Johnny Mathis Biography
Johnny Mathis is an American singer and songwriter. He started his career with singles of standard music and later became popular as an album artist.
Mathis has had several dozens of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts to date. Johnny Mathis is an American singer and songwriter.
He started his career with singles of standard music and later became popular as an album artist. Mathis has had several dozens of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts to date.
According to Guinness Music Chart historian Paul Gambaccini, Mathis has had over 360 million records sold worldwide. This has made him the third biggest selling artist of the 20th century.
Moreover, he has also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award accompanied by an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three separate recordings.
Although he is often described as a romantic singer, his music entails traditional pop, Brazilian and Spanish music, soul music among many others. He even had a few disco songs for his album Mathis Magic in 1979.
Mathis has also recorded six Christmas music albums. In a 1968 interview, Johnny cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby as his musical influences.
Johnny Mathis is an American singer and songwriter. He started his career with singles of standard music and later became popular as an album artist. Mathis has had several dozens of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts to date.
According to Guinness Music Chart historian Paul Gambaccini, Mathis has had over 360 million records sold worldwide. This has made him the third biggest selling artist of the 20th century.
Moreover, he has also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award accompanied by an induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three separate recordings.
Although he is often described as a romantic singer, his music entails traditional pop, Brazilian and Spanish music, soul music among many others. He even had a few disco songs for his album Mathis Magic in 1979.
Mathis has also recorded six Christmas music albums. In a 1968 interview, Johnny cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby as his musical influences
Johnny Mathis Age and Birthday
Mathis was born on September 30, 1935, in Gilmer, Texas, United States. He is 83 years old as of September 2019.
Johnny Mathis Education
Mathis was a renown athlete at George Washington High School in San Francisco. He played perfectly in high jump, hurdles, and basketball. In 1954, he enrolled at San Francisco State College on an athletic scholarship, intending to become an English teacher and a physical education teacher.
While there, Mathis set a high jump record of 6′-5 1/2″. This is still one of the college’s top jump heights and was only two inches short of the Olympic record at the time.
Just as when he was in high school, Mathis’s name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers.
In fact, he and future NBA star Bill Russell were featured in a 1954 sports section article of the San Francisco Chronicle demonstrating their high jumping skills (Russell #1 & Mathis #2 in the City of San Francisco at that time). During one meeting at the University of Nevada, Mathis beat Russell’s highest jump attempt that day.
He was often referred to as “the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area.”
Johnny Mathis Family
He is the fourth of seven children born to Clem Mathis and Mildred Boyd. The family moved to San Francisco, California, settling on 32nd Avenue in the Richmond District, where Mathis grew up.
His ethnic origin is African American and Native American. His father had worked in vaudeville, and when he saw his son’s talent, he bought an old upright piano for $25 (US$356 in 2018 dollars) and encouraged him. Mathis began learning the art of music and routines from his father. His first song was “My Blue Heaven”.
Mathis started singing and dancing for visitors at home, at school, and at church functions.
When he was 13, his voice coach, Connie Cox accepted him as her student in exchange for work around her house. Mathis trained with Cox for six years, learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic singing.
The first band he worked with was formed by his high school friend Merl Saunders. Johnny eulogized Saunders at his funeral in 2008, thanking him for giving the debut chance as a singer.
Johnny Mathis Marriage, Wife and Kids
Mathis has never been in marriage up to date. However, Johnny states that he has no regrets for his stand. In addition, he has no children attached to him even outside wedlock.
Johnny Mathis Drugs and Alcohol Addiction
Mathis has undergone rehabilitation for both alcohol and prescription drug addictions, and he has supported many organizations through the years, including the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, the YWCA and YMCA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the NAACP.
Johnny Mathis Homosexuality Rumors
Mathis was quoted in a 1982 Us Magazine article, stating “Homosexuality is a way of life that I’ve grown accustomed to.” Despite the rumors, Us Magazine never retracted the statement. The interviewer, Alan Petrucelli, still has the tapes.
In 2006, Mathis said that his silence had been because of death threats he received as a result of that 1982 article.
Johnny Mathis Net Worth
Mathis’ net worth is estimated to be a whopping $400 million. He made the vast majority of his fortune from his lucrative career. He has sold over 360 million albums, making him the third best selling artist of the 20th century.