Kent:
I’d like to share with you and the FH Readers some thoughts on a iconic singer that has never received the full recognition that he deserves ...
John Royce Mathis.
I started my radio career as a DJ in the 70s and I played lots of Johnny Mathis records. In 1982, my wife and I saw Johnny in concert for the first time in Boston. Johnny was incredible. Every song he delivered sounded exactly like the record. We were invited backstage after the show and discovered Johnny is one of the most down to earth, likeable, personable artists I have ever met in a radio career of almost 50 years.
I hadn’t seen Johnny in concert since 1982 and recently became aware that he was playing his annual gig at New York’s Westbury Music Fair (in-the-round) on Long Island this past weekend.
I looked up his age. Johnny is going to be 87 next month. "OMG!," I said, "I have to see him again while he’s still touring." (Although I sincerely hope he continues to tour for years to come, one knows what the odds are when you’re approaching 87 years young.)
As I did some internet research to read recent reviews for Johnny since he returned to the road on this end of the pandemic, I found they were glowing. Paul McCartney is 80. Paul Simon is 80. Brian Wilson is 80. As talented as they are, none of those three singers sound as good as they did decades ago. Age eventually effects all of us, although some sooner than others.
These reviewers said that Johnny’s voice is frozen in time. You listen in disbelief that someone’s voice hasn’t changed in a career as long as Johnny’s.
Well, after seeing his 90 minute performance Saturday night, add me to the list of fans who was blown away by this man’s vocal gift.
Johnny made his first record with Columbia Records in 1956. He left for four years in the 60s to go to Mercury Records and then returned. In total years, no artist has been on the Columbia roster for more years than Johnny Mathis.
Guinness Music Writer and chart historian Paul Gambaccini says Johnny has sold over 400 million albums worldwide since the 50s and he is the third best selling artist of the 20th century. He’s behind Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
In concert, Johnny does just about all the hits you’d expect to hear and the instrumentation behind him is spot on. It’s provided by a 25 piece orchestra. I’ve attend my share of concerts in my time and I can’t even remember the last time I saw a pop star have an orchestra of that size.
In addition to the hits, he throws in some unexpected surprises. He does a show-stopping acoustic version of the Beatles “Yesterday” combined with Helen Reddy’s “You and Me Against the World.”
After being blown away by Johnny’s singing at Westbury, I did some research on him and found the following facts fascinating:
Johnny Carson called Mathis “the best ballad singer in the world”
To many, Johnny is considered the Voice of Christmas along with Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra
Johnny was the first artist in the music business to ever release a “Greatest Hits album.” It remained on the Billboard Album charts for well over a decade.
Johnny has released six Christmas albums.
Johnny has had two # 1 songs: “Chances Are” in 1957 and his duet with Deniece Williams in 1978, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.”
He has received five Grammy nominations
Three of his hits are in the Grammy Hall of Fame: Chances Are, Misty and It’s Not For Me To Say
Johnny is a class act, a gentleman and is one of the greatest vocalists of our lifetime. Do yourself a favor, if you get to see him in concert in the near future — go for it!
-- Tom Cuddy
