A vital figure in British folk, Ian Matthews (also billed as Iain Matthews) was a founding member of the pioneering folk-rock band Fairport Convention before he went on to found his own group, Matthews' Southern Comfort, and later launched a solo career. Matthews possesses a warm, expressive tenor voice and a talent for songwriting. While he drew from British folk traditions in his work, his greatest inspiration came from American country, folk, and roots music, though he would also dabble in soft rock, power pop, and synth pop. 1971's Later That Same Year, his second album with Matthews' Southern Comfort, was a beguiling country-rock set that featured the international hit "Woodstock," 1978's Stealin' Home was informed by L.A. soft rock and included the hit single "Shake It," and both 2014's The Art of Obscurity and 2020's Fake Tan found him delivering strong work five decades into his career.