Shirley Matthews

For the US born singer, see Sherlie Matthews.
Shirley Matthews
Born(1942-10-08)October 8, 1942
Harrow, Ontario, Canada
DiedJanuary 8, 2013(2013-01-08) (aged 70)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresPop
Occupations
  • Singer
  • CEO
Labels

Shirley Matthews (October 8th,1942 – January 8th, 2013) was a Canadian pop singer.

Matthews sang in a church choir and at high school dances prior to embarking on a career in music. She worked in a Bell Telephone office while singing nights at the Club Bluenote in Toronto.[1] Her debut single, "Big Town Boy", was a major hit in Canada in 1964, selling over a million copies.[2] She won the RPM Gold Leaf Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1964.[1] Later singles failed to duplicate "Big Town Boy"'s success.

"Big Town Boy" debuted on 1050 CHUM in Toronto on 2 December 1963, the same day as the Beatles' "She Loves You".[3]

In 1967, she married, taking the name Shirley Vedder, and quit the music industry, eventually becoming the CEO of a chain of racquetball and sports fitness clubs.[1]

On January 8, 2013, Matthews died in Toronto, Ontario.[4]

  1. ^ a b c Shirley Matthews[usurped] in the Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Shirley Matthews at Allmusic
  3. ^ http://www.las-solanas.com/surveys/CHUM/CHUM_1963-12-02_1.JPG [bare URL image file]
  4. ^ "Shirley Vedder - Tuesday, January 8th, 2013". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2013-09-13.