Johnny Mathis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnny Mathis
Mathis in 1960
Background information
Birth name	John Royce Mathis
Born	(1935-09-30) September 30, 1935 (age 89) Gilmer, Texas, U.S.
Origin	San Francisco, California, U.S
Genres	Traditional Pop jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1956–present
Labels	Columbia His Master's Voice Fontana Mercury

John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is a famous American singer. He has had a very long career, lasting over 69 years! Johnny Mathis is one of the best-selling music artists of the 20th century. Many of his albums sold millions of copies, earning "gold" or "platinum" awards. He had 73 albums appear on the Billboard music charts.

Mathis has won a special Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also has three of his songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame. People often call him a romantic singer. But he has sung many types of music. These include traditional pop, jazz, Latin American, and even some disco songs. He has also released seven albums of Christmas music.

Early Life and School

Johnny Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, on September 30, 1935. He was the fourth of seven children. His parents, Clem Mathis and Mildred Boyd, were both cooks. Johnny Mathis is African-American. He has also shared that he has Native American family on his mother's side.

When Johnny was five, his family moved to San Francisco. They settled in the Richmond District. Johnny grew up there and was very active at George Washington High School. He loved to sing for his classmates. Everyone could see he had a special singing talent, even when he was young.

Johnny's father used to sing and play piano in shows. He saw his son's talent and bought an old piano for $25. He really encouraged Johnny to follow his musical dreams. Johnny learned many songs and routines from his dad. His parents even ran his first fan club! Johnny's first song was "My Blue Heaven". He often sang and danced for visitors at home, school, and church events.

When Johnny was 13, a voice teacher named Connie Cox agreed to teach him. She taught him in exchange for housework. Johnny studied with Ms. Cox for six years. He learned vocal scales, exercises, and how to sing classical and opera music. His first band was with his high school friend, Merl Saunders. Johnny later thanked Merl for giving him that first chance to sing.

Johnny Mathis was also a great athlete at George Washington High School. He was good at high jump, hurdles, and basketball. In 1954, he went to San Francisco State College on a sports scholarship. He played basketball and ran track. He planned to become an English and physical education teacher.

At college, he set a high jump record of 1.97 meters. This is still one of the college's best jump heights. It was only 7 centimeters short of the 1952 Olympic record. Johnny Mathis and future basketball star Bill Russell were even in a newspaper article in 1954. They showed off their high-jumping skills. At that time, Russell was number one in San Francisco, and Mathis was number two.

Music Career

Getting Started in Music

One day, Johnny was singing at a jazz club in San Francisco. The club's co-founder, Helen Noga, heard him. She became his music manager. She helped him get a job singing on weekends at another club. In September 1955, Helen Noga learned that George Avakian from Columbia Records was on vacation nearby. She convinced him to listen to Johnny sing.

After hearing Johnny, Mr. Avakian sent a telegram to his record company. It said: "Have found phenomenal 19-year-old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts."

Johnny Mathis was also asked to try out for the U.S. Olympic Team in high jump. This was for the 1956 Olympics. But his father advised him to choose singing instead. So, Johnny decided to become a professional singer.

Johnny's first album was called Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song. It was a jazz album and sold slowly. But he kept singing in nightclubs in New York City. His second album was produced by Mitch Miller. Mitch Miller helped create the "Mathis sound." He wanted Johnny to sing soft, romantic songs.

In late 1956, Johnny recorded two of his most famous songs: "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "It's Not for Me to Say". That same year, a movie studio asked him to sing "It's Not for Me to Say" in the movie Lizzie.

Becoming a Star

Mathis signing autographs in 1959

In June 1957, Johnny Mathis appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show on TV. This made him even more popular. Later that year, he released "Chances Are". This was his second song to sell over one million copies. In November, he released "Wild Is the Wind". This song was in a movie of the same name. It was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Johnny performed the song at the awards show in March 1958.

Just before the Academy Awards, his album Johnny's Greatest Hits was released. This album stayed on the Billboard top 200 album charts for an amazing 490 weeks! That's almost nine and a half years. It was the record for the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart for 15 years.

In 1958, Johnny Mathis was in another movie. He sang "A Certain Smile" in the film of the same name. This song was also nominated for an Academy Award. By the end of that year, Johnny was earning a lot of money. Critics called him "the velvet voice." In 1959, he released his album Heavenly. It was number one on the Billboard album chart for five weeks.

In 1962, Ebony magazine listed Johnny Mathis as one of the richest African-American people in America. He had two more big hits in 1962 and 1963: "Gina" and "What Will Mary Say".

Later Career

Mathis in 1974

Johnny Mathis kept making music. In 1976, he had a Christmas number one song in the UK with "When a Child Is Born". Two years later, he recorded "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" with singer Deniece Williams. This song became number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. It was also a hit in Canada and the UK. It was his first number one hit since "Chances Are."

Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams also released another song together, "You're All I Need to Get By". Because their duets were so popular, Johnny Mathis recorded songs with many other singers. These included Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, and Gladys Knight.

Recent Years

Mathis performing in 2006

Johnny Mathis continued to perform live for many years. Starting in 2000, he limited his concerts to about 50 to 60 per year. He was one of the last pop singers to travel with his own full orchestra. He often performed with comedians Gary Mule Deer and Brad Upton.

On January 14, 2016, Johnny Mathis performed for a sold-out crowd in The Villages, Florida. This was part of his 60th Anniversary Concert Tour.

On March 26, 2025, it was announced that Johnny Mathis would retire from touring in May 2025. He performed all his scheduled concerts until then. On May 18, 2025, Mathis performed his final concert at the Bergen Performing Arts Center.

Career Achievements

Johnny Mathis, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen are some of Columbia Records' longest-working artists. Except for a four-year break in the mid-1960s, Mathis has been with Columbia Records his whole career.

Five of Johnny Mathis's albums have been on the Billboard charts at the same time. Only three other singers have done this: Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, and Prince. Mathis has released 200 singles and had 71 songs appear on charts worldwide.

Other Appearances

Johnny Mathis has filmed 12 of his own TV specials. He has also appeared as a guest on TV shows over 300 times. He was on The Tonight Show 54 times! Tonight Show host Johnny Carson once said, "Johnny Mathis is the best ballad singer in the world." On March 29, 2007, Mathis appeared on the show with Jay Leno. He sang "The Shadow of Your Smile" with saxophonist Dave Koz.

Over the years, parts of Johnny Mathis's songs have been in more than 100 TV shows and films. His 1998 appearance on the Live by Request TV show had the largest audience for that series. In 1989, Mathis sang the theme song for the ABC soap opera Loving.

Mathis was the narrator for '51 Dons. This was a 2014 documentary film. It was about the integrated and undefeated 1951 San Francisco Dons football team. The team was not allowed to play in a bowl game. This was because they refused to agree not to play their two African-American players. These players, Ollie Matson and Burl Toler, were childhood friends of Mathis.

Johnny Mathis also played himself in the Season 14 finale of Criminal Minds. He also played himself in the 2017 film Just Getting Started.

Hobbies and Interests

Even though he missed the Olympic high-jump trials, Johnny Mathis still loves sports. He is a very keen golfer. He has even made nine holes-in-one! Mathis has also hosted several Johnny Mathis Golf Tournaments. Since 1985, he has hosted a charity golf tournament in Belfast. The annual Johnny Mathis Invitational Track & Field Meet has also continued at San Francisco State University since 1982. Johnny Mathis also enjoys cooking. He even published a cookbook called Cooking for You Alone in 1982.

Johnny Mathis has supported many organizations. These include the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, the YWCA and YMCA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the NAACP.

Mathis became a Catholic.

In November 2015, Johnny Mathis returned home from a concert. He found his Hollywood house destroyed by a fire. He had owned it for 56 years. On January 17, 2023, heavy storms caused a landslide near his rebuilt home in Hollywood Hills. The landslide damaged his property and cut off utilities.

Awards and Honors

Grammys

In 2003, Johnny Mathis received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This special award is given to performers who have made amazing creative contributions to music during their lives.

Grammy Hall of Fame

Mathis has been honored in the Grammy Hall of Fame for three of his songs:

Great American Songbook Hall of Fame

On June 21, 2014, Johnny Mathis was added to the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame. This honor celebrates performers and composers who created America's famous songs.

Other Awards

On June 1, 1972, Johnny Mathis received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This was for his contributions to music. Six years later, his duet "The Last Time I Felt Like This" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Mathis and Jane Olivor sang the song at the Academy Awards ceremony. This was his second time performing at the Oscars.

Mathis also received the Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2007, he was added to the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 2011, Mathis received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. This award was presented by General Colin Powell.

In 2017, San Francisco State University gave Mathis an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. He had attended San Francisco State for three semesters before starting his music career in 1956.

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Johnny Mathis para niños