Onzy Durrett Matthews, Jr. (January 15, 1930 – November 13, 1997) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist, singer,

arranger In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

as well as a television and movie actor. He is best known for the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

arrangements done for the

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

albums ''Black and Blue'' and ''Tobacco Road'', as well as arrangements for several of

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

' 1960s releases. He had his own big band for many years and recorded numerous tracks for

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, including two albums released under his own name. He later had a close relationship with the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

orchestra, working as a pianist, arranger and conductor through the late 1960s and 1970s.

Biography

Early days and move to Los Angeles

Onzy Durrett Matthews, Jr. was born on January 15, 1930 to Onzy Matthews and Leola Jones in Fort Worth, Texas. He grew up in Dallas until his early teens when his mother moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

seeking better paying work. His early exposure to music was through singing in a church

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

choir. Matthews knew early on he wanted to be a musician: "music was his calling." He graduated from high school early, at the age of 16, and primarily wanted to be a singer. "I taught myself to accompany myself on piano and then I found out you had to have arrangements." In the early 1950s he enrolled in the Westlake College of Music in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

and studied voice, ear training and harmony; much like

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

they were proponents of the

Schillinger System The Schillinger System of Musical Composition, named after Joseph Schillinger (1895–1943) is a method of musical composition based on mathematical processes. It comprises theories of rhythm, harmony, melody, counterpoint, form and semantics, purp ...

. He auditioned for band leader Les Brown as an arranger; Brown helped Matthews focus on what to keep in an arrangement that works, and what to discard.

First breaks with Dexter Gordon and Curtis Amy

In 1959, Matthews contacted

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

who was active in the Los Angeles jazz scene at the time. Matthews' first

was started with the help of Gordon and fellow saxophonist

Curtis Amy Curtis Amy (October 11, 1929 – June 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Amy was born in Houston, Texas, United States. He learned how to play clarinet before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the ten ...

. The group started with a book of 21 charts from Matthews, and rehearsed on Wednesday nights for 5 months until they finally booked gigs in the area. The group was a conglomerate of all-star Los Angeles jazz/studio artists who immediately took a liking to playing Matthews' inventive,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

-based orchestrations; the first players coming through his band included Gordon, Amy,

Sonny Criss William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker. Biography William Criss wa ...

Jack Sheldon Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr. (November 30, 1931 – December 27, 2019), known professionally as Jack Sheldon, was an American singer, musician, and actor. He performed on ''The Merv Griffin Show'' and participated in episodes of the educational music ...

Carmell Jones Carmell Jones (July 19, 1936 – November 7, 1996) was an American jazz trumpet player. Biography Jones was born in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. He started piano lessons at age five, and trumpet lessons at age seven. His first professional ...

, and

Red Mitchell Keith Moore "Red" Mitchell (September 20, 1927 – November 8, 1992) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, lyricist, and poet. Biography Mitchell was born in New York City. His younger brother, Whitey Mitchell, also became a jazz ba ...

. Curtis Amy included two of Matthews' original tunes on his

Pacific Jazz Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...

albums ''

Meetin' Here ''Meetin' Here'' is an album by saxophonist Curtis Amy and organist Paul Bryant recorded in 1960 for the Pacific Jazz label.Way Down "Way Down" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. Recorded in October 1976, it was his last single released before his death on August 16, 1977. The song was written by Layng Martine Jr. and was later recorded by Presley at his home studio in Gr ...

'' in 1961 and 1962 respectively. Dexter Gordon recorded Matthews' original tune "Very Saxily Yours" for his ''

Gettin' Around ''Gettin' Around'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon recorded over two days in May 1965 and released by Blue Note the following year.

'' album on

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical co ...

, but the track was not released until 25 years later on the CD re-issue. Matthews became known around Los Angeles as an adept arranger and musical director; his first professional arranging assignments came at this time with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

Ruth Price Ruth Price (born April 27, 1938) is an American jazz singer and Artistic Director of the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, California. Price attended ballet school in 1952. In 1954, she sang with Charlie Ventura and later worked as a singer and dancer ...

, and

Gene McDaniels Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart with " A Hun ...

. The first tune of Matthews to be commercially recorded was in 1956, when clarinetist Maurice Meunier, who had played with

, recorded in France. Meunier had got a copy of Matthews' "Blues for the Reverend" through his association with the Hampton band the year before.

Racial discrimination and problems with recording companies

Much like other

black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

jazz artists of that time, it was particularly difficult for Matthews to break prejudice and color barriers."L.A. Band Leader Says Record Firms, Nightspots Nix Mixed Bands"' '' Jet'', May 31, 1962. pp. 60–61 He said at the time: "They said the band was too mixed, a couple of whites or a couple of

Negro In the English language, ''negro'' is a term historically used to denote persons considered to be of Black African heritage. The word ''negro'' means the color black in both Spanish and in Portuguese, where English took it from. The term can be ...

es would be O.K. but not 50/50." He was confronted by an agent who hired an all-white group for a

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

show rather than Matthews' mixed band. His frustration extended to A&R representatives for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

, Columbia, and

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

, who liked the sound of the band and his music but expressed concern after seeing the racially mixed band in person."Tough Times For Mixed Band in Los Angeles", ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'', April 26, 1962, p. 11

Onzy Matthews Big Band

Matthews' group in the early 1960s was finding work as a big band in Los Angeles; most of his players were shared, alternating with

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. In addition to being a ...

's big band (another integrated big band) every other weekend at the Metro Theatre in Los Angeles. The group also had a long running gig on Monday nights at the Virginia Club in Los Angeles. Players for Matthews' big bands and recordings in Los Angeles included

Bud Brisbois Austin Dean "Bud" Brisbois (April 11, 1937 – June 1978) was a jazz and studio trumpeter. He played jazz, pop, rock, country, Motown, and classical music. Career Brisbois was born in Edina, Minnesota and began studying the trumpet at age 12. ...

Bobby Bryant Bobby Bryant (born January 24, 1944) is a former cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings. Early life At Willingham High School, he was a star in football along with basketball, track and field, and baseball. Bryant was recruited to play for the Un ...

, Dick Hyde,

Teddy Edwards Theodore Marcus Edwards (April 26, 1924 – April 20, 2003) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Edwards was born in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. He learned to play at a very early age, first on alto saxophone and then ...

Earl Palmer Earl Cyril Palmer (October 25, 1924 – September 19, 2008) was an American drummer. Considered one of the inventors of rock and roll, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Palmer was one of the most prolific studio musicians of al ...

Jay Migliori Jay Migliori (November 14, 1930 – September 2, 2001) was an American saxophonist, best known as a founding member of Supersax, a tribute band to Charlie Parker. Biography Migliori started playing the saxophone after he received one as a birthday ...

Conte Candoli Secondo "Conte" Candoli (July 12, 1927 – December 14, 2001) was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orch ...

, Richard 'Groove' Holmes,

Horace Tapscott Horace Elva Tapscott (April 6, 1934 – February 27, 1999) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He formed the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra (also known as P.A.P.A., or The Ark) in 1961 and led the ensemble through the 1990s. Early lif ...

Gabe Baltazar Gabriel Ruiz Hiroshi Baltazar Jr. (November 1, 1929 – June 12, 2022) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and woodwind doubler. Background and early years His mother, born Chiyoko Haraga on a Hawaii sugarcane plantation, was the daughter of ...

Joe Maini Joe Maini (February 8, 1930 – May 7, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. Maini was born February 8, 1930 in Providence, Rhode Island. Early in his career Maini played in the big bands of Alvino Rey, Johnny Bothwell, and Claude Thornhil ...

Ollie Mitchell Oliver Edward Mitchell (April 8, 1927 – May 11, 2013) was an American musician and bandleader. He was the son of Harold Mitchell, lead trumpeter for MGM Studios, who also taught Ollie to play the trumpet. Career Mitchell would go on to play in ...

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

, and

Jack Nimitz Jack Nimitz (January 11, 1930 – June 10, 2009) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist. He was nicknamed "The Admiral". Career A native of Washington, D.C., Nimitz started on clarinet in his early teens before playing alto saxophone. Dur ...

. These included both

and white studio musicians, which continued to present a problem until Matthews worked with the much younger producer

Nick Venet Nick Venet (born Nikolas Kostantinos Venetoulis, 3 December 1936 – 2 January 1998) was an American record producer, who began his career at age 19 with World Pacific Jazz. He is best known for signing The Beach Boys to Capitol Records and p ...

after he signed to

. Singers that Matthews featured and wrote for, on their regular live gigs, included

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

Big Miller Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * ''Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show presente ...

, and June Eckstine.

Breakthrough with Lou Rawls and Capitol Records

was signed to

in early 1961 and had a breakthrough set of hits with

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist.Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

and the album ''

Stormy Monday "Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just as Bad)" (commonly referred to as "Stormy Monday") is a song written and recorded by American blues electric guitar pioneer T-Bone Walker. It is a slow twelve-bar blues performed in the West Coast blu ...

''. Nick Venet was in charge of Rawls, and introduced him to Matthews. In August 1962, they recorded 13 new charts arranged by Matthews that featured Rawls' resonating

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

voice.Cuscuna, Michael. ''Mosaic Select 29: Onzy Matthews'' liner notes. Mosaic Records, Stamford CT. 2007 Eleven of those charts would comprise Rawls' LP ''Black and Blue'', which charted for three weeks in ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine from April 1963, reaching no.130. Both men were back in the studio at Capitol in July and August 1963 to record more tracks, which made up Rawls' album ''Tobacco Road.'' Both albums were re-issued in 1969 on a Capitol release, ''Close-Up'', which charted for three weeks in ''Billboard'' starting in August 1969, peaking at no.191. The band for the two Rawls LPs is essentially the personnel of the Onzy Matthews big band from that time. Matthews' arranging style was a perfect fit for Rawls, but the pair did not re-unite for any other releases for Capitol. Two other sets of singles sessions with Rawls from 1963 have never been issued. Matthews' band continued to back Lou Rawls on live concerts and events during the late 1960s.Garneau, Theo. ''If It Swings, It's Music''. University of Hawaii Press. 2012 A second high-profile Matthews arranging assignment during this time was for

Jac Holzman Jac Holzman (born September 15, 1931) is an American music businessman, best known as the founder, chief executive officer and head of record label Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records. Holzman commercially helped launch the CD and home video form ...

, who used him to arrange the traditional jazz ensemble tracks for

Judy Henske Judith Anne "Judy" Henske (December 20, 1936 – April 27, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter, dubbed "the Queen of the Beatniks" by producer Jack Nitzsche. Initially performing in folk clubs in the early 1960s, her performances and r ...

's 1963 debut album for

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. Matthews was finally signed to Capitol by Venet, and his first LP ''Non-Stop Jazz Samba'' was recorded in February 1963. However, the album was not released. It has three different instrumentations of ensembles, with his big band as the core. Matthews showed his adeptness at a wide range of writing; the tracks are somewhat like

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

' 1962 album ''

Big Band Bossa Nova ''Big Band Bossa Nova'' is an album by American Quincy Jones. Track listing Digital Re-issue, on Verve label Performers * Quincy Jones – conductor, arranger * Phil Woods – alto saxophone * Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone * R ...

'' released by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

. There are other unissued jazz sessions that Matthews arranged from this time with Dupree Bolton for

, and tracks with Richard 'Groove' Holmes recorded at Capitol. Later, Holmes had Matthews arrange all the tracks for his own release ''Book of Blues: Volume I'' in 1964 for

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, backed by Matthews' big band. Matthews wrote more charts and supplied the same band on Holmes' November 1966 release ''A Bowl of Soul'', also with Warner Bros. Records. In January 1964, Matthews recorded his first commercially released LP under his own name for Capitol: ''Blues with a Touch of Elegance''. Though not a financial success, the LP is widely known by musicians and music critics as a masterpiece of jazz composing and arranging. The initial ''Billboard'' review was extremely positive putting it in the "Jazz: Special Merit" category. ''Lefty Louie/Blues Non-Stop'', a quartet backed by voices, was also recorded during these sessions and was released as a single on the Capitol label. July 1964 saw the next Matthews' Capitol album recorded, ''Sounds of the '60s'', but it was not issued until spring 1966.Album review (spotlight), ''

'', April 23, 1966, pp. 42 and 51 The album is not as cohesive a project as the first release and did not achieve the same fame as ''Blues With a Touch of Elegance''. In October 1966, Matthews was assigned to write for

Esther Phillips Esther Phillips (born Esther Mae Jones; December 23, 1935 – August 7, 1984) was an American singer, best known for her R&B vocals.Santelli, Robert (2001). ''The Big Book of Blues: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Penguin Books. p. 376. . She ...

. His charts were recorded live in 1970, and appeared on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

release ''Confessin' the Blues'', one of Phillips' best recordings. The Phillips release has frequently been miscredited as having been recorded in 1976, due to its repackaging as a compilation; again Matthews' big band backs the primary artist. His other arranging assignments for recordings included work for

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

and Curtis Amy's 1965 LP ''The Sounds of Broadway/The Sounds of Hollywood'' for Palomar Records. He did some writing for

Lloyd Price Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933May 3, 2021) was an American singer-songwriter, record executive and bandleader, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a hit for Spe ...

's big band and also the '' Jazz with Steve''

KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...

T.V. show from Los Angeles in 1963. From then o,n there were no more releases by Matthews as leader for Capitol or any other recording label; much was recorded with Capitol and finally released for the first time on the ''Mosaic Select 29'' CD set in 2007. Matthews was known as a singer, but the only documentation of this is on the 2007 Mosaic set. Producer

Michael Cuscuna Michael Cuscuna (born September 20, 1949 in Stamford, Connecticut, United States) is an American jazz record producer and writer. He is the co-founder of Mosaic Records and a discographer of Blue Note Records. Cuscuna played drums, saxophone and ...

found three tracks Matthews recorded during this era in July and October 1964, where he overdubbed his singing while fronting his big band. These had never been issued before the Mosaic set was issued. The Onzy Matthews big band was recorded far more on other artists' releases, primarily backing singers, than under his own name.

Ray Charles and other writing

During the mid-1960s, Matthews was able to parlay his earlier arranging success into being offered numerous arranging assignments with singer

. All these tracks were recorded for

ABC-Paramount ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

. In March and June 1965, two arrangements by Matthews were recorded for Charles' album '' Country & Western meets Rhythm & Blues''. He had one arrangement on the 1966 album '' Ray's Moods'', and three more on Charles' ''

Cryin' Time ''Cryin' Time'' is an album by blues pianist and vocalist Otis Spann recorded in Chicago in 1968 and released by the Vanguard Records, Vanguard label.single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

"That's All I Am To You". Matthews arrangement of ''

Driftin' Blues "Driftin' Blues" or "Drifting Blues" is a blues standard, recorded by Johnny Moore's Three Blazers in 1945. The song is a slow blues and features Charles Brown's smooth, soulful vocals and piano. It was one of the biggest blues hits of the 1940s ...

'' on ''Cryin' Time'' is noted as a standout that features a guitar solo by Ray Crawford. More writing assignments during this time include arranging for television shows such as the June 29, 1965

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

special, ''It's What's Happening, Baby!'' featuring numerous contemporary pop acts.

Acting career

Matthews first worked in Los Angeles night clubs as a singer in the 1950s, and became known as a personality. He had his first television appearance on the

KLAC-TV KCOP-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship of MyNetworkTV. It is owned-and-operated station, ow ...

show ''Hollywood On Television'' hosted by Al Jarvis, where he sang in duet with co-host

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indust ...

(her first T.V. work). He also broke into acting around Hollywood; Matthews was tall, handsome, and very well spoken. He appeared in the July 1965

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

Kraft Suspense Theatre The ''Kraft Suspense Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's ''Kraft Mu ...

episode ''Connery's Hand'' and also the February 14, 1966 episode ''In Search of April'' from '' Run for Your Life'' starring

Ben Gazzara Biagio Anthony Gazzara (August 28, 1930 – February 3, 2012) was an American actor and director of film, stage, and television. He received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Drama Desk Award, in addition to nominatio ...

which also ran on

Duke Ellington, Paris, last move to Dallas

Matthews and his band went on a three-week tour in 1966 for Capitol Records to promote his second album for the label (''Sounds of the '60s!''). During a stop in New York City, he met

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Ellin ...

and as a result became a piano substitute for

. He undertook several collaborations with the

Duke Ellington Orchestra Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

through the 1970s as an arranger. He co-wrote an unrecorded composition with Ellington, ''Just a Gentle Word from You Will Do.'' Several years after Duke Ellington died, Matthews had a disagreement in 1979 with Mercer Ellington, and later had to settle a pay dispute with Ellington's son arising from Matthews' uncredited arrangements on the 1996 Musicmasters Records CD release ''Only God Can Make A Tree''.Schuller, Tim
"Bandleader at bay: Arranger-conductor Onzy Matthews proves that only the strong survive"
''The Dallas Observer'': Music Section. August 7, 1997 During the 1970s, Matthews arranged music for albums by

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

and

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Pol ...

; he also worked on television music for

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", "Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and " (You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

. At that time, he moved around between New York,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

and

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, and at one point worked for Sheraton Resorts in the

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

, and

Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...

as solo pianist and singer. Disenchanted by much of the musical scene, in 1979 Matthews moved to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and started another jazz orchestra. Working from there as a composer, arranger, and actor, he appeared in the movie ''

Dingo The dingo (''Canis familiaris'', ''Canis familiaris dingo'', ''Canis dingo'', or ''Canis lupus dingo'') is an ancient (Basal (phylogenetics), basal) lineage of dog found in Australia (continent), Australia. Its taxonomic classification is de ...

'' (1991) playing the trumpeter Caesar alongside

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. Matthews returned to New York in 1993 after a financially devastating operation for

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

. Mercer Ellington offered Matthews work on his father's Sacred Concert music as an arranger. Matthews also contributed string arrangements for

Vanessa Rubin Vanessa Rubin (born March 14, 1957) is an American jazz vocalist. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to parents from Trinidad and Louisiana, Rubin grew up in a musical household. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Ohio St ...

's ''I'm Glad There Is You'' album done for RCA Novus during this time. Prompted by his mother's death, in 1994 he moved back to Dallas to be with his father; his father died on May 26, 1995. Onzy Matthews had a last set of tours and concerts in Europe and Dallas, conducting his own music and that of Duke Ellington in 1996–1997; an interview by the ''

Dallas Observer ''Dallas Observer'' is a free digital and print publication based in Dallas, Texas. The ''Observer'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music, and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

'' three months before his death outlined his musical career. Matthews died at the age of 67 on November 13, 1997 in his Dallas apartment, of heart failure brought on by

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of Artery, arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis ...

Musical legacy

In 2007

produced a set of recordings for

Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

documenting the music from Onzy Matthews'

recordings. This set comprises the two albums he released with his

plus all the other unissued material recorded at Capitol by Matthews with his band. The first LP, the

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

project from 1963, was not put on the market at the time, despite its writing and playing being equal to anything happening during that time in jazz and pop music. Matthews' big bands recorded much more on other artists' LPs than under his own name. He was in demand as an arranger for numerous singers, and the band had a level of success that translated into being a very good live "club date" band and "studio" orchestra. His music and his band never got a real opportunity to stand on its own. He was an important part of several different musical and cultural movements on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

during the 1950s and 1960s. Matthews was part of the Central Avenue music scene in the 1950s and grew musically from interaction with important jazz musicians such as Lionel Hampton, Dexter Gordon, and Curtis Amy. He also trained at the Westlake College of Music with great composers and arrangers such as Bill Holman,

Gary Peacock Gary George Peacock (May 12, 1935September 4, 2020) was an American jazz double bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as avant garde saxophonist Albert Ayler, pianist ...

, Bob Cooper, and

Bob Graettinger Robert Frederick Graettinger (October 31, 1923 – March 12, 1957) was an American composer, best known for his work with Stan Kenton. Biography Graettinger grew up in Ontario, California, United States, learning to play the saxophone in high sch ...

. Matthews is enigmatic and a hard person to pinpoint; in many ways he did not get nearly the credit he deserved in comparison with big band leaders or musical directors such as

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signifi ...

, or Harold Wheeler.

Discography, television, film

As leader

963 Year 963 (Roman numerals, CMLXIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March 15 – Emperor Romanos II dies at age 25, probably o ...

''Non-stop Jazz Samba'' (

) *1964 ''Blues With A Touch Of Elegance'' (

) *1964 ''Lefty Louie/Blues Non-Stop'' (7", Single) (

) *1966 ''Sounds For The '60s!'' (

) *2007 ''Onzy Matthews: Mosaic Select 29'' (

)

As composer, arranger, and/or conductor

*1956 ''Maurice Meunier & His Orchestra'' Maurice Meunier (Barclay, FRANCE) *1960 ''Memorial Album'',

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

(Xanadu) *1961 ''Meetin' Here'',

(Pacific Jazz) *1962 ''Break Through'', Gene Shaw (Argo) *1962 ''Way Down'',

(Pacific Jazz) *1962 ''Black and Blue'',

(Capitol) *1963 ''Tobacco Road'',

(Capitol) *1963 ''Judy Henske'',

(Elektra) *1964 ''Book of the Blues, Vol. 1'',

Richard "Groove" Holmes Richard Arnold "Groove" Holmes (May 2, 1931 – June 29, 1991) was an American jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of "Misty". Career Holmes's first album, on Pacific Ja ...

(Pacific Jazz) *1964 ''Balanced for Broadcast: June 1964'', Various artists (Capitol - promotional) *1965 ''

Gettin' Around ''Gettin' Around'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Dexter Gordon recorded over two days in May 1965 and released by Blue Note the following year.

'',

(Blue Note) *1965 '' Country & Western meets Rhythm & Blues'',

(ABC-Paramount) *1965 ''The Sounds of Broadway/The Sounds of Hollywood'',

(Palomar Records) *1966 '' Ray's Moods'',

(ABC-Paramount) *1966 ''

Cryin' Time ''Cryin' Time'' is an album by blues pianist and vocalist Otis Spann recorded in Chicago in 1968 and released by the Vanguard Records, Vanguard label.Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

(ABC-Paramount) *1966 ''A Bowl Of Soul'',

(Pacific Jazz) *1970/1976 ''Confessin' the Blues'',

(Atlantic) *1975 ''Mystic Voyage'',

(Polydor) *1977 ''Jazz Is His Old Lady and My Old Man'',

(Catalyst Records) *1989 ''Music Is My Mistress''

(Musicmasters) *1980 ''Landslide'',

(Blue Note) *1994 ''I'm Glad There Is You: A Tribute to Carmen McRae'', Vanessa Rubin (RCA-Novus) *1996 ''Only God Can Make A Tree'',

(Musicmasters)

Television and film (actor)

*1965 Kraft Suspense Theatre: ''Connery's Hands'' *1966 Run for Your Life: ''In Search of April'' *1991 ''

References

Bibliography

*Cuscuna, Michael. ''Mosaic Select 29: Onzy Matthews'' 3 CDs and extensive liner notes.

Mosaic Records Mosaic Records is an American jazz record company and label established in 1982 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie. It produces limited-edition box sets. The sets recordings are leased from the major record companies, usually for a three- or f ...

, Stamford CT. 2007. *Garneau, Theo. ''If It Swings, It's Music: the Autobiography of Hawaii's Gabe Baltazar Jr.'' University of Hawaii Press. 2012.

External links

* * *
Onzy Matthews
at

Last.fm Last.fm is a music website founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. Using a music recommender system called "Audioscrobbler", Last.fm builds a detailed profile of each user's musical taste by recording details of the tracks the user listens to, e ...

Onzy Matthews
a
BBC Music
*Jazz Profiles

* (Matthews appears at 14:40 with

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, s ...

) {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Onzy 1930 births 1997 deaths Musicians from Dallas Musicians from Greater Los Angeles African-American jazz composers African-American jazz musicians African-American jazz pianists American music arrangers African-American conductors (music) American conductors (music) American male conductors (music) Capitol Records artists Jazz arrangers American jazz bandleaders Big band bandleaders Duke Ellington Orchestra members African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 20th-century jazz composers 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American composers American male pianists American male jazz composers American jazz composers 20th-century American male musicians

Biography

Early days and move to Los Angeles

First breaks with Dexter Gordon and Curtis Amy

Racial discrimination and problems with recording companies

Onzy Matthews Big Band

Breakthrough with Lou Rawls and Capitol Records

Ray Charles and other writing

Acting career

Duke Ellington, Paris, last move to Dallas

Musical legacy

Discography, television, film

As leader

As composer, arranger, and/or conductor

Television and film (actor)

See also

References

Bibliography

External links