Johnnie Mae Matthews (December 31, 1922 – January 6, 2002) was an
American blues and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer from
Bessemer, Alabama. Known as the “Godmother of Detroit Soul” and as the first
African American female to own and operate her own record label (Northern Recording Company) she was an early influence on the careers of many of the now-famous recording stars who began their careers in
Detroit, Michigan such as
Otis Williams,
David Ruffin, and
Richard Street of the
Temptations,
Jimmy Ruffin,
Joe Hunter of the
Funk Brothers Band,
Richard Wylie,
Norman Whitfield,
Berry Gordy, founder of
Motown Records,
Timmy Shaw,
Barbara Lewis,
Bettye LaVette and many more.
Johnnie Mae Matthews was born December 31, 1922, in
Bessemer, Alabama. She learned to sing in her church choir, and also performed with her mother at military bases throughout the Deep South. When she was twelve years old, the family relocated to
New Jersey, and in 1947 Matthews left her parents home and moved to
Detroit, Michigan where she married and started her own family. In 1957 she joined a local quintet called the Five Dapps, assuming lead vocals on "You're So Unfaithful," which was the B-side of their 1958 debut single, "Do Wop a Do". The Instrumental backing on the record was done by pianist
Joe Hunter, who would frequently collaborate with Matthews in the years to follow, and later led Motown's famed studio band, the Funk Brothers
1950s.
In 1958, Matthews formed her own record label, dubbed the “Northern Recording Company”. Headquartered in an office at 2608 Blaine in Detroit, just a few blocks from her home, she used $85 borrowed from her husband's paycheck to become the first
African-American woman to own and operate her own label. With sessions typically recorded at either nearby “Special Studio” or at radio station
WCHB, Northern Recording Company was largely used as a vehicle to launch her own solo recording career. Her first release, "Dreamer", in 1959, was credited to “Johnnie Mae Matthews & the Daps”. Her follow-up single, "Mr. Fine", featured on its B-side, a song named "Someday", which was a solo tune by local singer Chet Oliver.
Motown Records founder,
Berry Gordy has often credited Matthews with teaching him the ropes of the recording industry. He acknowledged her assistance in helping land a distribution deal with “
Chess Records” for “
The Miracles” 1959 hit "
Bad Girl". Matthews also fostered the early careers of such future Motown stars as David and
Jimmy Ruffin. Some say that she is the un-credited author of
Mary Wells’ breakthrough hit, "Bye Bye Baby." It's impossible to know how differently Matthews' own recording career might have turned out had she accepted any of invitations of
Berry Gordy to record for Motown, particularly during the mid-'60s, when she was delivering some of her finest material, most notably "Lonely You'll Be" and "Cut Me Loose," in 1967, the latter of which was subsequently licensed for national distribution on the
Atco Records label.
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1960s
In her 1960 tune, "So Lonely," Matthews dropped the Dapps altogether. She then, quickly followed up with her second solo, "Ooh Wee Baby." On both of these recordings she was backed by a band called the “Groovers”, a group that was led by
Joe Hunter, and also included bassist
James Jamerson, guitarist
Eddie Willis, saxophonist Eli Fontaine, and drummer
Uriel Jones, all of who would become staples of
Motown's greatest sessions as members of the, now famous,
Funk Brothers Band. Northern also nurtured the early career of
Richard Wylie whose backup group, the Mohawks, included
Norman Whitfield who later became one of Motown's most visionary songwriters and producers.
Also in 1960 the label issued "Come On," the debut single by “The Distants” who were later renamed “
The Temptations”. In time, Northern spun off a series of sister labels, most notably “Reel”, which was the label of several of Ms. Matthews’ singles, such as "Oh, Baby", "No One Can Love Me the Way You Do", "The Headshrinker", and "Come Home", all of which were released in 1961. In 1963 Reel issued "I Don't Want Your Love", a duet that paired Matthews and
Timmy Shaw, her longtime songwriting collaborator who is best known for his 1964 solo effort "Gonna Send You Back to walking", a song which was later recorded by “
The Animals” and a few other artists. However, Matthews' biggest hit, "My Special Angel", in 1962, appeared, not on her own labels, but rather, on the New York-based “
Sue Records” label.
In 1963 she hired manager Ollie McLaughlin, who had previously launched the career of “
Barbara Lewis”. McLaughlin brought Matthews to the attention of
Mercury Records’ new
Blue Rock subsidiary, where he eventually produced both of her singles for that label, "Baby, What's Wrong", and "My Man (The Sweetest Man in the World)". He also produced her lone “Spokane” label effort, "Worried About You".During the late '60s Matthews also cut a series of excellent singles for her “Big Hit” label, including "I Have No Choice", "My Momma Didn't Lie", and "Don't Be Discouraged".
1970s
However, as the decade of the sixties came to a close, so did Northern Recording Company and all of her subsidiaries, and as the 1970s were being ushered in, Matthews turned her attention to “Black Nasty” an up and coming funk group that featured two of her children, Artwell and Aubrey. In 1973, Matthews produced the band's only album, “Talking to the People”, which was released on the “Stax” record label.
“Black Nasty” was later renamed “The ADC Band” and the group resurfaced in 1978 with the R&B smash "Long Stroke". Encouraged by their success, Matthews revived Northern Recording Company around this time, with the ADC Band supplying the musical backing on the disco-inspired tune "It's Good", which was later re-issued on the “
Cotillion Records” label for national distribution. After one final Northern effort, 1980s "I Can Feel It," she closed the label for good, effectively ending her recording career.
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Death
Matthews died after a long bout with cancer on January 6, 2002. She was 79 years old.
