Salome Bey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salome Bey
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 10, 1933 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 2020 (aged 86) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Soul, Jazz, Gospel |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocalist |
| Years active | 1964–2011 |
| Associated acts | Horace Silver, Andy Bey |
Salome Bey CM (born October 10, 1933 – died August 8, 2020) was a talented singer, songwriter, and actress. She was born in America but moved to Toronto, Canada, in 1966 and became a Canadian citizen.
In 2005, she received a special honor called the Order of Canada for her amazing work. Later, in 2022, Canada Post released a postage stamp to celebrate her contributions to Canadian music and theatre.
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Salome Bey's Early Life and Career
Salome Bey grew up in a middle-class African-American family in New Jersey. She formed a singing group with her brother Andy Bey and sister Geraldine Bey (de Haas). They called themselves Andy and the Bey Sisters.
The group performed in local clubs and toured across North America and Europe. Salome Bey moved to Toronto in 1964. She quickly became famous in the city's jazz clubs. People soon called her "Canada's First Lady of Blues."
Broadway and Awards
Salome Bey performed on Broadway in a show called Your Arms Too Short to Box with God. Her work on the cast album for this show earned her a nomination for a Grammy Award.
She also created a special blues and jazz show called Indigo. This show told the story of black music. It won her a Dora Mavor Moore Award for outstanding performance. The show was even filmed for TV.
Salome Bey recorded two albums with the famous musician Horace Silver. She also released live albums from her performances with the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir and at the Montreux Jazz Festival.
Working with Northern Lights
In 1985, Salome Bey was part of a Canadian supergroup called Northern Lights. This group recorded a charity song titled "Tears Are Not Enough".
You can see her in the music video for the song. She sings the line "Every woman, child and man" alongside Mark Holmes and Lorraine Segato.
Recognitions and Later Years
Salome Bey received the Toronto Arts Award in 1992 for her contributions to performing arts. In 1996, she earned the Martin Luther King Jr. Award for her lifetime achievements from the Black Theatre Workshop in Montreal.
Later in her life, Salome Bey faced health challenges. By 2011, her illness made it impossible for her to perform anymore. She was also a member of Artists Against Racism, a Canadian charity.
Salome Bey's Family Life
Salome Bey married Howard Berkeley Matthews on April 7, 1964. Howard was known for his work with Dave Mann, Archie Alleyne, and John Henry Jackson. They owned a soul food restaurant in Toronto called The Underground Railroad.
Salome and Howard had three children. Their daughters include the singer SATE, who was also known as Saidah Baba Talibah. Another daughter is the singer and artist Jacintha Tuku Matthews, known as tUkU.
Howard Matthews passed away in August 2016 at the age of 80. Salome Bey passed away on August 8, 2020, when she was 86 years old.
