Ian Matthews

During his stylistically diverse and often convoluted career, Iain Matthews (born Ian Matthews MacDonald -- he changed his last name in 1968 and then the spelling of his first name in 1989 to reflect his Celtic roots) has seen commercial success, major-label deals, and numerous bands come and go, and then come and go again, while always bouncing back in one way or another. After time spent with a couple of local bands (the Classics and the Rebels) in his hometown of Scunthorpe, he moved to London where he began his recording career in 1966 with the surf group Pyramid. The band recorded one single for Deram Records, but never really went any further and Matthews (then still known as Ian MacDonald) left after he was brought to the attention of Ashley Hutchings, who happened to be looking for a male singer for his new band Fairport Convention. He remained with Fairport for two albums, including the folk-rock classic What We Did on Our Holidays, before leaving during the recording of 1969's Unhalfbricking (his backing vocal can be heard on "Percy's Song") due to creative differences. By the time of his second and last record with the band, he became known as Ian Matthews, changing his name to avoid confusion with King Crimson's Ian MacDonald. Matthews soon signed with MCA Records for his first solo effort, Matthews Southern Comfort (1970), which featured former Fairport bandmates Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol. He eventually formed a band of the same name, recording two albums for MCA and scoring a number one U.K. hit with their version of Joni Mitchell's "Woodstock." In November of 1970, at the height of the band's popularity, Matthews left, abruptly walking off-stage during a show in Oxford. Shortly thereafter, a deal with Mercury Records subsidiary Vertigo resulted in...