Paul Matters
{{Short description|Australian musician (1952–2020)}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Paul Matters
| origin =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1952|10|14|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Toronto, New South Wales, Australia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|10|14|1952|10|14|df=yes}}
| death_place = Toronto, New South Wales, Australia
| instrument = Bass guitar
| genre = Rock
| occupation = Musician
| years_active = 1968–1975
| label =
| past_member_of = AC/DC, Armageddon
}}
Paul Matters (14 October 1952 – 14 October 2020) was a bassist for the Australian rock band AC/DC in 1975, joining the group after the recording of their debut album High Voltage. He was fired by lead singer Bon Scott several weeks after joining the group and replaced by Mark Evans.Fink, Jesse, Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of Bon Scott and AC/DC's Back In Black, pgs 104–105.
Career
Born in Toronto, New South Wales, Matters was the bassist of Newcastle band Armageddon{{cite web|url=http://www.tucanlive.com/Armageddon/ArmageddonBio.htm|title=Armageddon|work=tucanlive.com|access-date=1 October 2020}} until parting ways with the group in 1974 over what drummer Les Gully described to AC/DC biographer Jesse Fink as "musical differences".{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} Matters was hired by AC/DC and performed live on tour in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney, but had not taken part in the recording of the group's debut album, which was recorded before his recruitment, and was then sacked from the group.{{Cite web |url=http://www.themusicnetwork.com/vale-paul-matters/index.html |title=Australian Bassist Paul Matters, an Early Member of AC/DC, Has Died |author=staff writer |website=The Music Network |date=19 October 2020 |via=National Library of Australia |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20201208214353/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/141729/20201209-0000/themusicnetwork.com/vale-paul-matters/index.html |archive-date=9 December 2020 |access-date=31 December 2023 }}
According to Gully, Matters "didn't fit the values of the Young [brothers] oligarchy. ... He didn't really fit, had strong opinions and sensitivity, and played just what he liked."Fink, Jesse, "Bon Scott and the Mystery of Paul Matters", bonthelasthighway.com, 1 September 2017 Matters only gave one press interview following his sacking by AC/DC in 1975, to Fink for the book Bon: The Last Highway, in which he claimed that he was "a bit lazy" and "a bit cranky" but did not have enough money to eat: "I didn't have any food in my stomach. They [management] didn't give us any money to buy food or anything."
Matters quit music after his departure from AC/DC in 1975. He lived on a disability pension for the rest of his life.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
Death
Matters died of heart disease in his hometown of Toronto on 14 October 2020, his 68th birthday.{{cite web|title=Former AC/DC Bassist Paul Matters Dies|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-ac-dc-bassist-paul-matters-dies/|date=October 14, 2020|access-date=October 14, 2020|website=blabbermouth.net}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/6973625/torontos-acdc-star-remembered/|title=Lake Macquarie's former AC/DC and Armageddon bass guitarist Paul Matters farewelled|author=Leeson, Josh|date=18 October 2020|accessdate=1 June 2021|work=The Newcastle Herald}}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- Fink, Jesse, Bon: The Last Highway: The Untold Story of Bon Scott and AC/DC's Back In Black, Penguin Random House Australia, 2017
{{AC/DC}}
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