Amy Records: Is He Really Mine?

In Britain, they call American R&B releases that never reached mainstream prominence as “Northern Soul” records. One of those Northern Soul artists that recorded for Amy Records in the US was Shirley Matthews. A Canadian by birth, Matthews was discovered in 1963 and was whisked to New York City to record some sides for Atlantic.

While her first single failed to chart in the US, “Big-Town Boy” was a Top 10 hit in Canada. All in all, Matthews released two singles for Atlantic and two for Amy Records. “Is He Really Mine?” is our selected recording today. While not the “A” side, “Is He Really Mine?” was the flip of her first single on Amy: “(He Makes Me Feel) So Pretty.” The single was released in September 1964.

Matthews’ four singles failed to chart in the US, but they remain popular among the UK Northern Soul crowd and the records are often sought after by collectors. Although she won a Juno Award for Artist of the Year of 1964 in Canada, she was little known elsewhere.

Matthews left the music business upon her marriage to Jim Vedder in 1967. She was president and CEO of a chain of racquet and fitness clubs in Canada prior to her 2013 death.