Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis
Known popularly as Johnny Mathis, John Royce Mathis is an American Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter of popular music.

Mathis concentrated on romantic jazz and pop standards for the adult contemporary audience through to the 1980s. Mathis was far more popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums receiving gold and platinum status and more than sixty making the Billboard charts.

Career:
Mathis was born fourth of seven children in Gilmer, Texas to Clem and Mildred Mathis. The family moved when he was young to San Francisco, California. His father bought an old upright piano to encourage his efforts. Mathis began learning from his father songs and routines his first song being, "My Blue Heaven."

At thirteen, Mathis was taken to Connie Cox, a teacher, who accepted him as a student in exchange for work he would do around her house. He studied with Cox for six years, learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic skills.

Johnny's Greatest Hits was released in 1958, and was the first ever Greatest Hits album in the music industry. Johnny's Greatest Hits spent an unprecedented 490 consecutive weeks on the Billboard Album Chart; earning him a place in the Guinness Book Of World Records. He has had five of his albums on the Billboard charts simultaneously, an achievement equaled by only two other singers. He released 200 singles and had 71 songs charted around the world. He is the third largest album seller and from 1957 to 1987 Frank Sinatra's main rival in sales. Mathis is one of only a few recording artists whose career has spanned six decades and selling over 350 million records worldwide.

He has received three Grammy awards. His hit duet "The Last Time I Felt Like This" in 1979, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Mathis and Jane Oliver sang the song at the Oscar ceremony televised to over two billion people around the world. This was his second performance at the Oscar awards. He has taped twelve of his own television specials and made over 300 television guests appearances with 33 of them being on The Tonight Show. Through the years his songs have been heard in 100 plus television shows and films around the globe. His appearance in May 1998, on the Live By Request broadcast on the A&E Network had the largest television viewing audience of the series.

Mathis continues to perform but has limited his concert engagements to fifty to sixty appearances per year from 2000 onwards. For 2006, he is scheduled for a UK tour that includes his annual Scottish Golf vacation and attendance at the 2006 Ryder Cup, two stints at his favorite Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. He still records occasionally and his latest album Isn't It Romantic.

Personal life
A 1982 Us Magazine article quoted Mathis as having said, "Homosexuality is a way of life that I've grown accustomed to." He further confirmed a sexual relationship with a male saxophonist. After more than twenty years of silence on the subject, in 2006, Mathis revealed in an interview his silence was due to death threats he received as a result of that 1982 article. Mathis granted a pod cast interview on April 13, 2006, with The Strip in which he touched on the subject once again.

Mathis enjoys cooking which he learned from his mother. He likes family gatherings with his six brothers and sisters and their families. In 1982 he published a cookbook Cooking for You Alone.

If you are looking for some live music, Johnny Mathis concert can be a great choice for you. Having a number of melodious albums and singles, he is a popular American singer who has been entertaining music lovers for years. Getting some Johnny Mathis tickets now can help you to find the best seats for the show where you can see and listen to this great music in front of your eyes.

Johnny Mathis gained immense popularity with his several albums that got the status of gold or platinum status. 73 of them made their way to the Billboard charts. He has sold more than 350 million records around the world that speak much of his success and popularity. Mathis interest in music was first observed by his father when he was only a kid. Soon he was accepted by Connie Cox, a voice teacher who polished his talent and taught his various aspects of music and singing. Some of his best singles include "It's Not For Me To Say" and "Wonderful! Wonderful!" He has released 200 singles and also got several Grammy awards other than being nominated for a number of them.

Johnny Mathis is known for his electrifying live performances. It is always a delight to be a part of his live shows where he makes you dance your heart out. So wait no more and get your hands on some Johnny Mathis tickets and look forward to an unforgettable episode now!