Wendy Joan Matthews (born 13 January 1960) is a Canadian-born Australian singer-songwriter who has been a member of

Models A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and Absent Friends and is a solo artist. She released Top 20 hit singles in the 1990s including " Token Angels", " Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)", " The Day You Went Away" and " Friday's Child" with Top 20 albums, '' You've Always Got The Blues'' (duet album with

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song "Pash" received a gold sa ...

), ''

Émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Huguenots fled Fran ...

'', ''

Lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

'', '' The Witness Tree'' and her compilation, '' Stepping Stones''. She has won six

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA)

Awards An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An award ...

. According to rock music historian,

Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the '' Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalis ...

she provides "extraordinary, crystal-clear vocals ..a soulfulness that was the mark of a truly gifted singer". Matthews appeared on three series of '' It Takes Two''—an Australian TV celebrity singing competition—partnered with Richard Champion (2006), Russell Gilbert (2007) and John Mangos (2008). On 27 October 2010, Models were inducted into the

ARIA Hall of Fame In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompani ...

by Matthews.

Biography

1960-1981: Early years

Wendy Joan Matthews was born in 1960 in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

, Quebec, Canada, with

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...

( First Nations tribe), Spanish and Scottish ancestry. Peter and Joan Matthews already had a son, Gary born a year earlier and another son, Glenn followed a year after Matthews. She listened and sang along to

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her st ...

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

and

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

records. Her parents separated when she was 14, Peter became a

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

advertising executive and Joan took up yoga instructing near

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. At the age of 15 Matthews joined friends in the Little Benny Blues Band (named after Little Benny Park where they hung out). She left school at 16 and went

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

across North America including south to Mexico with friends. By 1978, she was in Los Angeles where she busked, made jewellery and worked as a session singer. In February 1981, Matthews sang lead vocal for "Willow Pattern" on

Osamu Kitajima Osamu Kitajima (喜多嶋修), also known by the pseudonym Justin Heathcliff, is a Japanese musician, producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. History After studying the classical guitar and the piano as a child, in the 1960s Kitajima wa ...

's album ''Dragon King'' (1982). She met Japanese musician, Hiroshi Sato, and travelled to Japan to record lead vocals for his fourth album, ''Awakening'', which was released in June on

Alfa Records , originally a publisher known as Alfa Music Ltd. and later succeeded by record company Alfa Music Inc., was established in 1969 by composer and record producer Kunihiko Murai. It was formed into an independent record label known as Alfa Records ...

1982–1990: Soundtracks, Rockmelons and Absent Friends

Back in Los Angeles, Australian singer Glenn Shorrock (ex- Little River Band) asked her to provide backing vocals on his solo album ''Villain of the Peace'' (1982) and to join him on his subsequent six-week tour of Australia in 1983. Matthews decided to stay in Sydney at the tour's completion and found herself in demand as a session vocalist and singing jingles. She sang on albums by Jimmy Barnes,

Richard Clapton Richard Clapton (born 18 May 1948) is an Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist and producer. His solo top 20 hits on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart are " Girls on the Avenue" (1975) and " I Am an Island" (1982). He reached the top& ...

Tim Finn Brian Timothy Finn (born 25 June 1952) is a New Zealand singer and musician. His musical career includes forming 1970s and 1980s New Zealand rock group Split Enz, a number of solo albums, temporary membership in his brother Neil's band Crowd ...

and

Icehouse Icehouse or ice house may refer to: * Ice house (building), a building where ice is stored * Ice shanty, a shelter for ice fishing also known as an ''Icehouse'' * Ice skating rink, a facility for ice skating. * Ice hockey arena, an area where i ...

. After singing backing vocals on Models' 1985 album '' Out of Mind, Out of Sight'', she became a regular vocalist for the band. Matthews and Models' guitarist and vocalist, Sean Kelly, had an 11-year personal relationship. Other backing singers for Models included

and

Zan Abeyratne Suzanne Marguerite Abeyratne (born 1961), who performs as Zan or Xan, is an Australian-based singer born in London. Abeyratne was a co-lead vocalist of I'm Talking (1984–87), alongside Kate Ceberano. She provided lead vocals on their single, ...

, both members of

I'm Talking I'm Talking are an Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles " Trust Me", " Do You Wanna Be?" and " Holy Word" and a top fifteen ...

– the two bands often toured together. In 1986, Matthews joined Peter Blakeley and The Resurrection, with Blakeley (ex-

Rockmelons Rockmelons, often referred to as the Rockies, were an Australian pop/dance/ R&B group formed in 1983 in Sydney. Primary members are Bryon Jones, his brother Jonathon Jones and Raymond Medhurst. They had two Australian top five hit singles in th ...

) on lead vocals,

Chris Abrahams Christopher Robert Lionel Abrahams (born 1961, Oamaru, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born, Australian-based musician. He is a founding mainstay member of experimental, jazz trio the Necks (1987–present), he collaborated with Melanie Oxley as ...

on bass guitar and piano (ex-The Benders), Jim Benjamin on drums and Mark Punch on guitar ( Renée Geyer Band). Her second album with Models, ''

Models' Media ''Models' Media'' is the fifth and final studio album by Australian rock band Models. Singles from the album were "Evolution", "Let's Kiss" and "Hold On". Track listing All songs written by J. Freud except where noted, according to Australasia ...

'' appeared in December which reached the top 30. In 1985, Matthews recorded vocals for the soundtrack of

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-owne ...

(ABC) TV series ''

Dancing Daze ''Dancing Daze'' is a 1986 Australian mini series about two sisters from Wagga Wagga who leave their family pig farm to make it as dancers in the big city.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p186 ...

'' (1986) with musical production by

Martin Armiger John Martin Armiger (10 June 1949 – 27 November 2019) was an Australian musician, record producer and composer. He was one of the singer-songwriters and guitarists with Melbourne-based rock band the Sports from August 1978 to late 1981, whic ...

. Her tracks were, "

" (duet with Jenny Morris), "Dare to Be Bold", "Might Have Been" (trio with Morris and Mark Williams) and "Lost in a Dancing Daze". First three of her tracks were released as singles but neither they nor the related album, ''Dancing Daze – Rock'' reached the top 50. ABC-TV and Armiger asked Matthews to sing with Ceberano on the soundtrack to the series ''Stringer'' in 1987. The soundtrack '' You've Always Got The Blues'' was released as a duet album by Ceberano and Matthews in April 1988 and reached No. 4 on the Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

Albums Chart. Matthews was a member of Noel's Cowards, a short term project, including ex-

Split Enz Split Enz were a New Zealand rock band formed in Auckland in 1972 by Tim Finn and Phil Judd and had a variety of other members during its existence. Originally started as a folk-oriented group with quirky art rock stylings, the band built a ...

members

Noel Crombie Geoffrey Noel Crombie (born 17 April 1953) is a New Zealand percussionist and former member of the band Split Enz. He fulfilled multiple roles including costume and hair designer, singer, album cover designer, and music video director. Prior to ...

on drums, Nigel Griggs on bass guitar and

Phil Judd Philip Raymond Judd (born 20 March 1953) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter known for being one of the founders of the bands Split Enz and The Swingers. Split Enz In 1972, Judd and Tim Finn founded the arty folk band Split Enz. In its early ...

on guitar. Noel's Cowards, with Matthews on lead vocals, provided six tracks for the Australian movie ''

Rikky and Pete ''Rikky and Pete'' is a 1988 Australian film directed by Nadia Tass, written by David Parker, and starring Stephen Kearney and Nina Landis. Plot Rikky Menzies (Nina Landis) is an out-of-work geologist and aspiring singer (vocals by Wendy Mat ...

'' (1988). She was featured vocalist on the single "Jump" released in October from Rockmelons' debut album '' Tales of the City''. ''Tales of the City'' peaked at No. 14 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1989, Rockmelons won ' Breakthrough Artist – Album' and ''Stringer'' won ' Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Recording'. Matthews joined the Australian supergroup, Absent Friends, in 1989 with Kelly and James Valentine of Models, Garry Gary Beers of

INXS INXS (a phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboardist Andrew Farriss ...

, Roger Mason and Mick King. She sang lead vocals on "

I Don't Want to Be with Nobody but You "I Don't Want to Be with Nobody but You" is a song originally recorded by Dorothy Moore for her 1976 album ''Misty Blue''. It was written by Eddie Floyd, who recorded his own version in 2008 for the album ''Eddie Loves You So''. Australian band ...

" which reached No. 4 on the ARIA Singles Chart; the related album, ''

Here's Looking Up Your Address ''Here's Looking Up Your Address'' is the debut studio album by Australian rock band Absent Friends. It was released in April 1990 and peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Charts and was certified gold. Track listing All songs written by S. Kelly ex ...

'' peaked at No.7. The band toured Australia and then supported INXS on a European tour. During this period, Matthews continued her session work, singing on the

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

album '' Heart of Stone'' in 1989 and on Blakeley's solo album ''

Harry's Cafe de Wheels Harry's Cafe de Wheels is an iconic pie cart located on Cowper Wharf Road in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, Australia, near the Finger Wharf and Fleet Base East. They are best known for their dish "Tiger Pie", an Meat pie (Australia and New Zealand), ...

'' in 1990. Absent Friends disbanded and Matthews pursued her solo career.

1990–1999: Solo Success

In 1990, Matthews recorded her debut solo album ''

'' with the assistance of Absent Friends members, Beers, Kelly, King, Mason, Valentine and Andrew Duffield as well as Tim Finn and Blakeley. It was produced by Ricky Fataar and released on the rooArt label owned by INXS manager,

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States H ...

; ''Émigré'' became a hit, being certified platinum. She won the Australian ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine award for best female vocalist in 1990 for her debut album and her work with Absent Friends. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1991, "

" won the ARIA Award for Single of the Year for Absent Friends; while Matthews won two

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

ARIA Award for Best Female Artist The ARIA Music Award for Best Female Artist, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indu ...

and ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Single for " Token Angels", which hit No. 18. Subsequent hits from the album were "

Woman's Gotta Have It ''Woman's Gotta Have It'' is the second album by Cornershop, released in 1995. Recording and release The song ''My Dancing Days Are Done'' is performed in French (''mes jours de bal perdus'') by the guest singers Parsley and Sasha Andres. The ...

" (No. 34) and " Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" (No. 14). Her touring band included

Paul Abrahams Paul Abrahams (born 31 October 1973) is an English former footballer who played as a forward or as a winger in the Football League, most notably for Colchester United, where he made over 100 league appearances in two spells between 1992 and ...

on bass guitar, Amanda Brown on oboe and violin (ex-

The Go-Betweens The Go-Betweens were an Australian indie rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1977. The band was co-founded and led by singer-songwriters and guitarists Robert Forster and Grant McLennan, who were its only constant members throughout ...

), Robbie James on guitar (

Ganggajang Ganggajang (styled as GANGgajang) are an Australian pop rock band which formed in 1984. The four founders are frontman Mark 'Cal' Callaghan (ex- Riptides) on guitar and lead vocals, Chris Bailey on bass guitar, Graham 'Buzz' Bidstrup on drum ...

), King on guitar (Absent Friends), Lisa Maxwell on backing vocals, Mark Meyer on drums ( Moving Pictures), Mark O'Connor on keyboards and Valentine on saxophone. On 31 May, she performed at Dallas Brooks Hall, Melbourne which was released as the live album '' The Way It Has to Be'' in October. She also supported the

Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 1 ...

on their Australian tour. In February–March 1992 Matthews recorded her second solo studio album ''

'' in Los Angeles with

T-Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in fil ...

producing, it was released on 28 September while she was on tour supporting

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since t ...

. Her album peaked at No. 2 and achieved double-platinum in Australia selling over 140,000 copies. The lead single " The Day You Went Away" hit No. 2 while the album spawned two further hits in " Friday's Child" (No. 15) and " If Only I Could" (No. 41). At the

ARIA Music Awards of 1992 In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

, Matthews was nominated for Best Female Artist. The Canadian CD release of ''Lily'' included a French-language version of "The Day You Went Away". Matthews toured internationally in 1993 including gigs in London, Montreal and New York. She won 'Best Female Artist' for ''Lily'' and both 'Best Single' and

ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single The ARIA Music Award for Highest Selling Single was an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards. It was presented from 1987 through to 2011. Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter ...

for "The Day You Went Away" at the

ARIA Music Awards of 1993 The Seventh Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 14 April 1993 at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney. Note: User may be required to access archived ...

. Matthews had a film role as a

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

in ''Flynn'' (1993) which starred

Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series ''Neighbours ...

as Australian-born actor

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

. Matthews released her next album '' The Witness Tree'' on 14 November 1994, featuring the Top 40 hit " Standing Strong". The album went platinum selling 100,000 copies and she won her third ARIA award for Best Female Artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 1994 for "Friday's Child". In 1995, Matthews became an Australian citizen. Her single "Standing Strong" won 'Most Performed Australian Work' at the APRA Awards of 1995. She returned to Canada for a visit before the release of her next album ''

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

'' in 1997. The single "

Beloved Beloved may refer to: Books * ''Beloved'' (novel), a 1987 novel by Toni Morrison * ''The Beloved'' (Faulkner novel), a 2012 novel by Australian author Annah Faulkner *''Beloved'', a 1993 historical romance about Zenobia, by Bertrice Small Film ...

" from the album peaked at No. 49 on the Australian charts. In 1999, Matthews released '' Stepping Stones'', a greatest hits package which hit No. 4, earning her another platinum certification. According to rock music historian,

in his ''

Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop ''The Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' or ''Rock and Pop'' by Australian music journalist Ian McFarlane is a guide to Music of Australia#Popular music, Australian popular music from the 1950s to the late 1990s. The book has a similar tit ...

'', Matthews provides "extraordinary, crystal-clear vocals ..a soulfulness that was the mark of a truly gifted singer".

2000–present: Music, TV and other activies

In 2000, Matthews joined the cast of a new Australian musical theatre production of ''

Godspell ''Godspell'' is a musical composed by Stephen Schwartz with book by John-Michael Tebelak. The show is structured as a series of parables, primarily based on the Gospel of Matthew, interspersed with music mostly set to lyrics from traditional hym ...

'' alongside

Angry Anderson Gary Stephen "Angry" Anderson (born 5 August 1947) is an Australian rock singer, songwriter, television personality and actor. He has been the lead vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976. As a solo artist, he is best known f ...

, Jimmy Barnes, Debra Byrne, Marie Wilson, Fiona Horne,

Belinda Emmett Belinda Jane Emmett (12 April 1974 – 11 November 2006) was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series ''Home and Away'' and '' All Saints'' as well as the sitcom '' Hey Dad..!''. She was married ...

, Paul Mercurio and Terence Trent D'Arby. In February, with rehearsals commencing, Matthews released her cover of " Day by Day" but financial difficulties prevented the musical from being staged. She contributed "Pure Inspiration" to ''Olympic Record'' – an album for the

Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

by various Australian artists. In 2001, Matthews relocated from Sydney to a property near

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggirr ...

on the

Mid North Coast The Mid North Coast is a country region in the north-east of the state of New South Wales, Australia. The region covers the mid northern coast of the state, beginning from Port Stephens north of Sydney, and extending as far north as Woolgool ...

of New South Wales. Her solo album, '' Beautiful View'', was released on 17 July and made the Top 40. Produced by Michael Szumowski, it was her first with BMG records, and included three singles, "Free", "Beautiful View" and "Like the Sun" which did not reach the top 50. A limited edition of ''Beautiful View'' included a bonus six-track disc. In 2003, Matthews sang a duet with

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

on the track "

My Heart Stood Still "My Heart Stood Still" is a 1927 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was written for the Charles Cochran revue ''One Dam' Thing after Another'', which opened at the London Pavilion on May 19, 1927. The show ...

" on the Australian release of his album '' As Time Goes By: The Great American Songbook, Volume II''. She released her own covers album, '' Café Naturale'' in May 2004. Matthews explained why she recorded it acoustically, "To keep creative you have to break down your own personal barriers. With this record that meant moving away from pop and crafting something instrument-driven, something that feels like me playing live". The album includes acoustic versions of U2's "One" from the '' Achtung Baby'' and Massive Attack's " Protection" from the album of the same name. The first single "All I Need" is a version of the Air song from the '' Moon Safari'' album. Matthews' album debuted in the top 50 of the ARIA charts. Matthews embarked on the national Fallen Angels Tour during May–June 2008 and then co-headlined with Ian Moss in October–November. On 8 November, Matthews released the album ''

She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

'' on her own independent record label, Barking Bear. The album is a personal collection of favourite songs by women who have inspired her,

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in '' Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Wit ...

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

Buffy Sainte-Marie Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American (Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these ar ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

and

Jane Siberry Jane Siberry ( ; ; born 12 October 1955) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, known for such hits as " Mimi on the Beach", "I Muse Aloud", " One More Colour" and "Calling All Angels". She performed the theme song to the television series '' Maniac ...

. In June 2010, she combined with country musician, Adam Harvey for the Both Sides Tour. In October 2010, Matthews performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Alice Springs Masters Games. On 27 October, her former band, Models were inducted into the

by Matthews. The line-up of Duffield, Ferrie, Kelly, Mason, Price and Valentine performed "I Hear Motion" and "Evolution". Matthews recalled meeting the group for the first time at a recording session – she was due to provide backing vocals but they were busy playing indoor cricket in the studio. Matthews independently released ''Billie and Me: The White Room Sessions'' on 27 July 2015. The live album, available through her official website only, was recorded in the winter of 2012 with Brendan St Ledger on piano and Greg Royal on standup bass. The album celebrates the centenary year birth of Billie Holiday, who Matthews describes Holiday as an "iconic woman whose soul and music has been long admired." In November 2016, Matthews featured on the

Catherine Britt Catherine Elisabeth Britt (born 31 December 1984) is an Australian country music artist who has had success in both her native Australia and in the United States. She started her career in Newcastle in 1999, she moved to Nashville from 2002 to ...

single, "F U Cancer" alongside

Kasey Chambers Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country singer-songwriter and musician born in Mount Gambier. She is the daughter of fellow musicians, Diane and Bill Chambers, and the younger sister of musician and producer, Nash Chambers. ...

Beccy Cole Beccy Cole (born Rebecca Diane Thompson, 27 October 1972), also known as Beccy Sturtzel, Rebecca Diane Albeck and Bec O'Donovan, is an Australian country music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She has released ten studio albums, wi ...

, Lyn Bowtell, Josh Pyke and Wes Carr.

TV appearances

Matthews has appeared on three series of Channel Seven's celebrity singing competition '' It Takes Two''. The first series premiered on 28 May 2006, she was partnered by former

Australian Rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er, Richard Champion, they were voted off in week six. On 1 May 2007, ahead of the second series, Matthews, David Hobson and Troy Cassar-Daley sang "

Got to Get You into My Life "Got to Get You into My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, first released in 1966 on their album ''Revolver''. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is a homage to the Motown Sound, wit ...

" on celebrity dancing competition ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the form ...

'' grand final, which was won by Ceberano and her professional dance partner John Paul Collins. ''It Takes Two'' second series premiered on 8 May, where Matthews was paired with comedian Russell Gilbert, they were voted off in week four of the competition. The third series commenced on 12 February 2008 with John Mangos, news reader for ''

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

'', and Matthews being voted off in week two. Matthews appeared on the TV show '' RocKwiz'' on 1 November 2008, she performed Toto's "

Hold the Line "Hold the Line" is a song by American rock band Toto from their 1978 eponymous debut studio album. Written by the band's keyboardist David Paich, the lead vocals on the song were performed by Bobby Kimball. "Hold the Line" was released as t ...

" as a duet with Johnny Galvatron from

The Galvatrons The Galvatrons are a four-piece rock band who formed on 28 August 2007, in Geelong, Australia. Lead singer Johnny Galvatron stated on radio station 101.3 Sea FM on the Central Coast that the band got their name from the 1986 animated film Tr ...

Discography

*'' You've Always Got The Blues'' (duet album with

) (1988) *''

'' (1990) *'' The Way It Has to Be'' (1991) *''

'' (1992) *'' The Witness Tree'' (1994) *''

'' (1997) *'' Beautiful View'' (2001) *'' Café Naturale'' (2004) *''

'' (2008) * '' The Welcome Fire'' (2013) * ''Billie and Me: The White Room Sessions'' (2015)

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwri ...

(APRA). , - ,

APRA Music Awards of 1995 The Australasian Performing Right Association Awards of 1995 (generally known as APRA Awards) are a series of awards held in May 1995. The APRA Music Awards were presented by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and the Australasian ...

, , "Standing Strong" – (Wendy Matthews, Glenn Skinner) , , Most Performed Australian Work , , , -

ARIA Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

are presented annually from 1987 by the

(ARIA). Matthews has won six awards from twenty-two nominations as a solo artist. , - , 1987 , , "

" , ,

, , , - , rowspan="3",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, , rowspan="3", '' You've Always Got The Blues'' (with Kate Ceberano) , , Best Female Artist , , , - , , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , - , ,

ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Jazz Album is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The award for Best Jazz Album was first presented in 1987, when George Golla Orchestra, received a trophy for their album ...

, , , - , rowspan="5",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

, , rowspan="2", ''

'' , , Best Female Artist , , , - , ,

ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Album The ARIA Music Award for Breakthrough ArtistAlbum is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording ...

, , , - , rowspan="2", " (I Don't Want to Be With) Nobody but You – ( Absent Friends featuring Wendy Matthew) , , ARIA Award for Single of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", ARIA Award for Breakthrough Artist – Single , , , - , , " Token Angels" , , , - ,

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engin ...

, , " Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" , , Best Female Artist , , , - , rowspan="5", 1993 , , rowspan="3", ''

'' , ,

Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to: Awards * ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia * Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK * Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US * Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA * Lati ...

, , , - , ,

ARIA Award for Highest Selling Album The ARIA Music Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industr ...

, , , - , , Best Female Artist , , , - , rowspan="2", " The Day You Went Away" , , Single of the Year , , , - , ,

, , , - , rowspan=2",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nels ...

, , " Friday's Child" , , Best Female Artist , , , - , ''Lily'' , , Highest Selling Album , , , - , rowspan="2",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

, , '' The Witness Tree'' , , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , - , ''The Witness Tree'' , , Highest Selling Album , , , - , ,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

, , "Then I Walked Away" , , Best Female Artist , , , - , rowspan="2",

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, , ''

'' , , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , - , ''Ghosts'' except "Halcyon Days" – Tony Espie , , Engineer of the Year , , , - , ,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...

, , '' Beautiful View'' , , Best Adult Contemporary Album , , , - Matthews has also won awards as a member of

) and project (''Stringers'' soundtrack album, ''You've Always Got the Blues – Songs from the ABC TV Series "Stringer"''). , - , rowspan="2",

, , '' Tales of the City'' , , Breakthrough Artist – Album , , , - , '' Stringer'' various Australia (

, Matthews,

Joy Smithers Joy Smithers (born 15 July 1963) is an Australian actress, best known for her acting performances on television, and her role as a television news presenter, such as with MTV Australia in the late 1980s. Her credits include: ''All The Way'', ' ...

) , , Best Original Soundtrack/Cast/Show Album , , , -

Country Music Awards of Australia

The

Country Music Awards of Australia The Country Music Awards of Australia also known as the Golden Guitar Awards (originally named Australasian Country Music Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in Tamworth, New South Wales ...

(CMAA) (also known as the Golden Guitar Awards) is an annual awards night held in January during the Tamworth Country Music Festival, in

Tamworth, New South Wales Tamworth is a city and administrative centre of the north-western region of New South Wales, Australia. Situated on the Peel River within the local government area of the Tamworth Regional Council, it is the largest and most populated city in t ...

, celebrating recording excellence in the Australian country music industry. Matthews has won one awards from one nominations. , - , 2017 , , "F U Cancer" , , Vocal Collaboration of the Year , , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Wendy Matthews won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 1990 , Wendy Matthews , Female Rock Performer of the Year , , -

Rolling Stone Awards

The Rolling Stone Awards. (wins only) , - , 1990 , Wendy Matthews , Best Female Vocalist , , -

References

;General * Note: Archived on-line copy has limited functionality. * Note: on-line version established a
White Room Electronic Publishing Pty Ltd
in 2007 and was expanded from the 2002 edition. ;Specific

External links

* * Wendy Matthews biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Wendy 1960 births Abenaki people Absent Friends (band) members ARIA Award winners Australian women singer-songwriters Australian people of First Nations descent Australian people of Scottish descent Australian people of Spanish descent Canadian emigrants to Australia Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian people of Spanish descent Living people Models (band) members Singers from Montreal Singers from Sydney