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Matthews Southern Comfort
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Matthews Southern Comfort is a British group that plays country rock and folk rock. The singer Iain Matthews, who had previously been in Fairport Convention, started the band in 1970 so that he could go on tour with his solo album Matthews' Southern Comfort. The band included, among others, the guitarists Mark Griffiths and Carl Barnwell and Gordon Huntley on pedal steel, the guitar that lies flat and makes the gliding country sound. The group became known for its three-part harmony singing.
Music and breakthrough
Still in 1970 the albums Second Spring and Later That Same Year followed. The breakthrough came with a version of Woodstock by Joni Mitchell, first played for a session at the BBC. The single was released in July 1970 and reached number 1 in England in October. In America the version by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was more successful. Where they turned it into an electric rock number, Matthews Southern Comfort opted for a calm, gentle performance.
Influence
Matthews did not enjoy the success. He had no desire for media attention and did not want to be labelled a country rocker. In November 1970 he quit, just before a gig in Birmingham. The others carried on as Southern Comfort, while Matthews began a long solo career in America. Since 2010 the name has existed again, with mainly Dutch musicians; Kind of New (2010), Like a Radio (2018) and The New Mine (2020) have appeared in this way.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1969Second Spring
- 1970Later That Same Year
- 1970Matthews' Southern Comfort
- 2010Kind of New
- 2018Like a Radio
- 2020The New Mine
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 2: Youth Cultures 1950-1980NL Reader