Johnny was 13 years old when Clem took him to see Connie Cox, a Bay Area voice teacher, who agreed to take on the youngster in exchange for his doing odd jobs around her house. Johnny studied with Connie for six years learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic skills.
At George Washington High School, Johnny was known not only for his singing ability but his athleticism as well. He became a star athlete on the track and field team as a high jumper and hurdler and played on the basketball team.
In 1954, Johnny enrolled at San Francisco State College with the intention of being an English and Physical Education teacher. While there, Johnny set a high jump record of 6’-5 1/2”. This is still on the College’s Top 15 list and was only two inches short of the Olympic record of the time. Just as when he was in high school, Johnny’s name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers. He was often referred to as “the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area”.
A fellow student whose sextet was working at the Black Hawk nightclub brought Johnny in for a Sunday afternoon jam session. It was at the Black Hawk that Helen Noga, co-owner of the club, first heard him sing. She decided that she wanted to manage his career.
In early September of 1955, Johnny landed a job singing weekends at Ann Dee’s 440 Club. After repeated attempts, Helen convinced George Avakian, then head of Jazz A&R at Columbia, to see him. Avakian came to the club, heard Johnny sing and sent the now 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 after telling Johnny that he would eventually send for him. Johnny continued his studies at San Francisco State and gained additional fame as a high jumper. In early 1956, Johnny was asked to attend the trials for the 1956 Olympic teams that would travel to Melbourne, Australia that summer. At the same time, Columbia Records requested that Johnny come to New York to start arrangements for his first recording session. Clem helped his son decide that his future and best interests were with the recording company. So, Johnny gave up his chance to become a member of the USA Olympic Team. He went to New York to record his first album in March of 1956.
The first album was a collection of jazz oriented renditions of popular standards entitled: Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song. It included jazz musicians Gil Evans, John Lewis and Teo Macero and songs like “Angel Eyes”, “Easy to Love” and “Babalu”. The album enjoyed only moderate success because jazz vocal albums were not good sellers. Nevertheless, Johnny remained in New York and landed bookings at some of the leading nightclubs such as the Village Vanguard, The Blue Angel and Basin Street East.
Soon, Columbia placed Johnny under the supervision of producer Mitch Miller. Mitch favored using Johnny’s voice to sing soft, romantic ballads. At his second recording session, in the fall of 1956, Johnny recorded two singles. These songs were to become among his most popular all-time greatest hits: “Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say.” Subsequently, MGM Studios signed Johnny to sing “It’s Not For Me To Say” in the film Lizzie . He played a tavern piano bar singer. In 1958, Johnny made another motion picture appearance. This time it was for 20th Century Fox in A Certain Smile. In this movie, he sang the title song playing himself in an elegant nightclub scene. Since then, Johnny’s voice has been used in countless Hollywood movies for theme songs, background music and to enhance a particular setting or segment.
“Wonderful, Wonderful” and “It’s Not For Me To Say” reached their peaks on the BILLBOARD pop chart in July of 1957. These successes were followed by the monumental single “Chances Are” which became Johnny’s first #1 hit.
In June of 1957, Johnny appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show where he was introduced to the record buying public and became a national celebrity and household name. Columbia Records continued to release albums of Johnny singing beautiful and romantic ballads, classic standards and the best songs from Broadway musicals. These albums, like the singles, became immediate successes with sales in the millions. 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, the Erroll Garner composition, “Misty”.
Johnny’s accomplishments are numerous and varied. He holds many records and has set many precedents in the music industry. In 1958, two years after being signed by Columbia Records, Johnny’s Greatest Hits was released. It began a “Greatest Hits” tradition copied by every record company since then. Johnny’s Greatest Hits went on to become 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. This record has been noted in the GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS.
According to record historian Joel Whitburn, Johnny is one of only five recording artists to have Top 40 Hits spanning each of the four decades since 1955. Amazingly, his second #1 Hit Single, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” (recorded with Deniece Williams), came almost 21 years after his very first #1 Hit Single, “Chances Are”.
Johnny has been honored to make several appearances before various heads of state. Starting in June of 1973, he sang at a State Dinner held in honor of the President of Liberia. In 1978, Johnny sang for the British Royal Family at A Command Performance held at The London Palladium. He performed for President and Mrs. Reagan at the State Dinner held in honor of the Prime Minister of Japan in April of 1987. Four years later in April of 1991, he sang for President and Mrs. Bush in honor of the President of Nicaragua. Most recently, in May of 1994, Johnny sang for President and Mrs. Clinton (along with the other five living First Ladies) at a very special First Ladies Tribute.
Johnny has also been honored by entertainment heads of state. In June of 1972, he was awarded his own star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has participated in the Academy Awards presentation many times to sing the song nominated in the “Best Song” category. He has received two Grammy nominations. The first was for “Misty” in 1960 in the category of Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track Male. The second came in 1992 for In a Sentimental Mood/Mathis Sings Ellington in the category of Best Traditional Pop Performance.
1996 marked Johnny’s 40th Anniversary as a recording artist. He celebrated by releasing All About Love. He then released The Global Masters (songs from his three year contract at Mercury Records) in 1997, and 1998 saw the release of The Ultimate Hits and Because You Loved Me.
In his free time, Johnny loves to golf. He plays golf almost every day when he’s not traveling and has sung at many golf banquets such as the Ryder Cup. In 1985 and 1986, Johnny hosted his own golf tournament, The Johnny Mathis Seniors PGA Classic which was held in Los Angeles, California.
Johnny’s other favorite avocation is cooking. He is a gourmet cook who cooks for himself and often others when he’s home or traveling. His mother taught him at an early age how to cook up a storm and do it well. He’s enjoyed doing so all his life.
Brazil
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly murmured someday soon
We kissed and clung together
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing I'm certain of
Return I will to old
Brazil the Brazil that I knew
where I wandered with you
Lives in my imagination
Where the songs are passionate
And a smile has flash in it
And a kiss has art in it
For you put your heart in it
And so I dream of old Brazil
Brazil
Where hearts were entertaining June
We stood beneath an amber moon
And softly murmured someday soon
We kissed and clung together
Then, tomorrow was another day
The morning found me miles away
With still a million things to say
Oh now, when twilight dims the sky above
Recalling thrills of our love
There's one thing I'm certain of
Return I will to old Brazil
The lyrics of Johnny Mathis's Brazil talk about lost love and yearning for a romantic past. The song describes a moment of intimacy shared between the singer and his love in the city of Brazil, where they stood under an amber moon and softly murmured promises of a future together. However, the morning after, the singer finds himself physically distant from his love, with still so much to say. The lyrics suggest that the singer is now reminiscing about the passionate love he shared in Brazil and dreams of returning to that romantic place.
The song's lyrics capture the feelings of longing and nostalgia. The singer misses the good times he once shared with his love in Brazil and wishes to return to the passionate and romantic experiences they shared there. The lyrics are melancholic, with a sweet sadness that reflects the pain of loss and the beauty of memories.
Overall, Brazil is a romantic and nostalgic song that captures the beauty of love and the longing for past times. The song is heartfelt and beautifully expressed, making it a classic ballad that continues to touch the hearts of music lovers worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
Brazil
The song is about Brazil, a place where the singer finds joy and love.
Where hearts were entertaining June
The singer remembers a time in Brazil where people were joyfully celebrating the month of June.
We stood beneath an amber moon
The singer recalls standing under a beautiful moonlight in Brazil.
And softly murmured someday soon
The singer and his loved one whispered sweet nothings, expressing their hopes for a bright future together.
We kissed and clung together
The singer and his loved one shared an intimate moment, holding each other closely.
Then, tomorrow was another day
Despite being in love, the singer knew that the following day would bring new challenges.
The morning found me miles away
The singer had to leave Brazil and his loved one, and found himself miles away the next morning.
With still a million things to say
The singer regrets not having said all the things he wanted to before leaving.
Now, when twilight dims the sky above
The singer thinks back to that moment in Brazil during the time of day when the sky is turning from light to dark.
Recalling thrills of our love
The singer remembers the excitement and passion he felt for his loved one.
There's one thing I'm certain of
Despite the distance and time that has passed, the singer is certain of his love for Brazil and his loved one.
Return I will to old Brazil
The singer longs to return to the Brazil of his memories, where he experienced an intense love and joy.
The Brazil that I knew
The singer is talking about a specific time and place in Brazil where he found love and happiness.
where I wandered with you
The singer remembers wandering and exploring with his loved one.
Lives in my imagination
The singer's memories of Brazil and his loved one exist vividly in his mind.
Where the songs are passionate
The singer remembers the music in Brazil being full of passion and intensity.
And a smile has flash in it
The people in Brazil had bright, happy smiles that lit up their faces.
And a kiss has art in it
Even the act of kissing in Brazil felt special and meaningful to the singer.
For you put your heart in it
The singer's loved one put their heart into every moment they shared in Brazil.
And so I dream of old Brazil
The singer dreams of going back to the Brazil of his memories and experiencing the love and passion he felt before.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ary Barroso
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carolyn Berry
Love this rendition of Brazil. Nobody sings it like Johnny
Robert Silvestri
Fan-frickin-tab-ulous !!!!
Love the brass intro. For that matter, I love this arrangement ♥️
Cedric Stripling
Mr. Mathis is in totally top form in the performance of this song.
Flor de Cozinha Com Margarida
MARAVILHOSO SIMPLESMENTE O MELHOR DE TODOS OS TEMPOS .
Spaseebo
¡Qué sorpresa más grande! Yo nunca sabía que Johnny Mathis cantaba en portugues (y en español también). Tiene un acento precioso. ¡Qué bueno!
Sylvia Davis
This makes me want to get up and dance. It is truly amazing. Thanks a million.
Walter Murilo Andrade
Uma maravilha!! Não me canso de ouvir
Kilithecat2
Great moves and great voice. Thank you for posting!.
Derek Myers
I ain't gonna lie, this makes me cry. I was there so many times when he performed this live. I couldn't contain my excitement. He told me to calm down - seriously! Ahahahah! (he was nice about it and said it with a smile and a laugh)
Tamires - Houses for Sims
Muito bom cara.... 👏👏👏👏