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Friday 6 January 2023

Johnnie Mae Matthews - A Profile


A belated profile for what would have been Johnnie Mae Matthews' centennial birthday on 31 Dec 2022, but coincides with the anniversary of her death on 6 Jan 2002 aged 79.
Most certainly not a household name to many other than soul stalwarts, but Johnnie Mae Matthews was instrumental in the Detroit soul scene of the early 60s dubbed as the "Godmother of Detroit Soul". She was born 31 Dec 1922 in Bessemer, AL, and died after a long battle with cancer on this day in 2002. However, there is a newspaper clipping from 1974 stating that she was then 39, which would give her birth year as 1935, but several others sources (including the reliable Soulful Detroit) state 1922 which would put her age in 1990, when the video below was shot, at either 55 or 68, you decide. UPDATE, I found a memorial site and her grave states 1934 as her year of birth (in line with the newspaper article but the site gives her birthdate as 1922) so if this is correct then she would have been 89 on her birthday and 68 when she died.
As with so many soul singers she began singing in church in the deep south. Her family moved to New Jersey when she was 12 in 1934 and then on to Detroit in 1947. In 1957 she formed a quintet, The Five Dapps who released a single in 1958 on Brax singing lead on the flip "You're So Unfaithful". The same year she created her own label Northern Recording Company and later other labels such as Art (her husband's name), Audrey (her daughter's name), Reel, Bon, Jam, Big Hit and Tank and became one of the first Afro-American females to own and operate her own labels.
Five Dapps
Her early recordings featured future Funk Brothers Joe Hunter and James Jamerson and she nurtured Richard 'Popcorn' Wylie who was in a group The Mohawks with Norman Harris. In 1960 she released the first single by The Distants ("Come On" on Northern) who of course later became The Temptations when Otis Williams, Elbridge "Al" Bryant, and Melvin Franklin from the group joined forces with Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams of the Primes. The single also included The Adantes who would go on to become the house backing singers with Motown.

Berry Gordy credits Matthews for teaching him the ropes and made overtures to recruit her which she declined. She was also influential in the early careers of David and Jimmy Ruffin and wrote (uncredited) Mary Wells breakthrough hit "Bye Bye Baby".

By the end of the 60s her labels folded and she spent the early 70s focussed on a group called Black Nasty that her children,  Artwell and Audrey, were members of, who would later rename themselves The ADC Band. They had a #6 R&B (#101 Hot 100) hit in 1978 "The Long Stroke" which prompted Matthews to reopen Northern but it was short-lived closing down in 1980. The ADC Band had a further five R&B charting singles but sadly neither Johnnie Mae herself nor Black Nasty managed to chart any of their releases.

However, Johnnie Mae is revered in Northern and rare soul circles for her 1969 outing on Big Hit "I Have No Choice" which Black Nasty covered on their solitary 1973 album "Talking To The People" on Stax subsidiary Enterprise. A couple of other versions have surfaced over the years, one attributed to Audrey Matthews, which she refutes and suggested that it was a demo recording by the song's writer Sharon McMahon, but a few years later McMahon's version  was released on 7" by Hayley which is a different recording so it is still unknown who recorded the earlier version. All versions were posted HERE last year.
Other tunes played on the NS circuit included "Lonely You'll Be",  "Here Comes My Baby", "Love Hides All Faults" and "Two Sided Thing".

The video below is footage from Andy 'Tats' Taylor and Richard 'Gilly' Gilbert shot on a visit to Detroit in 1990.

Discography

NB Links to tracks found on YouTube, alternatively a composite YouTube playlist.
Five Dapps
1958 - Five Dapps - Do Whop A Do / You're So Unfaithful [Brax #HB-207]

Johnnie Mae Matthews And Her Dapp's
1959 - Dreamer / Indian Joe [Northern #C 3727]
1959 - Mr. Fine / Some Day [Northern #C 3729]


Joannie Mae Matthews
1960-08 - Ooh Wee / Give Me True Love [Northern #3736]
1961- Oh, Baby / You Worrie Me [Glodis #1004]
1961 - So Lonely / Help Me [Northern #3742]
1961 - Oh, Baby / You Worrie Me [Reel #3743]
1961 - No One Can Love Me (The Way You Do) / No More Tears [Reel #3745]
1961-12 - The Headshrinker / My Little Angel [Reel #112]
1962 - Oh Mother / Come Home [Reel #119]

Johnnie Mae Matthews & Timmy Shaw
1962 - I Don't Want Your Loving Part 1 / I Don't Want Your Loving Part 2 [Reel #120]

Johnnie Mae Matthews
1962 - Lonely Road / I Won't Cry Any More [Reel #122]
1962-01 - My Little Angel / The Headshrinker [Sue #755]
1963 - No Body Business (What I Do) / My Destination (Is True Love) [Northern #4736]
1964-05 - Worried About You / Itty Bitty Heart [Spokane #S-4008]
1964-11 - Baby What's Wrong / Here Comes My Baby [Blue Rock #B-4001]
1965 - Baby What's Wrong / Here Comes My Baby [Limelight #Y-3042]

Joe L. Carter / Joe L. Carter & Johnnie M. Matthews
1966? - My Life Story / Don't Cry Baby [Audrey #ST-112]

Johnnie Mae Matthews

Johnnie Mae Matthews And The Wonderettes/ Johnnie Mae Matthews
1967-10 - Cut Me Loose / Lonely You'll Be [Art #TY-002]

Johnnie Mae Matthews
1967 - Got - To Be On (The Case) / You're The One [Atco #45-6528]
1969-04 - Two Sided Thing / You Make Me Feel Good [Big Hit #TS 104]
1969 - I Have No Choice / That's When It Hurts [Big Hit #TS 105]
1969-11 - It's Good / (Come On Back.) [Northern #BTZ 10039]
1970 - My Momma Didn't Lie / Your The One [Big Hit #TZ 108]
1972 - Don't Be Discouraged / You're The One [Big Hit #TZ-111]
1980-03 - It's Good / (Come On Back.) [Cotillion #45010]
1980-05 - I Can Feel It / Crazy About You [Northern #BZT 10040]

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