In Memoriam: Paul Matters
Early AC/DC bassist Paul Matters has passed away from undisclosed causes. The news was shared by longtime friend Rod Wescombe.
“Shocked and sad to hear of the passing of Paul Matters,” he wrote. “I first met Paul in 1973 when he was playing bass in ‘Armageddon’ at a gig in Hamilton, Newcastle N.S.W… I moved to Sunshine on the lake further south and Paul would drop in to chill whenever he was in the area. I recall he could always make me laugh when he was in the mood.”
Matters laid down the low end in Armageddon prior to joining AC/DC in 1975. His stint with the legendary Australian rockers came just after the recording of their debut album, High Voltage, and he took part in the subsequent tour in Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. He was fired shortly after by singer Bon Scott.
In a rare interview with band biographer Jesse Fink for the book Bon: The Last Highway, Matters admitted he was “a bit lazy” and “a bit cranky” because band management was not paying them. “I didn’t have any food in my stomach. [Management] didn’t give us any money to buy food or anything,” he said. After leaving the band, Matters quit music altogether.
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Paul Matters.
