His father, Erwin Matter, was a lawyer, his mother, the Dutch woman Wilhelmina Matter-de Haan, was a secretary.

Growing up in Bern, he started to perform his own chansons in contemporary Bernese German at local venues and on the radio; he accompanied himself on the guitar.

He was killed in a car accident on his way to a concert and is buried in the Bremgartenfriedhof in Bern.

His Bernese German songs remain very popular in the Swiss German speaking part of Switzerland, and Matter is a great influence on the dialect music scene in Bern, and his songs are frequently covered.

[2] Mani Matter's chansons are often taught at school (including classes for adults wanting to learn Bernese German) and are famous for their soft irony.