50 Facts About Johnny Mathis

John Royce Mathis was born on September 30,1935 and is an American singer who is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century.

Johnny Mathis has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three recordings.

Johnny Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, on September 30,1935, the fourth of seven children of Clem Johnny Mathis and Mildred Boyd, both domestic cooks.

Johnny Mathis is African-American and has said that he has Native American ancestry on his mother's side.

The family moved to San Francisco when Johnny Mathis was five, settling on 32nd Avenue in the Richmond District, where Johnny Mathis grew up.

Johnny Mathis' father worked in vaudeville as a singer and pianist, and on realizing his son's talent, bought an old upright piano for $25 and encouraged his musical pursuits.

Johnny Mathis began learning songs and routines from his father; his parents ran his fan club.

When Johnny Mathis was 13, voice teacher Connie Cox accepted him as her student in exchange for housework.

Johnny Mathis studied with Cox for six years, learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, and classical and operatic singing.

Johnny Mathis eulogized Saunders at his funeral in 2008, thanking him for that first chance to be a singer.

Johnny Mathis was a star athlete at George Washington High School in San Francisco.

Johnny Mathis was a high jumper, hurdler, and basketball player.

In 1954, Johnny Mathis enrolled at San Francisco State College on an athletic scholarship, competing in both basketball and track and intending to become an English and physical education teacher.

Johnny Mathis became his music manager and found Mathis a job singing weekends at Ann Dee's 440 Club.

At San Francisco State, Johnny Mathis became noteworthy as a high jumper, and he was asked to try out for the US Olympic Team that traveled to Melbourne in November 1956.

However, on his father's advice, Johnny Mathis opted to embark on a professional singing career.

Mathis' first album, Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song, was a slow-selling jazz album, but he stayed in New York City to sing in nightclubs.

Miller preferred that Johnny Mathis sing soft, romantic ballads, pairing him with conductor and music arranger Ray Conniff, and later Ray Ellis, Glenn Osser, and Robert Mersey.

In June 1957, Johnny Mathis appeared on the TV program The Ed Sullivan Show, which helped increase his popularity.

Later that year, Johnny Mathis released his second single to sell one million copies, "Chances Are".

Johnny Mathis performed the song at the ceremony in March 1958.

The week before Mathis appeared at the Academy Awards, Johnny's Greatest Hits was released.

Later in 1958, Johnny Mathis made his second film appearance for 20th Century Fox, singing the song "A Certain Smile" in the film of that title.

In 1959, Johnny Mathis released his album Heavenly, which topped the Billboard album chart for five weeks during its historic 295-week run.

Johnny Mathis had two of his biggest hits in 1962 and 1963, with "Gina" and "What Will Mary Say".

In October 1964, Johnny Mathis sued Noga to void their management arrangement, which Noga fought with a countersuit in December.

Johnny Mathis had the 1976 Christmas number one single in the UK with the song "When a Child Is Born", and two years later, he recorded "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" with singer Deniece Williams.

From 1980 to 1981, Johnny Mathis recorded an album with Chic's Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, I Love My Lady, that remained unreleased in its entirety until its 2017 appearance in the 68-disc collection The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection.

Johnny Mathis continues to perform live, but since 2000, he has limited his concert performances to about 50 to 60 per year.

Johnny Mathis is one of the last pop singers to travel with his own full orchestra, as opposed to a band.

On January 14,2016, Johnny Mathis performed to a sold-out audience in The Villages, Florida, as part of his 60th Anniversary Concert Tour.

On March 26,2025, it was announced that Johnny Mathis would be retiring from touring on May 18,2025, due to "age and memory issues".

Johnny Mathis has committed to performing all scheduled dates up to that point and has canceled the remainder of his previously planned concerts.

Five of Johnny Mathis' albums have been on the Billboard charts simultaneously, an achievement equaled by only three other singers: Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, and Prince.

Johnny Mathis has released 200 singles and had 71 songs chart worldwide.

Johnny Mathis has taped 12 of his own television specials and made over 300 television guest appearances, 54 of them on The Tonight Show.

In 1989, Johnny Mathis sang the theme for the ABC daytime soap opera Loving.

Johnny Mathis served as narrator for '51 Dons, a 2014 documentary film about the integrated and undefeated 1951 San Francisco Dons football team.

Johnny Mathis appeared in the Season 14 finale of Criminal Minds, "Truth or Dare", playing himself.

Johnny Mathis played himself in the 2017 movie Just Getting Started.

Johnny Mathis is an avid golfer, with nine holes-in-one to his credit.

Johnny Mathis enjoys cooking, and published a cookbook, Cooking for You Alone, in 1982.

In 2006, Johnny Mathis said that his silence had been due to death threats he received as a result of that 1982 article.

In November 2015, Johnny Mathis returned home from a concert in Ohio to find his Hollywood house destroyed by a fire.

On June 21,2014, Johnny Mathis was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame along with Linda Ronstadt, Shirley Jones, and Nat King Cole.

On June 1,1972, Johnny Mathis was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to music.

Johnny Mathis was awarded the Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.

In 1988, Johnny Mathis appeared as a guest vocalist, accompanied by Henry Mancini, on Late Night with David Letterman to sing Henry's theme to the "Viewer Mail" segment.

In 2011, Johnny Mathis received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Awards Council member General Colin Powell.

Johnny Mathis attended San Francisco State for three semesters before withdrawing in 1956 to pursue his music career.