ABBA

Baritone from Pulaski, Kentucky, who started out singing with his brother and father, a traveling preacher. He and his brother, who billed themselves creatively as the Matthews Brothers, decided to start their own band.

Along with Culley Holt and Bob Hubbard, Bill and Monty Matthews founded The Jordanaires in 1948 in Springfield, Missouri. It was not long before the quartet moved to Nashville, Tennessee. The following year, they were already playing The Grand Ole Opry, backing Red Foley.

One of their earliest recordings was “I Want to Rest”, which they released on the Capitol label in October 1950. Another was 1951’s “Swing Down Chariot”, which they recorded with pianist Gordon Stoker. (Stoker would become a fixture in The Jordanaires.)

By 1953, Bill and Monty Matthews had left The Jordanaires. They still owned the rights to the name, though, so the new members billed themselves as The Foggy River Boys until they had enough money to buy the name The Jordanaires. In 1954, Bill and Monty took the name The Foggy River Boys and hired Charlie Hodge to sing lead. Alas, the Matthews brothers, who had started The Jordanaires, did not enjoy their same success.

Monty continued to work in the recording studio with his son Randy in the 1970s. He helped him remix Albrecht, Roley and Moore’s 1977 release, Gently Flowing Feeling. In 1980, he sang backing vocals on Randy’s self-titled effort.

The CD era offers a number of opportunities to hear Monty as a member of the Jordanaires, including The Singing Ranger compilations of Hank Snow. In part because of these early efforts, Monty is enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and the Vocal Music Hall of Fame Foundation, along with the rest of the Jordanaires.

He passed away on 5^th April 2005 at the age of seventy-seven. His music lives on, not only on vinyl, but on paper. Monty is responsible for writing “Peace in the Valley”, which is based on a “traditional” melody, and was recorded by Elvis Presley, and for co-writing “Glory, Glory, Clear the Road”.

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