She is a singer-songwriter and producer who has featured in one capacity or another on literally hundred of records that span over four decades up until the present day. Her grandmother was a composer and musician who taught her piano and voice and would later accompany her and her sister at their performances.
Her first steps in music were when she sang in church from the age of two and by the time she was four she had started to harmonise. Her first compositions came when she was ten and she was setting verses from the Bible to music to aid children in learning them.
She studied at Pre-Social Welfare UCLA and after graduating with her degree she became a Medical Social Worker. This was not to be though and she ventured out in her career in music.
In the 1960s and 1970s she wrote songs extensively for Mirwood Records with many of them becoming hits for artists such as Bob & Earl and The Olympics. At the same time, in 1964, she was taken on as a singer-songwriter and producer for Motown Records and would find herself sharing the stage with artists such as Joe Cocker, The Commodores, Tim Finn, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross and producing acclaimed Motown acts such as The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, The Jackson 5, Martha & The Vandellas, The Supremes among others.
She was a co-founder of the backing group The Blackberries with Clydie King and Venetta Fields and was often seen co-writing in collaboration with the producer Deke Richards.
Perhaps best known for her work as a backing singer she has worked with numerous artists such as Gregg Allman, Ambrosia, Hoyt Axton, The Beach Boys, Burt Bacharach, Bonnie Bramlett, Elkie Brooks, Ray Charles, Cher, Chicago, Eric Clapton, Roy Clark, Leonard Cohen, Michel Colombier, Bob Dylan, Billy Eckstine, Cass Elliot, Donald Fagan, Ella Fitzgerald, Jim Gilstrap, Leslie Gore, The Guess Who, Sammy Hagar, Thelma Houston, The Jacksons, Sir Paul McCartney, Country Joe McDonald, Nazareth, Harry Nilsson, Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, The Righteous Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Leon Russell, Seals & Crofts, Steppenwolf, The Supremes, The Temptations, Ike & Tina Turner, Joe Walsh, Andy Williams, Lenny Williams, Bobby Womack and Neil Young.
Her voice has graced countless hit singles that include “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees, “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker, “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” by he Doobie Brothers, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt and “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder.
In 1984 she settled in Australia to work for the next four years and backed many of the artists there such as John Farnham and Tim Finn and joined up with Venetta Fields again to work with her Venetta’s Taxi and The Gospel Jubilee. While in Australia she was also the lead singer of the groups The Hi Tones and ZwaDaVee and the founder of the children’s group BABE.
In the television and movie industry she has sung on many theme songs including TV’s H.R. Pufnstuf, Wonder Woman and The Wonder Years and the movies Crocodile Dundee, Express Baggage, FM, Look Who’s Talking 1 & 2, Mahogany, and Oh God among many others.
On her return to the USA in 1988 she started where she had left off four years earlier and as if she wasn’t busy enough, she attended UCLA and got herself a degree in Computer Graphics/Animation.
Just a very small selection of the albums she has appeared on include Lady’s Not for Sale by Rita Coolidge, Carry On by Crosby, Stills & Nash, In My Lifetime by Neil Diamond, Stampede by The Doobie Brothers, Anthology by The Jackson 5, Caribou By Elton John, Gold by B.B. King, Living in the U.S.A. by Linda Ronstadt, Baby, It’s Me by Diana Ross, Endless Flight by Leo Sayer, Stranger in Town by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Aja by Steely Dan, Stoney End by Barbra Streisand.
Her works as a composer total over 500 with sacred and secular songs and three children’s productions. She currently works as a solo artist and also leads her group, The Circle of Love.
Sources:
- http://sherliematthews.com/resume.html
- http://sherliematthews.com/singingcredits.htm
- http://profile.myspace.com
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlie_Matthews
- http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Sherlie%2520Matthews:1928269016
- http://www.allmusic.com
- http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:fcfrxq9dldke~2~T40B