Valhalla Music

Songwriter Matthews returns to his roots for Saturday concert
By Doug Clark, Assistant Editor, Sampson Independent

CLINTON, NC — After writing songs for himself, as well as many top
artists and paying his dues for six years in Nashville, Sampson County native Jason Matthews hit paydirt when Billy Currington picked up his sensual “Must Be Doin’ Something Right” two years ago. The song shot to No. 1 on the country music charts and was certified gold by the RIAA.

The song brought Matthews into a new light, including winning him numerous awards, one being Music Row’s Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year.

“It changed everything for me,” said Matthews during a telephone interview from his home in Nashville. “It was a validation for me that let me know all the hard work and sacrifice I put in over the years paid off.”

Matthews has a songwriting deal with Universal Music. His wife of eight years, Debbie, has an independent plugging company called Valhalla Music Group, which also promotes Matthews.

When Matthews graduated from Wallace-Rose Hill High School back in 1990, he had already left an indelible impression on his teachers. “He was really talented — even back then,” said former drama teacher and friend Luanne Wells Davis. “He played guitar in the pit band and he was really, really dedicated. More than that, he was just a very fine young man.”

So it was no surprise when Matthews called his former teacher five years later and told her he was thinking about giving up his teaching career at New Bern High School to pursue his dream as a singer/songwriter.

“I told him to do it,” Davis said. “He had that yearning inside of him to do it. I wanted him to know that he needed to at least try because if he didn’t he would regret it for the rest of his life. He had this restlessness in his heart and he couldn’t quell it until he went to Nashville.”

Matthews turned in his resignation and headed to Music City. It was a decision that changed his life, albeit a frightening one. “All I had was a dream,” he said. “I kind of got confirmation from someone in Nashville, who let me know they thought that I was good enough to be there. I put in my resignation and I was ready to go, but I didn’t really have the means to go, so I had to hang around for a couple months. My mother convinced my father to give me a little bit of money to move to Nashville ... It was really scary because I don’t like to drive that much and I am from nowhere and Nashville was just huge to me. I was terrified. But that is part of life man, you have to get out there and grab it and growl.”

Once in Nashville, Matthews hooked up with writers and comedy duo Pinkard and Bowden and did odd jobs for them. In return, Sandy Pinkard taught him to hone his craft.

“Anybody that is reading this article and wants to be a songwriter, I don’t want to leave them with the idea that this is easy,” he said. “It is the hardest thing that I have had to do in my life — There are a lot of dues to be paid. But if this is what your life is meant to be, then you must do it. There is no question about, is this hard or the sacrifices you have to make. You don’t consider those things, because it is what you are. You are meant to do those things and you have to satisfy that urge to do it.”

It was a long way from when the Harrells Store native first got the urge to pick up a guitar after seeing Eric Clapton play on television. “I started writing when I was in fourth or fifth grade— poems and stuff,” he said. “Early on, when I started writing, I thought of it as a form of therapy — like a journal. When I was 15 years old, I saw a BBC biography special on Clapton and it had a lot of performance footage in there and I was just blown away. From then on, I had to learn how to play guitar. Clapton approaches guitar playing the same way that I approach songwriting — you watch Eric Clapton and you can tell he is a very emotional player, his soul is coming through those fingers and you can hear that. And that is what I try to do in writing songs. The way I look at it is, if you are not moving someone’s mind, their heart or their legs, if your are not moving something, you have failed. You have to make people think, you have to make them feel. If you are not doing those things, put your pen down and go do something else.”

It is very rare that an artist, once successful, comes back home specifically to share his gift with the community that nurtured him. But that is exactly what Matthews has done.

Just after the begining of the school year, Matthews returned to his alma mater, Wallace-Rose Hill High School, and taught a songwriters workshop to a class, hosted by teacher Sharon Moore. At the workshop, Matthews went over his technique as a writer, sang songs and issued a challenge to the students — to write a song for a songwriting contest.

“It was a great experience,” said Moore. “He spoke to the kids in the workshop and really inspired them ... I was very impressed.” Moore said she was floored when the children knew of Matthews’ work. “That was the great thing, because they instantly identified with him,” she said. “He taught them about a lot of things that day, but most importantly, they knew that he came from this school. It all started with his dream and it is important to follow that.”

The workshop took an unexpected, emotional turn when Matthews launched into his song “That’s What Mama’s Do.” A student was so overwrought with emotion that Moore had to comfort the teen. “The student’s mother had passed away not too long before,” explains Moore. “She just broke down and a lot of others did too. Jason told me he felt really bad about it, but he didn’t know. But it proved the point of how much of an effect a song — a good one — can have on someone — it was a very, very powerful moment and I don’t think that I will ever forget it.”

After that, the budding songwriters hit the ground running, getting their songs ready to submit.

The songs submitted for the contest were whittled down to 10, but the final one will be announced this Saturday night when Matthews returns home to play his show with Roxie Dean at the Wallace-Rose Hill Fine Arts Center (on the campus of WRH) .It is presented by WRH Friends of the Arts, a program that is bringing arts to the children of the area. All profits from the show will be used to provide programs for the children of the Wallace and Rose Hill area schools. The winner of the contest will actually sing the winning song handpicked by Matthews.

“It is very exciting for me,” said Matthews. “You know these kids were very talented. They are really poets. The songs that I got, I was very impressed with. You can not believe how much talent is in this area.I want them to keep going. Hopefully, this is just some fuel for the tank.”

The winner of the contest will open the show that starts at 7:30 p.m. For Matthews, he is happy to be back home.

“All my family is down there,” he said. “ Last year, I was invited to be the grand marshal at a parade in Garland. It was awesome. For somebody to think that much of you is awesome. I really enjoyed it and it was a great honor for me. It was really cool to play in front of my friends and family like that ... I am absolutely excited about Saturday night. I love getting the chance to play for people, especially people from my home. Aside from songwriting, there is nothing that I enjoy more than getting and being able to play for the people.”

And Matthews hopes that his visits will be more frequent. “I don’t want this to be the last thing that I do,” he said. “I want to do more in the future (for the kids).”

For more information on Jason’s CD’s “Eponymous” and “The Red Album”
click onto www.valhallamusic.net or JasonMatthews.net.

For ticket information for Saturday’s show call 910-285-8919 .
To reach Doug Clark call 592-8137 ext. 139 or email to
sisports@intrstar.net.