One of the finest entertainers in the business, Johnny Mathis returns to the McCallum Theatre for two performances on Friday and Saturday, January 23 and 24, 2009, with both performances at 8:00pm.
Johnny Mathis grew up in San Francisco where he was known for both his singing and his athletic ability. In 1954, Johnny enrolled at San Francisco State with the intention of becoming a teacher. While there, Johnny set a high jump record of 6'-5 1/2", only two inches short of the Olympic record of the time. A fellow student whose sextet was working at a local club brought Johnny in for a jam session. Helen Noga, co-owner of the club, heard him sing and, after repeated attempts, convinced George Avakian, head of Jazz A&R at Columbia, to see him. Avakian came to the club, heard Johnny sing and sent the famous telegram to his record company: "Have found phenomenal 19 year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts."
Avakian left for New York, telling Johnny that he would send for him. Johnny continued his studies and was asked to attend the trials for the 1956 Olympic team. At the same time, Columbia Records asked Johnny to come to New York to begin recording. Johnny gave up his chance to become an Olympic athlete and went to New York. His first album was jazz oriented entitled Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song. Columbia placed Johnny with producer Mitch Miller who favored using Johnny's voice for romantic ballads.
At his second recording session, Johnny recorded two smash singles, "Wonderful, Wonderful" and "It's Not For Me To Say," followed by the monumental "Chances Are," Johnny's first #1 hit. Columbia continued to release albums of Johnny singing romantic ballads, standards and songs from Broadway musicals. It was not uncommon for Johnny to have as many as four albums on the Billboard Top Albums chart at the same time. In late 1959, Johnny recorded another song that became synonymous with the name of Johnny Mathis, "Misty."
In 1958, Johnny's Greatest Hits was released. The album became one of the most popular albums of all time and spent an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks (almost ten years) on the Billboard Top Albums Chart. Johnny is one of the few recording artists to have Top 40 hits spanning each of the four decades since 1955. Amazingly, his second #1 hit, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" (recorded with Deniece Williams), came almost 21 years after his first #1 hit, "Chances Are."
In 1972, Johnny was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has received numerous Grammy nominations, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame twice. In 2003, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
2006 was Johnny's 50th anniversary as an entertainer. He marked the anniversary with the releases of Johnny Mathis - Gold: A 50th Anniversary Christmas Celebration, and Johnny Mathis - Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration.
Johnny Mathis returns to the McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert, California, for two performances on Friday, January 23, 2009 and Saturday, January 24, 2009. Both performances are at 8:00pm. Tickets are priced at $125, $95, $85, and $75. -- www.mccallumtheatre.com
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