 One of the last and most popular in a long line of traditional male vocalists
who emerged before the rock-dominated 1960s,
Johnny Mathis concentrated on romantic readings
of jazz and pop standards for the ever-shrinking adult contemporary audience of
the '60s and '70s. Though he debuted with a flurry of singles-chart activity,
Johnny Mathis later made it big in the album market, where a dozen of his LPs hit
gold or platinum and over 60 made the charts. While he concentrated on
theme-oriented albums of show tunes and traditional favorites during the '60s,
he began incorporating soft rock by the '70s and remained a popular concert
attraction well into the '90s.
Unsurprisingly, given his emphasis on long sustained notes and heavy vibrato,
Johnny Mathis studied with an opera coach prior to his teenage years, and
was almost lured into the profession; his other inspirations were the smoother
crossover jazz vocalists of the 1940s --
Nat "King" Cole,
Billy Eckstine, and
Lena Horne.
Johnny Mathis was an exceptional high school athlete in San Francisco, but was
wooed away from a college track scholarship and a potential spot on the Olympic
squad by the chance to sing. He was signed to a management contract by club
owner Helen Noga, who introduced the singer to
George Avakian, jazz producer for Columbia Records.
Avakian signed him and used orchestras conducted by
Teo Macero,
Gil Evans, and
John Lewis to record
Johnny Mathis' self-titled debut album in 1957. Despite the name talent and choice
of standards, it was mostly ignored upon release.
Columbia A&R executive
Mitch Miller -- known for his desperately pop-slanted Sing Along albums and
TV show -- decided the only recourse was switching
Johnny Mathis to
Miller's brand of pop balladry, and the formula worked like a charm; the LP
Wonderful, Wonderful didn't include but was named after a Top 20 hit later in
1957, which was followed by the number five "It's Not for Me to Say" and his
first number one, "Chances Are." From that point on,
Johnny Mathis concentrated strictly on lush ballads for adult contemporary
listeners.
Though he charted consistently, massive hit singles were rare for
Johnny Mathis during the late '50s and '60s -- half of his career Top Ten
output had occurred in 1957 alone -- so he chose to focus instead on the
burgeoning album market, much like
Frank Sinatra, his main rival during the late '50s as the most popular
traditional male vocalist.
Johnny Mathis moved away from show tunes and traditional pop into soft rock during
the '70s, and found his second number one single, "Too Much, Too Little, Too
Late," in 1978. Recorded as a duet with
Deniece Williams, the single prompted
Johnny Mathis to begin trying duets with a variety of partners (including
Dionne Warwick,
Natalie Cole,
Gladys Knight, and
Nana Mouskouri), though none of the singles enjoyed the success of the
original.
Johnny Mathis continued to release and sell albums throughout the '90s -- his fifth
decade of recording for Columbia -- among them 1998's Because You Loved Me:
Songs of Diane Warren and 2000's Johnny Mathis on Broadway. In 2005,
Johnny Mathis turned in a new direction with the inspirational titled Passion for
Jesus. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book
Johnny Mathis for your next corporate or private event.
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