Jake's Biography

Jake Mathews has always been surrounded by country music. Growing up in a certain Ontario town (immortalized by Stompin' Tom Connors in a song celebrating its wild Saturday nights), singer-songwriter Jake Mathews was influenced at an early age by the traditional sounds of country's legends. "I grew up listening to a lot of Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and George Jones. Also my dad is one of 20 children, and most of my uncles play guitar. So when we'd get together we'd pass the guitar around and play songs", recalls the Sudbury native who now lives in Calgary. That homegrown experience paved the way for Jake as a performer. He developed his own stage presence and performing style through extensive local and regional appearances on the Ontario circuit, building a following there. About five years ago, after a trip to Alberta, Jake decided to make the move to Calgary. "Originally, I just came out for a month to visit friends," he recalls. "I'd always wanted to come out West, and I'd heard good things about Calgary. Once I was out here I fell in love with the people and the city, and decided to stay." Jake has not only made his home in Calgary, but has also seen his career blossom with his move to the city dubbed "Canada's Nashville". In late 1997, at a songwriting event, Jake caught the ear of Nashville songwriter Rick Beresford who was impressed with Jake's material and invited him to Nashville. While there, Jake got to write with some of country music's best tunesmiths including Wayne Carson (Always On My Mind, The Letter), Roger Cook (I Just Want To Dance With You, I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing) and Red Lane (New Looks From An Old Lover, Miss Emily's Picture). Jake continued making trips to Nashville to develop his songwriting and in 1998 got the opportunity every songwriter dreams of…to play the world-renowned Bluebird Café. Jake was invited to perform a 45-minute set of his songs and was extremely excited to have that chance. "The funny thing was that while I played my songs I couldn't help but think, whoa, I'm playing the Bluebird," he recalls. "I never thought I'd be there, be part of that singer/songwriter tradition." In that same year Jake's performance at the New Artist Showcase during Canadian Country Music Week caught the attention of the who's who in country music and was lauded as one of the best showcases of the year. Jake continued to write songs and perform at clubs and festivals across Canada and built a loyal fan base that anxiously awaited his debut album. Recording an album is not something that he wanted to rush into. In the fall of 2000 Jake began to work in earnest on his debut album, slowly building a collection of songs, which would not only represent his own high standards, but would be worth the wait for his fans. Working with Canadian producer Louis Sedmak (Duane Steele, The Poverty Plainsmen), they gathered songs from some of Canada's top writers (Steve Fox, Lisa Brokop, and Joel Feeney) as well as handpicking five songs written or co-written by Jake. In March of 2001, the first single was released nationally to country radio. Country programmers warmly received the single "I'll Do You One Better" and Jake's initial release was a Top 20 hit, staying on the charts for over six months. At Country Music Week 2001 in Calgary, Jake Mathews signed a distribution deal with Royalty Records. R. Harlan Smith, President of Royalty, welcomed Jake to the roster, which now includes Lisa Brokop, John Landry, Duane Steele, Rick Tippe and Kenny Hess. Jake followed up the success of his first single with 2 other Top 20 radio hits including "That's How Long" and "Rush" as well as a Top 20 video on CMT. He also released a single and video for "You Put Me Together Again". His current single "I'm Gone" is sure to be another Top 20 hit.

Biography courtesy of Jake Mathews Official Website