George Matthews

Who was George Matthews?

George Matthews was a jazz trombonist.

Matthews's father was a guitarist; Matthews himself was adept on tuba and trumpet as well as trombone. He received classical training in New York City and played with local dance and jazz bands before joining Tiny Bradshaw's group in the early 1930s. He worked later in the 1930s with Willie Bryant, Louis Armstrong, Chick Webb, and Ella Fitzgerald. After World War II Matthews worked extensively with Count Basie, then joined Erskine Hawkins's group in the early 1950s. In the 1960s he played with Lucille Dixon and Clark Terry, among others.