Johnny Mathis

Johnny Mathis Bio

John Royce Mathis was born on September 30, 1935 in Gilmer, Texas. He started out making singles that were similar to other popular songs, but later on his music changed and he became very well known for his ability to play all genres of music.

Mathis skipped the Olympic trials for the high jump in order to travel to New York and make his debut recording. His first album, Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song, was relatively unsuccessful but he kept trying. His music has been featured on television and in movies, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1997 and Mad Men. He has also made hundreds of television appearances, as well as six Christmas albums that have gained him notoriety as one of the best Christmas musicians of all time.

Mathis, along with other big names such as Barbra Streisand, has been with the record label Columbia for a very long time, beginning in 1956 and lasting until the present other than a few years in the 1960’s. Many of his albums have reached or platinum status and his albums have made the Billboard charts over 70 times so far.  At one point, five of his albums were on Billboard charts at the same time, which is almost unheard of. He released his latest album, Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American Song Book, when he was 81 years old.