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.
Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
Since everyone spread the story
With his own little personal touch
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue
When we're apart the words in my heart
Reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And other arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
And you never will
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Do nothin' till you hear from me
Pay no attention to what's said
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
Is over my head
Do nothin' till you hear from me
At least consider our romance
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I haven't a chance
True I've been seen with someone new
But does that mean that I'm untrue
When we're apart the words in my heart
Reveal how I feel about you
Some kiss may cloud my memory
And other arms may hold a thrill
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
And you never will
In "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," Johnny Mathis warns his lover to ignore the rumors and gossip she may hear about him. He acknowledges that people will always talk, but asks her not to believe anything until she hears it from him. Mathis continues to plead with his lover to consider their relationship before making any decisions. He confesses that he has been seen with someone new, but asserts that it doesn't mean he's being unfaithful. Despite any mistakes he may have made, Mathis emphasizes his true feelings for his lover, begging her to trust him and wait for the truth from his own lips.
The lyrics of this song speak to the challenges of maintaining a relationship amidst the scrutiny and opinions of others. In a world where rumors and gossip seem to spread like wildfire, it's easy for misunderstandings and false information to get in the way of love. Mathis encourages his lover to be patient and not let anything come between them until they can discuss things together. By insisting that she hear things from him directly, he shows his commitment to honesty and communication in their relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone told someone and someone told you
The rumor about me being unfaithful has spread from person to person until it reached you.
But they wouldn't hurt you, not much
The people spreading the rumor probably didn't mean to cause you any harm.
Since everyone spread the story
The rumor has been told so many times by so many people that it's hard to know where it started.
With his own little personal touch
Each person who passed on the rumor probably added their own embellishments or interpretations to it.
Pay no attention to what's said
Don't believe everything you hear, especially when it comes to rumors.
Why people tear the seam of anyone's dream
I don't understand why people feel the need to ruin someone's happiness with rumors and gossip.
Is over my head
I can't control what other people say or do, but I can only hope that you'll trust me and wait until you hear my side of the story.
At least consider our romance
Please don't let this rumor ruin what we have between us or make you doubt our love for each other.
If you should take the word of others you've heard
I understand that it's hard to ignore what other people are saying, but I hope you'll trust me and wait until you hear the truth from me directly.
I haven't a chance
If you believe the rumor without hearing my side of the story, then it might be the end of our relationship.
True I've been seen with someone new
It's true that I've been spending time with someone else, but it doesn't mean that I'm cheating on you or that I don't love you anymore.
But does that mean that I'm untrue
Just because I'm with someone else doesn't automatically make me unfaithful or disloyal to you.
When we're apart the words in my heart
When we're not together, I still have feelings for you and think about you all the time.
Reveal how I feel about you
My feelings for you are still strong and haven't changed, even though we're spending time apart right now.
Some kiss may cloud my memory
I might have shared a kiss with someone else, but it doesn't mean that it meant anything or that I've forgotten about you.
And other arms may hold a thrill
I might have felt a temporary thrill or excitement with someone else, but it's not the same as the love that I have for you.
But please do nothin' till you hear it from me
I hope that you'll trust me enough to wait until you hear the truth from me directly before making any decisions based on rumors.
And you never will
I will always be honest with you and will never keep anything from you, so you can always trust me to tell you the truth.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, BOB RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Grunge
What's your favorite Johnny Mathis bop?
MacGyverGirl2
Arianne
Pop Culture Addict
"Chances Are". It's "my" song. Strangely enough, I put in my will that I want it played at my funeral. It will be quite a while before that happens. :)
Brittany Suero
Chances are and it’s not for me to say
Joanne Ferguson
Chances Are and 99 miles from LA
Joan Dondero
I just found out from here that Johnny sang, “AVE MARIA”! 🛐 I’m a practicing Roman Catholic,& that’s the Blessed Mother Mary of Jesus Christ! 🙏🏼 I also respect, love & pray for all Jewish people. ✡️ Jesus, His Mother , & foster Father Joseph, were ALL Israelites,& celebrated Jewish holidays. Chanukah, Yom Kipper, others. Israel 🇮🇱 is the Holy Land of the. Chosen Ones, let there be love. As is said in my church, “Peace be with you!” As is said in temple, “Shalom!” May OUR Almighty God of Israel, be with US always! Amen ✝️☦️✡️
kimberly johnson
He was and still is, an incredible talent! His sexual preference is HIS business! I love all of his songs! Blessed with amazing talent & many, many gifts!
Bilge Pump
Very nice man. He was a neighbor to a long time family in California. When the dear parents were elderly and failing he paid for upkeep for the house and made sure all the bills were paid. Nobody knew what was going until after the Mom passed away and the estate was being settled. He never said a word about it to the family, he just did it. (BTW this is first hand knowledge.)
FlowZone
@Elwood White
Johnny Mathis is still alive.
Shirley Adams
@Elwood White up to me