Johnnie mae matthews biography graphic organizer

Don't be deceived, she's far more than a blues singer, Johnnie Mae Matthews. This exceptional, still-young woman 39 years old has been, and remains, a talent scout, manager, and producer of nascent black talent for close to twenty years and was one of the first black women to go into the music business in Detroit. Johnnie Mae, like so many other black artists, started off singing in church, as a nine-year-old child down South.

Johnnie Mae Matthews (December 31,

Her first professional job was singing spirituals and playing piano with her sister for the Smith and Gaston Funeral Home - the radio broadcast coming live from Birmingham, Alabama. During the second World War, the duo travelled nationwide performing for and sustaining servicemen of all persuasions and creeds at the far flung bases of our armed services.

Barely 22 years old, Ms. Matthews began managing rhythm and blues acts in Detroit, her home now, in Johnnie Mae Matthews even "helped Berry Gordy to get over" by introducing the unknown young man to all the influential disc jockeys and local entrepreneurs of the day. She currently produces Black Nasty for Stax Records - a family affair: the group includes Johnnie Mae's daughter Audrey, vocals; and son Chuck, bandleader.

Now as you read back over that extraordinary list of accomplishments you've got to wonder why it is that you've probably never heard of Johnnie Mae Matthews before. When I asked her about this curious phenomenon Johnnie replied, "Well, Sweetheart, really I didn't get my propers". Johnnie Mae Matthews Parent Issue. Ann Arbor Sun, September 6, OCR Text.