome Days You Eat The Bear is the 1974 album by country rock/folk rock musician Ian Matthews.-Track listing:#"Ol' '55" #"I Don't Wanna talk About It" #"A Wailing Goodbye" #"Keep On Sailing"...
(1974) UK and US Elektra - Ian Matthews, Go For Broke (1975) UK CBS/ US Columbia
- Ian Matthews, Hit and Run (1976) UK CBS/ US Columbia
- Ian Matthews, Stealin' Home (1978) UK Rockburgh/ US Mushroom
- Ian Matthews, Siamese Friends (1979) Rockburgh
- Ian Matthews, Discreet Repeat (1979) Rockburgh
- Ian Matthews, Spot Of Interference (1980) Rockburgh
- Hi-Fi, Demonstration Record (1982) First American Records; live mini-album
- Hi-Fi, Moods for Mallards (1982) First American Records
- Ian Matthews, Shook (1984) Polydor
- Ian Matthews, Walking a Changing Line (1988) Windham Hill RecordsWindham Hill RecordsWindham Hill Records is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment specializing in Acoustic, New Age and Folk music. Originally founded in 1976 as an Independent record label by guitarist and carpenter William Ackerman and his then-wife Anne Robinson, Windham Hill was a successful and well-respected...
- Iain Matthews, Pure and Crooked (1990) Gold Castle Records
- Iain Matthews, Skeleton Keys (1992) Line
- Iain Matthews, The Dark Ride (1994) Watermelon
- Iain Matthews, God Looked Down (1996) Watermelon
- Iain Matthews, The Seattle Years 1978-1984 (1996) Varese Sarabande
- Iain Matthews, Excerpts from Swine Lake (1998) Blue Rose
- Iain Matthews, Orphans & Outcasts Volume 3
- Iain Matthews, A Tiniest Wham
- No Grey Faith, Secrets All Told — The Songs of Sandy Denny (2000) Perfect Pitch / Unique Gravity
- Iain Matthews & Elliott MurphyElliott MurphyElliott James Murphy is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, producer and journalist living in Paris.-Biography:Elliott James Murphy, Jr. was born in Rockville Centre, New York to a show business family...
, The Official Blue Rose Bootleg (2001) Blue Rose - Iain Matthews & Elliott MurphyElliott MurphyElliott James Murphy is an American rock singer-songwriter, novelist, producer and journalist living in Paris.-Biography:Elliott James Murphy, Jr. was born in Rockville Centre, New York to a show business family...
, La Terre Commune (2001) Blue Rose / Perfect Pitch / Eminent - Plainsong, Pangolins (2003) Blue Rose
- Iain Matthews, Zumbach's coat (2005) Blue Rose / Perfect Pitch / Eminent
- Iain Matthews, Contact in live (2008)
- Iain Matthews & Searing Quartet, Joy Mining (2008) Perfect Pitch (an easy listening/jazz oriented album)
- Iain Matthews & Nick Vernier BandNick Vernier BandNick Vernier Band is an alias for productions by Dutch musician and record producer Eric Van Den Brink. Although a ‘one man band’ in essence, featured collaborators include Probyn Gregory, Gerry Beckley , Stephen John Kalinich, Paul Jones, Iain Matthews, Matt Malley, Emitt Rhodes, Duncan Maitland,...
, WoodstockWoodstock (song)"Woodstock" is a song about the Woodstock Music and Art Festival of 1969.Joni Mitchell wrote the song from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival. She had not been there herself, since she was told it would be more advantageous to appear on The Dick Cavett Show by...
(2009) Brinker Media - Iain Matthews & Egbert Derix, Afterwords (2010) Matrix
- Iain Matthews & Nick Vernier BandNick Vernier BandNick Vernier Band is an alias for productions by Dutch musician and record producer Eric Van Den Brink. Although a ‘one man band’ in essence, featured collaborators include Probyn Gregory, Gerry Beckley , Stephen John Kalinich, Paul Jones, Iain Matthews, Matt Malley, Emitt Rhodes, Duncan Maitland,...
with Emitt RhodesEmitt RhodesEmitt Lynn Rhodes is an American singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer born February 25, 1950 in Decatur, Illinois. When he was five his family moved to Hawthorne, California. Considered by many as "the one man Beatles," his solo recordings of the early 1970s show a clear...
, Time Will Show The WiserNick Vernier Band Sessions (album)Nick Vernier Band’s Sessions is a collaborative album by an ensemble containing notable musicians, such as Probyn Gregory, Gerry Beckley , Matt Malley, Paul Jones, Iain Matthews, Emitt Rhodes, Pizza Delivery Boys, Janaki, The Monkees...
(2010) Brinker Media - Iain Matthews & Ad van der Veen, Ride the times (2010) Turtle Records
- Matthews Southern Comfort, Kind of New (album) Brilliant/Genepool BMCD1010 (2010)
1996 Songs From The Red Couch - Live ( Iain Matthews & Julian Dawson)
Billboard Hot 100 Singles
- "Da Doo Ron RonDa Doo Ron Ron"Da Doo Ron Ron" is a 1963 hit single by The Crystals, produced by Phil Spector in his Wall of Sound style. The song was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Spector. The drummer was Hal Blaine....
" (#96, 1972) - "Shake It" (#13, 1979)
- "Give Me an Inch" (#67, 1979)
External links
- Official site. Much of the biographical and discographical information in this article comes from the biography and discography on that site, accessed December 16, 2004.
- Iain Matthews discography from Music City
- Biography on music.com