Musicians Corner Feature – E.J. Mathews
E.J. Mathews is originally from Atlanta, Texas, a small rural community of Bivens in Cass County located near Leek Creek and the Louisiana state line. When his parents divorced years ago, he moved to Oklahoma and graduated from school before heading back to the great state of Texas. Mathews worked as a truck driver for years but now he is currently employed with the DeSoto Texas Independent School District.
EJ’s first musical influence was his grandfather who was from South Georgia. Grandfather Zan loved listening to country and blues and played slide guitar with his pocket knife. He showed EJ how to play and told him to always stay authentic and original.
Mathews definitely followed his Grandfather’s advice and says his musical style is a blend of blues with a touch of country mixed in and sometimes a little rap. His musical influences also included Lightnin’ Hopkins and Howlin’ Wolf. EJ’s voice has often been compared to that of Howlin Wolf’s too. He has written over a hundred songs and fans have said his music sounds like swamp boogie and country blues. Mathews says “It’s just me, it’s my kind of music.” He loves to tell a story through his music and that’s the same philosophy he uses when writing a song such as “Down On The Creek (Ford Pickup).” EJ has been known to grab any type of paper at any time of day or night when a song comes to him so that he can jot it down. Sometimes he will sing a new song into his cellphone.
EJ has released 3 CDs; Welcome to The Backwoods (2015), King of the Barnyard (2017) and I Didn’t Choose the Boogie, The Boogie Chose Me, 2020. He released the EP White Lightning Christmas in 2019 and also has released a handful of singles. Look for 2 new albums in 2022; one band and one solo. EJ’s song “I Like Thick Women” is in the documentary “Bay Area God Fathers II” which can be viewed on Amazon Prime.
EJ’s lifelong dream of being a musician still keeps calling though many would say that he has arrived. EJ is one of the latest Texas Blues musicians whose music has caught on all over the world. He’s been playing in the U.S. and Internationally at venues and festivals. He recently played the Lucerne Blues Festival in Switzerland 2021. Here in North Texas, we get the pleasure of being able to catch him at venues like Bucky Moonshine’s in Deep Ellum Dallas, Guitars & Growlers in Richardson and The Third Rail at the Vin Hotel in Grapevine to name a few. He’s also played a number of festivals in Texas as well like East Side Kings in Austin and the KNON Blues Festival in Dallas.
You can follow EJ Mathews on Facebook and Instagram so you too can catch his authentic fresh groove. His live shows are the best and he will transport you to the Piney Back Woods and you’ll enjoy every minute of it.