Age, Biography, and Wiki
Johnny Mathis was born on September 30, 1935, in Gilmer, Texas, to Clem and Mildred Mathis. He is the fourth of seven children and moved to San Francisco, California, with his family at a young age. Mathis began his musical journey early, encouraged by his father, who recognized his talent and provided him with an old piano. At 13, he started vocal lessons with Connie Cox, which laid the foundation for his future success.
| Occupation | Basketball Players |
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| Date of Birth | 30 September 1935 |
| Age | 89 Years |
| Birth Place | Gilmer, Texas, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Libra |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
While specific details about Johnny Mathis's height and weight are not widely documented, his physical presence has always been overshadowed by his vocal talent. He is known for his slender build and has maintained a dignified appearance throughout his career.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Johnny Mathis is currently single and has kept his personal life private over the years. Despite his fame, he has chosen to focus on his music rather than making public declarations about his relationships.
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 Mathis was five, settling on 32nd Avenue in the Richmond District, where Mathis grew up.
Mathis' father worked in vaudeville as a singer and pianist, and on realizing his son's talent, bought an old upright piano for $25 ($0 in dollars) and encouraged his musical pursuits. Mathis began learning songs and routines from his father; his parents also ran his fan club. Mathis' first song was "My Blue Heaven", and he started singing and dancing for visitors at home, school, and church functions.
At San Francisco State, Mathis became noteworthy as a high jumper, and he was asked to try out for the U.S. Olympic Team that traveled to Melbourne in November 1956. However, on his father's advice, Mathis opted to embark on a professional singing career.
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Net Worth and Salary
Johnny Mathis's net worth is estimated to be between $200 million and $450 million, depending on the source. His wealth primarily comes from his successful music career, which includes the sale of over 350 million records and numerous Gold and Platinum certified albums.
Career, Business, and Investments
Mathis's career spans over six decades, with his first breakthrough coming in 1957 with hits like "Wonderful Wonderful!" and "Chances Are." His iconic album "Johnny's Greatest Hits" spent 490 consecutive weeks on the Billboard charts, setting a record for longevity. Known for his romantic ballads and Christmas music, Mathis has released more than 70 studio albums. He recently announced his retirement from live performances due to age and memory issues, but continues to be involved in music projects.
John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is a retired American singer who is one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century. Starting his career with singles of standard music, Mathis became highly popular as an album artist, with several of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts.
Mathis was a star athlete at George Washington High School in San Francisco. He was a high jumper, hurdler, and basketball player. In 1954, 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. There, he set a high jump record of 1.97m, still one of the college's top jump heights and only 7cm short of the 1952 Olympic record of 2.04m. Mathis and future National Basketball Association star Bill Russell were featured in a 1954 sports section article of the San Francisco Chronicle demonstrating their high-jumping skills; at the time, Russell was No. 1 while Mathis was No. 2 in the city of San Francisco.
While singing at a Sunday afternoon jam session with a friend's jazz sextet at the Black Hawk Club in San Francisco, Mathis attracted the attention of the club's co-founder, Helen Noga. She became his music manager and found Mathis a job singing weekends at Ann Dee's 440 Club. In September 1955, Noga learned that George Avakian, head of Popular Music A&R at Columbia Records, was on vacation near San Francisco. After repeated calls, Noga persuaded Avakian to hear Mathis at the 440 Club. After hearing Mathis sing, Avakian sent his record company a telegram reading: "Have found phenomenal 19-year-old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts."
In October 1964, Mathis sued Noga to void their management arrangement, which Noga fought with a countersuit in December. After splitting from Noga, Mathis established Jon Mat Records, incorporated in California on May 11, 1967, to produce his recordings, and Rojon Productions, incorporated in California on September 30, 1964, to handle all his concert, theater, showroom, and TV appearances, and all promotional and charitable activities. (Previously, Mathis had founded Global Records to produce his Mercury albums.) Mathis' new manager and business partner was Ray Haughn, who helped guide Mathis' career until his death in 1984.
While Mathis continued to make music, the ascent of the Beatles and early 1970s album rock kept his adult contemporary recordings off the pop singles charts until he experienced a career renaissance in the late 1970s. 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. Nat Kipner and John McIntyre Vallins arranged its lyrics and music. Released as a single in 1978, it reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, number nine on the Canadian Singles Chart, and number three on the U.K. Singles Chart. It also topped the US R&B and adult contemporary charts. "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" was certified gold and silver in the U.S. and the U.K. by the RIAA and the British Phonographic Industry, respectively. It was his first number one hit since "Chances Are".
Mathis, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen are Columbia Records' longest-tenured artists. With the exception of a four-year break to record for Mercury Records in the mid-1960s, Mathis has been with Columbia throughout his career, from 1956 to 1963 and since 1968.
In 2017, San Francisco State University awarded Mathis an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree. He attended San Francisco State for three semesters before withdrawing in 1956 to pursue his music career.
Social Network
Johnny Mathis has traditionally maintained a low social media presence, focusing more on his music legacy rather than online interactions. However, he has used platforms like Facebook to keep his fans updated, although his page is now inactive.
In a 1982 Us magazine article, Mathis said, "Homosexuality is a way of life that I've grown accustomed to." He later said the comment was supposed to have been off the record and did not publicly discuss his sexual orientation for many years. In 2006, Mathis said that his silence had been due to death threats he received as a result of that 1982 article. In April 2006, he addressed the subject again on the podcast The Strip and said his reluctance to speak about it was partly a generational issue. In a 2017 interview with CBS News Sunday Morning, Mathis discussed the Us magazine article and confirmed that he is gay, saying: "I come from San Francisco. It's not unusual to be gay in San Francisco. I've had some girlfriends, some boyfriends, just like most people. But I never got married, for instance. I knew that I was gay." Mathis spoke to many news sources, including CBS, about his sexuality and his coming out story.
On June 1, 1972, Mathis was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to music. Six years later, his hit duet "The Last Time I Felt Like This" from the film Same Time, Next Year was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Mathis and Jane Olivor sang the song at the Academy Awards ceremony. It was his second performance at the Oscars; his first was in 1958, when he sang "Wild Is the Wind" by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington from the movie of the same name. Mathis was also awarded the Society of Singers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. In 2007, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. In 1988, 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, Mathis received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, presented by Awards Council member General Colin Powell.
Education
Mathis received vocal training from Connie Cox, which significantly contributed to his musical development. He attended high school in San Francisco, where he sang in a band with his friend Merl Saunders. Mathis did not pursue higher education formally, instead focusing on his singing career.
When Mathis was 13, voice teacher Connie Cox accepted him as her student in exchange for housework. Mathis studied with Cox for six years, learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, and classical and operatic singing. The first band he sang with was formed by his high school friend Merl Saunders. Mathis eulogized Saunders at his funeral in 2008, thanking him for that first chance to be a singer.
Despite missing the Olympic high-jump trials, Mathis retains enthusiasm for sports. He is an avid golfer, with nine holes-in-one to his credit. Mathis has also hosted several Johnny Mathis Golf Tournaments in the U.K. and the U.S. Since 1985, he has hosted a charity golf tournament in Belfast sponsored by Shell, and the annual Johnny Mathis Invitational Track & Field Meet has continued at San Francisco State University since it started in 1982. Mathis also enjoys cooking, and published a cookbook, Cooking for You Alone, in 1982.
