Cerys Matthews

Cerys Matthews
Background information
Born	11 April 1969 (1969-04-11) (age 42)
Origin	Cardiff, Wales
Genres	Alternative rock Britpop Indie rock Folk rock Pop rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1990–present
Associated acts	Catatonia
Website	cerysmatthews.co.uk

Cerys Elizabeth Matthews ( /ˈkɛrɪs/; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer and songwriter. She is known as the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Catatonia, her more recent bilingual solo career, and for a 1998 Christmas duet with Tom Jones.

Biography

Matthews was born in Cardiff and brought up in Swansea and Pembrokeshire, and is a fluent Welsh speaker and multi-instrumentalist. She has cited her childhood heroes as being Pippi Longstocking and The Wombles due to their love of recycling. She learned to play the guitar at the age of nine, teaching herself blues and Irish folk songs. After a stint in Spain as a nanny, where she learned to speak Spanish and Catalan, Matthews worked for the Pembrokeshire County Council. She later moved back to Cardiff and became involved with the local music scene, meeting Mark Roberts. She currently resides in London with her children Glenys Pearl y Felin (born 10 August 2003), Johnny Tupelo Jones (born August 2005), and Red (born 23 November 2009). Her son Red was born eight weeks premature.

Catatonia

Catatonia was formed in 1992, reputedly after Roberts heard Cerys Matthews busking in a street in Cardiff city centre. This later turned out to be a story fabricated by the band, as Matthews had known Roberts for some time, although they did often go busking. She subsequently sang lead vocals on, and co-wrote the music and lyrics for, the band's hits. Songs she co-wrote included "You've Got a Lot to Answer For", "Mulder and Scully", "Dead From the Waist Down", and "Road Rage". Matthews also played guitar on the earlier material before second guitarist Owen Powell joined the band. She also performed a single with the band Space named "The Ballad of Tom Jones", which tells the story of two lovers who want to kill each other, but then hear a Tom Jones song that defuses their homicidal feelings. Matthews later collaborated with Jones to record a version of Frank Loesser's "Baby, It's Cold Outside" on Jones' album Reload. Matthews was voted the "Sexiest Female in Rock" in a 1999 readers' poll in the now defunct magazine Melody Maker.^[1]

Catatonia's split

After Catatonia's rise to fame with their second album International Velvet, and subsequent success with Equally Cursed And Blessed, the band returned in 2001 with their fourth studio album Paper Scissors Stone. During promotional appearances for this album it became clear that Matthews was not happy.^{[citation needed]} On 21 September 2001, the band officially split.^[2]

Sali Mali cartoon series

In December 2001, Matthews returned to the recording studio for the first time since Catatonia split up. She recorded a song in both English and Welsh for the pre-school cartoon series Sali Mali.^[3]

Mink Car

Matthews provided guest vocals on the track "Cyclops Rock", from US alternative rock band They Might Be Giants 2001 album "Mink Car". Her line was originally supposed to be done by Joe Strummer of The Clash.^[4]

Nashville

Matthews moved to Nashville, Tennessee in the early summer of 2002. On her arrival she began playing with Bucky Baxter, who had played lap steel guitar for Bob Dylan and Ryan Adams. She had already collected seventy-six traditional folk songs with the idea of making an album of folk covers. Her debut album, Cockahoop, ended up consisting mainly of her own songs. It was recorded in seven months and appeared on Blanco y Negro Records in the UK in May 2003. Whilst recording this album she met Seth Riddle, whom she married in Pembrokeshire in February 2003.^[5] She toured the album around Britain with minimal promotion as she was several months pregnant at the time. The album's Stateside Records release followed in October 2004.

In December 2005, Matthews recorded a new version of Len Barry's 1960s UK top 10 hit "1-2-3" in Nashville. She released it as a download-single with all profits going to a children's charity.^[6][7]

In spring 2006, Matthews introduced material from her upcoming album at SXSW in Austin, Texas.^{[citation needed]}

Never Said Goodbye album

In July and August 2006 Matthews conducted a short tour of the UK to promote her new second solo album, Never Said Goodbye. The new album was preceded by the single "Open Roads" (released 7 August 2006). Band members included Kevin Teel on guitar, Ben Elkins playing keyboards, Mason Neely on drums, and Jeff Irwin playing bass. She headlined Cardiff's Big Weekend festival on 6 August 2006.

During September and October 2006, Matthews embarked on an extensive UK and Ireland tour, during which she played tracks from her first two solo albums as well as three Catatonia hits. She also embarked upon a short acoustic Welsh tour in November 2006 before returning to Nashville for Christmas.

Matthews appeared at the live 'Guilty Pleasures' concert at the Hackney Empire, London on 20 March 2007. She performed the Bonnie Tyler hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and the Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers duet "Islands in the Stream" along with Terry Hall and the BBC Concert Orchestra

In an interview on the eve of the launch of her Welsh mini-album Awyren = Aeroplane, Matthews confirmed she had divorced from Riddle and temporarily moved back to her farm in Pembrokeshire.^[8][9] Awyren = Aeroplane won her the 'Contemporary Composition' award in the National Eisteddfod. The award had been resurrected and presented for the first time since 1936.

In 2007 Matthews became Vice-President of the Welsh homelessness charity Shelter Cymru.^[10] She also accepted a role of Performing Arts Ambassador for Linden Lodge School, Surrey in the same year.

I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here (Series 7)

Matthews appeared on the 2007 series of ITV's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!, which aired from 12 to 30 November. She was voted off on 29 November, one day before the final episode, coming fourth behind Jason 'J' Brown, Janice Dickinson and the eventual winner of the series, Christopher Biggins. Matthews became involved with fellow contestant Marc Bannerman after the show, but they split four months later.^{[citation needed]}

NME Shockwaves Awards and Big Gig 2008

Matthews joined the Welsh band Manic Street Preachers onstage at The O2 on 28 February 2008 to sing the female vocals of their 2007 hit "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough". She replaced Nina Persson in both the awards ceremony (within indigO2) and at the following 'Big Gig' live show (within The O2 arena).

Radio

From November 2008 Matthews sat in for Stephen Merchant and Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music and went on to present George Lamb's slot in April 2009. In May 2009 she presented show A Month of Sundays With... Cerys Matthews. She then covered for Nemone on 6 Music from July 2009 while Nemone was on maternity leave. Her show Cerys on 6 included virtual radio roadtrips^{[clarification needed]}, musical challenges and back-to-school features on subjects including the boll weevil, the Vietnam War, the Bo Diddley beat and Hildegard von Bingen. Matthews began maternity leave from November 2009 and had to finish presenting the show a month early. On 4 April 2010, Matthews returned to 6 Music to present a weekend show on Sunday mornings. She spoke out in 2010 after the (now-abandoned) proposed closure of BBC 6 Music, calling for the decision to be reversed.

Don't Look Down: Paid Edrych i Lawr album and tour

Matthews released her first CD in two years on 5 October 2009. The album, entitled Don't Look Down, was released in two versions, one in English and the other in Welsh (the title of the Welsh edition was Paid Edrych i Lawr). It was recorded in Providence, Rhode Island, Nashville, Seattle and London and coincided with a two-week sold-out UK tour in October.

Other

After covering the Glastonbury Festival for both BBC Television and BBC 6 Music, she wrote and presented a BBC Two programme on Celtic poetry, a documentary on singer Dorothy Squires, and music of the Mississippi River. She also wrote and presented a documentary on early blues players like Memphis Minnie, also a documentary on Pippi Longstocking both for Radio 4.

TIR 2010

On 21 June Matthews released 'TIR', a collection of traditional Welsh songs and photographs from the late 19th century to early 1930s.^{[citation needed]} They include Calon Lân, Cwm Rhondda, Migldi-Magldi (sung as a duet with Bryn Terfel), Myfanwy and Sospan Fach. This is the third release on her own label of Rainbow City.

Explorer 2011

"Explorer " is the title of Cerys' fourth solo album and in both choosing and writing the songs she has sub consciously delved into the huge influence of not just all the music she has heard, but the places she has been around the globe, and by the times we live in, but most importantly made an album that over the seven days of recording had no pre determined sound or calculated format. On the 28 April 2011, a video was released through Matthews' official YouTube Page ^[11] of the Lead single from Explorer, Sweet Magnolia. Explorer is set to be released 2 May 2011, through the online store Earthquake ^[12]

Solo discography

Albums

• Cockahoop (UK #30, 5 weeks on Chart) (Blanco y Negro - 2003)
• Never Said Goodbye (Rough Trade - 2006)
• Awyren = Aeroplane (mini-album) (My Kung Fu 030 - 2007)
• Don't Look Down/Paid Edrych i Lawr (Rainbow City Recordings - 2009)
• "Tir" (Rainbow City Recordings - 2010)
• "Explorer" (Rainbow City Recordings - 2011)

Compilation albums

• Brand New Boots and Panties (2001) - contributed "If I Was With a Woman"
• Songs for the Young at Heart (2007) - contributed "White Horses", the theme song to The White Horses
• Listen to Bob Dylan: A Tribute - contributed "I Believe in You", a Bob Dylan song from Slow Train Coming
• Over the Rainbow (2007) - contributed "Secret Love"

Singles

• 1998 "The Ballad of Tom Jones" (with Space) UK #4
• 1999 "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (with Tom Jones) UK #17
• 2003 "Caught In The Middle" UK #47
• 2005 "1-2-3"
• 2006 "Open Roads" UK #53
• 2007 "Some Kind of Wonderful" (with Aled Jones) (Universal Records)
• 2009 "Arlington Way" (Rainbow City Records)
• 2010 "Into The Blue"/"Mae Angen Llong Ar Gapten" (Rainbow City Records)
• 2011 "Sweet Magnolia" (Rainbow City Records) ^[11]

Catatonia discography

Studio albums

Year	Details	Peak chart position					Certifications (sales thresholds)
		UK [13]	AUS [14]	GER [15]	IRL [16]	NZL [17]
1996	Way Beyond Blue Released: 30 September 1996 Label: Blanco y Negro	32	—	—	—	—
1998	International Velvet Released: Feb 1998 Label: Blanco y Negro/WEA	1	27	—	39	32	UK: 3x Platinum[18]
1999	Equally Cursed and Blessed Released: 28 March 2000 Label: Blanco y Negro/Atlantic	1	48	—	—	28	UK: Platinum[18]
2001	Paper Scissors Stone Released: 6 August 2001 Label: Blanco y Negro	6	—	55	37	—	UK: Silver[18]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilation albums

Year	Details	Peak chart position					Certifications (sales thresholds)
		UK [13]	AUS [14]	GER [15]	IRL [16]	NZL [17]
1995	The Sublime Magic of Catatonia Released: 1995 Label: Nursery	—	—	—	—	—
1998	The Crai-EPs 1993/1994 Released: 19 October 1999 Label: Crai/M.I.L. Multimedia	—	—	—	—	—
2002	Greatest Hits Released: 15 October 2002 Label: WEA	24	—	—	43	—
2006	Platinum Collection Released: 21 March 2006 Label: WEA	—	—	—	—	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles and EPs

Year		Title	Peak chart positions				Album
			UK [13][19]	AUS [14]	IRL [20]	NZL [17]
1993	May	"For Tinkerbell" (EP)	—	—	—	—	Non-album EP
1994	Jun	"Hooked" (EP)	—	—	—	—	The Sublime Magic of Catatonia
	Sep	"Whale" (vinyl-only)	—	—	—	—
1995	Jan	"Bleed"	158	—	—	—
	Dec	"Christmas '95" (fan club vinyl)1	—	—	—	—	Non-album single
1996	Apr	"Sweet Catatonia"	61	—	—	—	Way Beyond Blue
	Jul	"Lost Cat"	41	—	—	—
	Oct	"Bleed" (re-issue)	46	—	—	—
1997	Feb	"You've Got A Lot To Answer For"	35	—	—	—
	Oct	"I Am the Mob"	40	—	—	—	International Velvet
1998	Jan	"Mulder and Scully"	3	—	17	—
	May	"Road Rage"	5	40	29	—
	Jul	"Strange Glue"	11	—	—	—
	Oct	"Game On"	33	—	—	—
1999	Apr	"Dead From the Waist Down"	7	—	—	44	Equally Cursed and Blessed
	Jul	"Londinium"	20	—	—	—
	Oct	"Karaoke Queen"	36	—	—	—
2000	Mar	"Storm the Palace" (EP)	—	—	—	—
2001	Sep	"Stone by Stone"	19	—	—	—	Paper Scissors Stone
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

• ¹ - The A-side being "Blow the Millennium, Blow".

Miscellaneous and promos

• "Tourist" (Japan EP) - 1996
• "A's & B's Of Catatonia" (Promo EP) - 1998

References

1. ^ A star is reborn The independent
2. ^ Troubled Catatonia split up BBC News
3. ^ Cartoon Sali Mali joins Channel 4 BBC News 28 July 2009 Retrieved 23 November 2009
4. ^ http://tmbw.net/wiki/Cerys_Matthews
5. ^ Cerys arrives for wedding on tractor BBC Wales - 22 February 2003
6. ^ http://www.jmcreative.net/ "1-2-3" download
7. ^ http://www.jmcreative.tv/result/videoitem/105.jsp?v=7&n=62 "1-2-3 (For a Very Good Reason)" commercial film
8. ^ Divorced Cerys returns to Wales BBC Wales - 15 October 2007
9. ^ "Cerys and Marc in Pembrokeshire". BBC. 8 December 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7134228.stm. 
10. ^ Morton, Cole (14 October 2007). "Cerys Matthews: 'My marriage is over. I'm coming home'". The Independent. http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article3058866.ece. 
11. ^ ^{a b} "cerysofficialYoutube". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEoBnBr3_Vk&feature=feedu2. 
12. ^ "Earthquakeweb". http://www.earthquakeltd.com/cerys_explorer.htm. 
13. ^ ^{a b c} "British chart positions". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=7652. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
14. ^ ^{a b c} "Australian chart positions". australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Catatonia. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
15. ^ ^{a b} "German album positions". musicline.de. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/artist/CATATONIA/longplay. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
16. ^ ^{a b} "Irish chart positions". irish-charts.com. http://irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Catatonia. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
17. ^ ^{a b c} "New Zealand chart positions". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Catatonia. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
18. ^ ^{a b c} "British certificates: searchable database". bpi.co.uk. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
19. ^ "UK Chartlog: Chris C. – CZR". zobbel.de. http://zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_C.HTM. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 
20. ^ "Irish singles positions". irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 3 March 2010. 

Other sources

• Garvey, Jane (8 October 2007). "Woman's Hour" (Real Audio). BBC Radio 4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2007_41_mon.shtml. 

External links

• Official website
• Official MySpace page
• Cerys Matthews at the Internet Movie Database
• August 2006 interview with Matthews
• Cerys Matthews Interview
• BBC Wales Music - Matthews microsite

Persondata
Name	Matthews, Cerys
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	11 April 1969
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death