Sherlie Matthews
Encyclopedia
Sherlie Matthews is an American singer, songwriter
and record producer
, best known as a backing vocalist
for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.
for all phases of the performing arts, through school, college, community and professional workshops. At the age of 10 years she began setting Bible verses to music to help children learn Bible texts. After earning a BA in Pre-Social Welfare from UCLA, she earned her living for several years as a medical social work
er before embarking on a successful career in the music industry, reflected by her substantial resume.
, a personal friend, who was a producer/writer with Motown Records
, enhanced her professional career when he introduced her to that record company in December 1964. Soon thereafter, she was signed as a singer/songwriter/producer. She performed with Diana Ross
and Lionel Richie
and The Commodores onstage and wrote and produced recordings for: The Jackson Five, The Supremes
, Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye
, Martha & The Vandellas, The Four Tops, The Celebration, Stacie Johnson, and The Blackberries, a much sought-after trio that she formed with fellow backing vocalists, Venetta Fields
and Clydie King
. She also collaborated with songwriter/producer, Deke Richards
, on many of the above projects, which included the co-production of The Jackson Five singing two songs from the musical, Pippin
: namely, "Corner of the Sky" and "Skywriter".
, B.B.King, Barbra Streisand
, Quincy Jones
, Rita Coolidge
& Kris Kristofferson
, Burt Bacharach
, Linda Ronstadt
, Cher
, The Rolling Stones
, Lionel Richie
, Ike & Tina Turner
, Bill Cosby
, Paul McCartney & Wings, Ella Fitzgerald
, Steppenwolf
, Neil Diamond
, Bob Seger
, The Temptations
, Humble Pie
, Beach Boys, Seals and Crofts
, Richard Harris
, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dickey Betts
, Bob Dylan
, Chuck Girard
, and Elton John
.
Several of the hundreds of recordings she appeared on are: "Stayin' Alive
" with the BeeGees, "With A Little Help From My Friends" with Joe Cocker
, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" with Stevie Wonder
, "Black Cow" with Steely Dan, "The Bitch is Back" with Elton John, "Sweet Home Alabama
" with Lynyrd Skynyrd
and "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" and "I Been Workin' On You" with The Doobie Brothers
, "You're No Good" with Linda Ronstadt. Full list of credits on her official website.
from 1984 through 1988. While there she sang backing vocals for Australian Crawl
, John Justin, John Farnham
, Joe Camilleri
, Renée Geyer
, Peter Blakely, Richard Clapton
, Stephen Cummings
, Swanee, David Reyne, Beeb Birtles, Red Symons
, Cattletruck, Paul Agar, Max Merritt
, Tim Finn
, Martin Armiger
, One World, The Arc of Baghdad and Venetta Fields
' groups, Venetta's Taxi and The Gospel Jubilee.
Sherlie recorded several commercials and voice overs in addition to performing on-stage and recording as one of the lead singers with Yu-En, ZwaDaVee and The Hi Tones.
She formed the children's performing group, "BABE" and wrote and produced two songs for them: "A Fuzzy Ball Of Fur" and "A Christmas Medley." The eight-member group made several public and TV appearances under her guidance. She continued working with them until her family's situation demanded her full time help and she had to returned to the USA. Upon her return she resumed working in the entertainment industry, while earning an additional degree from UCLA in Computer Graphics/Animation.
and Marva Holiday, she performed many of her originals from the Mirwood era for a '60s and '70s music-loving crowd at a Cleethorpes venue.
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...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, best known as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
for Pop, R&B and Rock groups from the mid 1960s to the present time.
Early life
Matthews started performing as a soloist in church at the age of two. Then at age four, she began harmonizing. She sang alto parts in vocal duets with her 2 year old sister. Her grandmother, who was an accomplished musician/composer, recognized her musical talents and was her first piano/voice teacher and mentor. She provided piano accompaniment for Sherlie and her sister for many years at various local venues, tea parties, weddings, church services, concerts, etc. From her early nurturing Sherlie continued to develop her natural abilities, which includes a five octave vocal rangeVocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
for all phases of the performing arts, through school, college, community and professional workshops. At the age of 10 years she began setting Bible verses to music to help children learn Bible texts. After earning a BA in Pre-Social Welfare from UCLA, she earned her living for several years as a medical social work
Medical social work
Medical social work is a sub-discipline of social work, also known as hospital social work. Medical social workers typically work in a hospital, skilled nursing facility or hospice, have a graduate degree in the field, and work with patients and their families in need of psychosocial help...
er before embarking on a successful career in the music industry, reflected by her substantial resume.
Mirwood
Employing her unique talents as both a clever lyricist and innovative composer, she created many of the '60s & '70s hits for Mirwood Records' artists: Jackie Lee, The Olympics, Bobby Garrett, The Mirettes, The Belles and Bob & Earl.Motown
Frank WilsonFrank Wilson
Frank Wilson may refer to:* Frank E. Wilson , U.S. Representative from New York* Frank H. Wilson , American actor* Frank J...
, a personal friend, who was a producer/writer with Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
, enhanced her professional career when he introduced her to that record company in December 1964. Soon thereafter, she was signed as a singer/songwriter/producer. She performed with Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
and Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
and The Commodores onstage and wrote and produced recordings for: The Jackson Five, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
, Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Martha & The Vandellas, The Four Tops, The Celebration, Stacie Johnson, and The Blackberries, a much sought-after trio that she formed with fellow backing vocalists, Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
and Clydie King
Clydie King
Clydie Crittendon is an American singer, best known for her session work as a backing vocalist....
. She also collaborated with songwriter/producer, Deke Richards
Deke Richards
Deke Richards, also known as Dennis Lussier and Deke Lussier, is a songwriter and record producer, one of many white musicians/songwriters who were affiliated with Motown...
, on many of the above projects, which included the co-production of The Jackson Five singing two songs from the musical, Pippin
Pippin (musical)
Pippin is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Roger O. Hirson. Bob Fosse, who directed the original Broadway production, also contributed to the libretto...
: namely, "Corner of the Sky" and "Skywriter".
Session singing credits
Her voice has become a familiar sound as a result of extensive work in voice-overs, commercials and as backup vocalist for many popular recording artists, including Steely DanSteely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, B.B.King, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
, Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge
Rita Coolidge is a multiple Grammy Award-winning American vocalist. During the 1970s and 1980s, she charted hits on Billboard's Pop, Country, Adult Contemporary and Jazz charts.-Career:...
& Kris Kristofferson
Kris Kristofferson
Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...
, Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
, Bill Cosby
Bill Cosby
William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
, Paul McCartney & Wings, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Humble Pie
Humble Pie (band)
Humble Pie was a rock band from England, finding success both in the UK and the US. They are remembered for songs such as "Black Coffee" "30 Days in the Hole", "I Don't Need No Doctor", and "Natural Born Bugie"...
, Beach Boys, Seals and Crofts
Seals and Crofts
Seals and Crofts is a band made up of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts . The soft rock duo was one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. They are best known for their hits "Summer Breeze" and "Diamond Girl"...
, Richard Harris
Richard Harris
Richard St John Harris was an Irish actor, singer-songwriter, theatrical producer, film director and writer....
, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dickey Betts
Dickey Betts
Forrest Richard "Dickey" Betts is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer best known as a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and also won with the band a best rock performance Grammy Award for his...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Chuck Girard
Chuck Girard
Chuck Girard is a pioneer of Contemporary Christian music. He was born August 27, 1943 in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Santa Rosa, California in his young teens...
, and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
.
Several of the hundreds of recordings she appeared on are: "Stayin' Alive
Stayin' Alive
"Stayin' Alive" is a song by the pop group Bee Gees from the Saturday Night Fever motion picture soundtrack. The song was written by the Bee Gees and produced by the Bee Gees, Albhy Galuten and Karl Richardson. It was released on 13 December 1977, as the second single from the Saturday Night Fever...
" with the BeeGees, "With A Little Help From My Friends" with Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" with Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, "Black Cow" with Steely Dan, "The Bitch is Back" with Elton John, "Sweet Home Alabama
Sweet Home Alabama (song)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:...
" with Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
and "Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" and "I Been Workin' On You" with The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band. The group has sold over 40 million units worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.-Original incarnation:...
, "You're No Good" with Linda Ronstadt. Full list of credits on her official website.
Melbourne, Australia
She lived and worked in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
from 1984 through 1988. While there she sang backing vocals for Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
, John Justin, John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...
, Joe Camilleri
Joe Camilleri
Joseph Vincent "Joe" Camilleri, aka Jo Jo Zep or Joey Vincent, is an Australian vocalist, songwriter and saxophonist. Camilleri has recorded as a solo artist and as a member of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Black Sorrows...
, Renée Geyer
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
, Peter Blakely, Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton
Richard Clapton is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist from Sydney, New South Wales. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are "Girls on the Avenue" and "I Am an Island"...
, Stephen Cummings
Stephen Cummings
Stephen Donald Cummings is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and writer. He was lead singer of Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports, during 1976–1981, followed by a solo career which has met with critical acclaim but has had limited commercial success...
, Swanee, David Reyne, Beeb Birtles, Red Symons
Red Symons
Redmond Symons is an Australian musician, writer, actor and radio host, probably best known as lead guitarist with Skyhooks and as the snide judge of "Red Faces", a segment of the long-running Hey Hey It's Saturday variety television show...
, Cattletruck, Paul Agar, Max Merritt
Max Merritt
Max Merritt is a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who is renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B...
, Tim Finn
Tim Finn
Brian Timothy "Tim" Finn, OBE is a New Zealand singer and musician. Finn is most known for his music with New Zealand 1970s and 1980s rock group Split Enz, and later for his solo work, a temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowded House and his joint efforts with Neil Finn as the Finn...
, Martin Armiger
Martin Armiger
John Martin Armiger is an Australian musician, record producer and film/TV composer. He was singer-songwriter and guitarist with Melbourne-based rock band, The Sports during 1978–1981, which had Top 30 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with, "Don't Throw Stones" , "Strangers on a...
, One World, The Arc of Baghdad and Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields
Venetta Fields is an American singer best known as session musician for leading rock and pop acts of the 1970s including Pink Floyd, Barbra Streisand, Steely Dan and the Rolling Stones...
' groups, Venetta's Taxi and The Gospel Jubilee.
Sherlie recorded several commercials and voice overs in addition to performing on-stage and recording as one of the lead singers with Yu-En, ZwaDaVee and The Hi Tones.
She formed the children's performing group, "BABE" and wrote and produced two songs for them: "A Fuzzy Ball Of Fur" and "A Christmas Medley." The eight-member group made several public and TV appearances under her guidance. She continued working with them until her family's situation demanded her full time help and she had to returned to the USA. Upon her return she resumed working in the entertainment industry, while earning an additional degree from UCLA in Computer Graphics/Animation.
Cleethorpes, England
In June 2005, she accepted an invitation from Adrian Croasdell of Ace Records, London, to sing for a weekend concert. With vocalists, Jim GilstrapJim Gilstrap
Jim Gilstrap is an American singer best known for his work as a session musician and his 1975 solo hit single "Swing Your Daddy", as well as singing co-lead to the theme from the TV series Good Times.-Career:...
and Marva Holiday, she performed many of her originals from the Mirwood era for a '60s and '70s music-loving crowd at a Cleethorpes venue.