Wendy Matthews is a Canadian-born Australian adult contemporary singer and songwriter.McFarlane 'Wendy Matthews' entry. Retrieved 7 August 2010. Her discography consists of nine studio albums, two live albums, two compilation albums, four video albums and twenty-four singles.
Matthews started recording as a session and jingles singer in Los Angeles in 1981, one of her early vocals was for "Willow Pattern" which appeared on Osamu Kitajima's album Dragon King in 1982. Further session work was followed by touring Australia with Glenn Shorrock (ex-Little River Band) into 1983. Matthews relocated to Sydney and continued her session work and joined bands including Models in 1985, Rockmelons in 1988 and Absent Friends in 1989. Matthews also supplied vocals for Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) TV series, Dancing Daze (1986), she supplied lead vocals on four tracks for the related soundtrack, Dancing Daze – Rock and three singles, "Dancing Daze" (duet with Jenny Morris), "Dare to Be Bold" and "Might Have Been" (trio with Morris and Mark Williams). A second ABC TV series was Stringer (1987), where Matthews and Kate Ceberano released a duet album, You've Always Got the Blues – Songs from the ABC TV Series "Stringer" in 1988. The album peaked in the Top 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart. N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.
Matthews released her debut solo studio album Émigré in 1990, which peaked at No. 11 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Albums Studio albums TitleDetailsPeak chart positionsCertifications(sales thresholds) AUSAustralian chart peaks: Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 12 June 1988: N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA) peaks from 13 June 1988: Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: "T.K.O.", "Say a Prayer", "Big", "Free" and "Like the Sun" (ARIA) peaks: "Love Will Keep Me Alive" (ARIA) peak: N.B. The HP column displays the highest position reached. All ARIA peaks to 12 July 2022: N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.ÉmigréReleased: November 1990 Label: RooART (846 649-2) Formats: CD, cassette 11ARIA: PlatinumLilyReleased: 28 September 1992 Label: RooArt (4509905472) Formats: CD, cassette 2ARIA: 3× PlatinumThe Witness TreeReleased: 14 November 1994 Label: RooArt (4509983912) Formats: CD, cassette 16ARIA: PlatinumGhostsReleased: 25 August 1997 Label: BMG Australia (74321510092) Formats: CD, cassette 43Beautiful ViewReleased: 17 July 2001 Label: BMG Australia (74321861512) Formats: CD 36Café NaturaleReleased: 31 May 2004 Label: BMG Australia (82876617202) Formats: CD, digital download 42SheReleased: 8 November 2008 Label: Barking Bear/MGM (9324690032587) Formats: CD, digital download —The Welcome FireReleased: 13 August 2013 Label: Ambition Entertainment/EMI Australia Formats: CD, digital download 31Billie and Me: The White Room SessionsReleased: 27 July 2015 Label: Barking Bear Formats: CD — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
As featured artist albums Title DetailsAwakening (Hiroshi Sato featuring Wendy Matthews)Released: 1982 (Japan) Label: Alfa (ALC-28035) Formats: CD, cassette
Live albums TitleDetailsPeak chart positions AUS N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.The Way It Has to BeReleased: October 1991 Label: RooART (510 408-2) Formats: CD, cassette 102Live at Mudgee RSL '91 and Bunnamah Estate '94Released: 7 May 2021 Label: Black Box Records/ MGM Distribution Formats: CD (limited), digital —
Soundtracks TitleDetailsPeak chart positionsCertifications(sales thresholds) AUSDancing Daze(by Jenny Morris, Wendy Matthews, Mark Williams, Marc Hunter & Jane Clifton)Released: February 1986 Label: ABC Music (RML 53191) Formats: LP, Cassette —Illusion(by Mark Williams, Wendy Matthews, Martin Armiger & Peter Blakeley)Released: 1986 Label: ABC Music (L 38529) Formats: LP —You've Always Got the Blues – Songs from the ABC TV Series "Stringer"(with Kate Ceberano)Released: April 1988 Label: ABC Music (L 38863) Formats: CD, cassette 7ARIA: Platinum "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Compilation albums TitleDetailsPeak chart positionsCertifications(sales thresholds) AUSStepping Stones: The Best of Wendy MatthewsReleased: 15 March 1999 Label: BMG Australia (74321648252) Formats: CD, cassette 4ARIA: PlatinumThe Essential Wendy MatthewsReleased: 2007 Label: Sony BMG (88697120052) Formats: CD, digital download — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Video albums Year DetailsLive at the Sydney Opera House Released: 1994 Label: BMG Australia (1120811-4) Format: VideoGhosts EPK Released: 1998 Label: BMG Australia Format: VideoStepping Stones - Best of Released: 1999 Label: BMG Australia (74321650202) Format: VideoStepping Stones - Best of Released: 2003 Label: BMG Australia (82876566769) Format: DVD
Singles + List of singles as credited artist, with Australian chart positions and certifications Year Single Peak chart positions Album AUS1986"Dancing Daze"(with Jenny Morris) —Dancing Daze"Dare to Be Bold" —"Might Have Been"(with Morris and Mark Williams) —1988"You've Always Got the Blues"(with Kate Ceberano) —You've Always Got the Blues"Guilty (Through Neglect)"(with Ceberano) —"Jump"(Rockmelons featuring Wendy Matthews) — Tales of the City (Rockmelons album)1990"I Don't Want to Be with Nobody but You"(Absent Friends featuring Wendy Matthews)4Here's Looking Up Your Address (Absent Friends album)"Token Angels"18Émigré1991"Woman's Gotta Have It"34"Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)"141992"The Day You Went Away"2Lily1993"Friday's Child"15"If Only I Could"41"T.K.O."1181994"Standing Strong"37The Witness Tree1995"Love Will Keep Me Alive"68"Say a Prayer"—1997"Then I Walked Away"75Ghosts"Big"2001998"Beloved"491999"I've Got to Have You"127Stepping Stones2000"Day by Day"200 Godspell (Australian Cast Recording)"Free"131Beautiful View2001"Beautiful View"88"Like the Sun"1952008"Fallen Angels"—She2013"Amelia"—The Welcome Fire"Keeping My Distance"—2016"F U Cancer" (with Catherine Britt with Kasey Chambers, Beccy Cole, Lyn Bowtell, Josh Pyke, Wes Carr & Wendy Matthews)—non-album single2019"Help Is on Its Way" (with Glenn Shorrock, The McClymonts, Beccy Cole, Jasmine Rae, Travis Collins, Busby Marou and Fanny Lumsden)—non-album single "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Other appearances YearSongArtistAlbum1982"Willow Pattern"Osamu KitajimaDragon King1982"Say Goodbye"Hiroshi SatoAwakening1987"Oh! Darling"ModelsNon-album single1989"Skye Boat Song"various artistsFive"The Sound of the Wind"various artistsSix"Golden Slumbers" (with Rick Price)various artistsZzzero"Hallelujah" Absent FriendsHere's Looking Up Your Address1990"Hullabaloo""Harmony"1993"Silent Night"various artistsThe Spirit of Christmas 19931998"Here Am I"various artistsGood Vibrations – A Concert for Marc Hunter – The Live Event2000"Pure Inspiration"various artistsOlympic Record2001"White Christmas"various artistsThe Spirit of Christmas 20012009"Day You Went Away"PhraseClockwork2009"Easy"Adam HarveyBoth Sides Now2010"Flower on the Water"John WilliamsonAbsolute Greatest: 40 Years True Blue 2025 "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" Swanee Believe
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