JOHNNY MATHIS FACTS:
Genre: Pop, Jazz, Soul
Hometown: Gilmer, Texas
Albums: Johnny Mathis (1957); +128 more albums; Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville (2010)
Awards: 3 Grammy Awards, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Hits: "Chances Are," "Gina," "What Will Mary Say," "I'm Coming Home," "When a Child Is Born," "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late"
Other: Recorded over 130 albums, charted 73.
In his more than 50 years in the music industry, Johnny Mathis has been one of the most prolific artists around. As a mainstay in the adult contemporary genre, Mathis has released well over 100 albums and sold more than 350 million albums worldwide, and even at 75 years old, continues to be a popular performer.
Mathis got his start as an up-and-coming 19-year-old who began performing in jazz clubs throughout San Francisco. He recorded his first studio album in 1956, and it was released soon after. Although it failed to have a lasting impact, it would not be long before he would leave an indelible mark on popular music. In 1957, Mathis released a pair of singles, "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "It's Not For Me To Say," the latter of which broke into the top five in the Billboard Top 100 charts.
His success continued throughout the following decade and in 1962 and 1963, the songs "Gina" and "What Will Mary Say" both cracked the top 10. He continued to be a popular act during the '60s, as evidenced by the fact that his 1958 album Johnny's Greatest Hits spent a then-world record 490 weeks on the Billboard album charts.
Mathis remained a popular singer in the '70s as well, and he began to receive more critical acclaim as well. In 1979 he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, and during the 1980s he continued to make regular appearances on such venerable venues as The Tonight Show, a program on which he has performed 33 times.
Though his performing schedule has slowed considerably in the last 10 years, he still manages to get in front of an audience at least 50 times a year. In 2003, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Academy of Recording Arts and Science thanks to his prolific career. He has also had three of his tunes inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Even though it has been nearly 55 years since he broke out on the scene as a teenager in California, Mathis is still very much a relevant force in the music industry. In 2007 and 2008 he made his way back into the charts with
The Very Best of Johnny Mathis and
A Night To Remember, which were substantial hits in the United Kingdom.