Johnny Mathis Interview & Live Performance Highlights (SD) Podcast Insights

Johnny Mathis was only 19 years old when a Columbia Records executive heard him singing in a San Francisco nightclub and decided to sign the teenage singer on the spot. After his first album, recorded in a jazz style, failed to register with the public, producer Mitch Miller guided Mathis to a more straightforward romantic sound, leading to hits like "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "It's Not for Me to Say." A series of appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show made Mathis a national star, and at age 22 he had the number one record in the country, "Chances Are." In 1958, only two years into his recording career, he became the first artist to release a "Greatest Hits" collection. One of the best-selling records of all time, "Johnny's Greatest Hits" inaugurated the custom of "Greatest Hits" collections that continues to this day. Johnny Mathis continued to record Top 40 hits in each of the first four decades of his career, reaching number one again in 1978 with "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late." His velvet voice and impeccable phrasing have captured the hearts of listeners the world over. His mastery of American song has earned him the enduring affection of his public and the profound respect of his peers, who have honored him with the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, and a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame. For half a century, through all the changes in musical fashion, Johnny Mathis has sounded a pure note of romance, and brought magic to millions.