Johnny Mathis

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Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis, 1959
Background information
Birth name	John Royce Mathis
Born	September 30, 1935 (age 71)
Origin	Gilmer, Texas United States
Genre(s)	Pop, Jazz, Latin
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	1956–present
Label(s)	Columbia, Mercury
Website	www.JohnnyMathis.com

John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935), known popularly as Johnny Mathis, is an American popular music singer.

The last in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s, Mathis concentrated on romantic jazz and pop standards for the adult contemporary audience through to the 1980s. Starting his career with a standard flurry of singles, Mathis was far more popular as an album artist, with several dozens of his LPs receiving gold and platinum status and over 60 made the Billboard charts.

1 Career
2 Personal life
3 Trivia
4 Quotations
5 Discography
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Career

Johnny Mathis in concert at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California, on May 25, 2006.

Mathis was born as the fourth of seven children in Gilmer, Texas to Clem and Mildred Mathis. The family moved when he was young to Post Street, San Francisco, California where he was raised. His father Clem had worked for a time in vaudeville, and when he saw Johnny's talent surfacing, Clem encouraged it by buying an old upright piano for $25. Clem began teaching his young son songs and routines - his first song was My Blue Heaven.^[1] Johnny started out singing and dancing at home for visitors, and later publicly, at school and church events.^[2]

At age 13, Clem took him to see Connie Cox, a San Francisco Bay Area voice teacher, who agreed to teach the youngster in exchange for his doing odd jobs around her house. Johnny studied with Connie for six years, learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic skills ^[3] He remains one of the very few popular singers who received years of professional voice training that included opera.

At George Washington High School, Johnny was well known not only for his singing abilities, he also became a star athlete on their track and field team, as a high jumper and hurdler, and was on their basketball team - earning four athletic letters. In 1954, Johnny enrolled at San Francisco State College on a scholarship, with the intention of being an English and physical education teacher. Mathis remains an important part of San Francisco State College's sports history—in 1954 he broke future basketball great Bill Russell's high jump record by jumping six feet five inches (1.96 meters). At the time only four Olympic athletes had managed to clear this height. It remains in the top 15 heights ever achieved at the college and in the state.

He was spotted by Helen Noga, owner of The Black Hawk club, at a jam session and she became his manager. In September 1955, after Noga had landed Johnny a job singing weekends at Ann Dee’s 440 Club, she ruthlessly pursued jazz producer George Avakian, who she found out was on vacation in the Bay Area. Avakian came to see Johnny sing, and sent the now famous telegram to Columbia Records: Have found phenomenal 19-year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts^[2]

Mathis' most difficult decision now was deciding whether to go to the Olympic tryouts, to which he had been invited, or to keep an appointment in New York to make his first recordings, which were subsequently released in 1956. With his father's advice, Mathis opted for a recording career and the rest is history. He has never completely abandoned his enthusiasm for sports and today is an avid golfer who has completed five holes-in-one, and has hosted several Johnny Mathis Golf Tournaments in the USA and the United Kingdom. Since 1985 he has been hosting a charity golf tournament in Belfast for environment-despoiling sponsored by Shell corporation, and the annual Johnny Mathis Invitational Track & Field Meet has continued at San Francisco State College since it started in 1982.

His first album Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song was a slow selling jazz album, but Mathis stayed in New York to play the clubs. His second album was produced by Columbia records vice-president and producer Mitch Miller, who defined the Mathis sound - he preferred him to sing soft, romantic ballads. In late 1956, Johnny recorded two of his most popular songs - Wonderful, Wonderful and It's Not For Me To Say. That year MGM signed Mathis to sing the latter song in the 1957 film Lizzie, and shortly afterward he made his second film appearance for 20th Century Fox singing the title song in A Certain Smile -he had small acting roles in both movies as a bar singer. This early cinematic visibility in two successful movies gave him mass exposure. Next, was his appearance on the very popular Ed Sullivan show in 1957 and this helped to seal his stardom. Critics called him The Velvet Voice.^[1]

Johnny Mathis: Casual in White, 1964.

In 1958, Johnny left San Francisco along with the Nogas, and moved to Beverly Hills where he shared a home with them. In 1964, there was a severe downturn in sales for many artists due to The Beatles and the English invasion of in the early 1960s. Around this time Mathis and the Nogas ended their business relationship. Johnny purchased a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, that was originally built by billionaire Howard Hughes, and where he still resides today.

He established Jon Mat Records, Inc. to produce his recordings, and Rojon Productions, Inc. to handle all of his concert, theater, showroom and television appearances, and all promotional and charitable activities. His new manager and business partner was Ray Haughn, who helped guide Johnny's career until his death in September 1984. Since then, Johnny has taken full responsibility for his career, operating from office suites located in Burbank, Los Angeles County, California. With the exception of a three-year break with Mercury Records in the mid-1960s, he has been with Columbia Records throughout his recording career.

Although he is frequently described as a romantic singer, his vast discography includes jazz, traditional pop, Brazilian and Spanish music, Soul, R&B, soft rock, Broadway, Tin Pan Alley standards, some blues and country songs, and even a few disco tunes for his album Mathis Magic (1979). Mathis also remains highly synonymous with holiday music, having recorded 9 Christmas albums. He has recorded over 110 albums^[4] and sold more than 180 million records worldwide. ^[5] He was given the title The Voice Of Romance. Mathis has the distinction of having the longest stay of any recording artist on the Columbia Record label, having been with the label from 1956 to 1963 and from 1968 to the present.

In 1958, Johnny’s Greatest Hits was released and was the first ever Greatest Hits album in the music industry. It began the Greatest Hits tradition copied by every record company. Johnny Greatest Hits spent an unprecedented 490 consecutive weeks or nine and a half years on the Billboard Album Chart; a feat unmatched by any other recording artist in history earning him a place in the Guinness Book Of World Records. He has had five of his albums on the Billboard charts simultaneously, an achievement equaled by only two other singers, Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow. He released 200 singles and had 71 songs charted around the world. He is the third largest album seller and Frank Sinatra's main rival in sales from 1957 to 1987. Mathis is one of only a few recording artist whose career has spanned six decades.

He has received three Grammy awards and six nominations. In 1979, his hit duet The Last Time I Felt Like This from the film Same Time, Next Year was nominated for an Oscar award. Mathis and Jane Olivor sang the song at the Oscar ceremony televised to over 2 billion people around the world. This was his second performance at the Oscar awards - another historic achievement. He has taped twelve of his own television specials and made over 300 television guests appearances with 33 of them being on the Tonight Show. Through the years his songs (or parts of them) have been heard in 100 plus television shows and films around the globe. His appearance on the Live By Request broadcast in May 1998 on the A&E Network had the largest television viewing audience of the series.

Mathis continues to perform but from 2000 onwards has limited his concert engagements to fifty to sixty appearances per year. For 2006, he is scheduled for a UK tour that includes his annual Scottish Golf vacation and attendance at the 2006 Ryder Cup, two stints at his favourite Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas). He still records occasionally and his latest album Isn't It Romantic: The Standards Album (2004) has been enthusiastically received by critics and music buyers. It is no surprise that Tonight Show host Johnny Carson who heard over 2000 singers on his show said: "Johnny Mathis is the best ballad singer in the world."

[edit] Personal life

A 1982 Us Magazine article quoted Mathis as having said, “Homosexuality is a way of life that I've grown accustomed to,” and further confirming a sexual relationship with a male saxophonist. After more than twenty years of silent on the subject, in 2006, Mathis revealed in an interview his silence was due to death threats he received as a result of that 1982 article. ^[6]^[7] On April 13, 2006 Mathis granted a podcast interview with The Strip in which he touched on the subject once again. ^[8]

Mathis enjoys cooking which he learned from his mother. He likes family gatherings with his six brothers and sisters and their families and cooking a tasty five course meal. In the 1970s he published a cookbook.

There were paternity lawsuits in 1960s from his female involvements and in 1974 it was reported in an issue of Coronet Magazine that he was the father of two children (a girl and a boy). Johnny has never publicly commented on this and the court has sealed the lawsuits from public scrutiny.

He is an avid golfer, and in his earlier years he excelled at other sports including high jumping, tennis and basketball.

Among the many organizations that have benefited from his generosity through the years are: The Cancer Society, March Of Dimes, YWCA, YMCA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and NAACP.

[edit] Trivia

Johnny is the first black entertainer to become a millionare before the age of 21 and is one of the wealthiest entertainers in the world.
He is the first entertainer to perform to integrated audiences in South Africa in 1977.
Johnny Mathis has the distinction of being the first recording artist to have a greatest hits album released. The album, simply titled Johnny's Greatest Hits was released in 1958 and peaked at number one in Billboard's Pop Album charts. It would stay on the charts for nearly ten years, a feat unequaled until 1973 by Pink Floyd's album, The Dark Side of the Moon.
His hit When A Child Is Born reached sales of 120,000 copies a day for 28 days in 1976.
Johnny has recorded with a list of artists that includes: Barbra Streisand, Dionne Warwick, Nana Mouscouri, Gladys Knight, Deniece Williams, Angela Bofill, Jane Olivor, Stephanie Lawrence, Henry Mancini, Paulette Mc Williams, Ray Charles Take Six,Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, Michel Legrand, Regina Belle, Liza Minnelli, Toots Thielemans, Lena Horne, Dave Koz, Bette Midler
Mathis sang Over The Rainbow with Ray Charles and was honoured by Ray's request that the song be played at his memorial service.
During his April 13, 2006 interview he reveals that among his close friends are actor Kirk Douglas and former First Lady Nancy Reagan. Regarding the latter, he stated that It's Not For Me To Say is her favorite song.
He has performed for more heads of state than any other performer, with 6 performances at the White House and 2 command performances for the British Royal Family; the Japanese Prime Minister, the President of Liberia and numerous other presidents, royalty and prime ministers.
Johnny was one of the first celebrities to market and be associated with a perfume, Arianne, named after one of his songs way back in the 1970s. Other major advertising ventures included Avon Cosmetics (1974); he was the poster celebrity in a Lauder's Scotch advertisement (1973)and he was the star of the massive GAP Christmas commercial (2002) campaign televised across North America and seen repeatedly by over 200 million people for one month.
American Music Club has a song on their album Mercury that features Johnny as a character, called "Johnny Mathis' Feet". (The song was also covered by The Divine Comedy.)

[edit] Quotations

"In other words, the celebrity gets out of hand, and if you're not careful, you will forget what you are about, and that is you are about making music that people want to hear." - Johnny Mathis
"His voice is one of the most distinctive and instantly recognizable in the world. He epitomizes class and romance." - Frank Sinatra
"Johnny Mathis is the master song salesman." - Bing Crosby
"He's always been one of my favorite singers ever since I saw him on the Ed Sullivan show when I was thirteen years old. It was a thrill singing with him." - Barbra Streisand
"I love the house that I've been living in for over 40 years. I really am a homebody and I still love to play golf. - Johnny Mathis ^[9]

[edit] Discography

Some of his hit songs include:

"Chances Are"
"It's Not for Me to Say"
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
"The Twelfth of Never"
"Wild Is the Wind"
"Heavenly"
"Misty"
"Small World"
"Maria"
"A Certain Smile"
"When Sunny Gets Blue"
"Fly Me To The Moon"
"My Funny Valentine"
"Gina"
"My Love For You"
"Moon River"
"The Impossible Dream"
"Somewhere My Love"
"Love Theme From Romeo And Juliet (A Time For Us)"
"Theme from Love Story (Where Do I Begin)"
"I'm Coming Home"
"When a Child Is Born"
"Feelings"
"What I Did For Love"
"Stardust"
"Gone, Gone, Gone"
"Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" (with Deniece Williams)
"The Last Time I Felt Like This" (with Jane Olivor)
"Friends in Love" (with Dionne Warwick)

Mathis has had much more success as an albums artist. His albums achieved success in part due to their reputation as an accompaniment to lovemaking. Some of his celebrated early albums include:

Johnny Mathis Columbia CL-887
Wonderful, Wonderful Columbia CL-1028
Heavenly Columbia CS-8152
Faithfully
Open Fire, Two Guitars Columbia CL-1270/CS-8056
Warm Columbia CL-1078/CS-8039
Swing Softly Columbia CL-1165/CS-8023
Johnny's Mood
Johnny's Greatest Hits Columbia CL-1133
More Johnny's Greatest Hits Columbia CL-1344/CS-8150
I'll Buy You a Star
Merry Christmas Columbia CL-1195/CS-8021
Those Were The Days
Theme From Romeo And Juliet
Close To You
Love Story
Sings The Music Of Bacharach & Kaempfert
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Song Sung Blue
I'm Coming Home
Me And Mrs. Jones
Killing Me Softly
You Light Up My Life
Feelings
I Only Have Eyes For You
The Heart Of A Woman
The Best Days Of My Life

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b The Incomparable Mr. Johnny Mathis, Station Avenue Productions, 03 April 2006, Retrieved 11 December 2006.
^ ^a ^b Johnny Mathis, Las Vegas Online Entertainment Guide, 2006, Retrieved 11 December 2006.
^ Niemela, Maria (2002). Johnny Mathis Biography, members.aol.com, Retrieved 2 November 2006.
^ Johnny Mathis Recordings JohnnyMathis.com, 20 September 2006.
^ Johnny Mathis doing first UK dates in 12 years, Retrieved 11 December 2006.
^ Report on interview with the Daily Express New York Daily News, 10 March 2006, Retrieved 11 December 2006.
^ Johnny Mathis In Death Threats, FemaleFirst.co.uk, 26 February 2006, Retrieved 11 December 2006..
^ A Johnny Mathis Passover, The Strip, 13 April 2006, Retrieved 11 December 2006.
^ More Johnny Mathis Quotations, BrainyQuote.com, Retrieved 11 December 2006.