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.
Moments Like This
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The reasons we strive to exist
We feign control though were bound to learn
The meaning of moments like this
'Cause in the peaceful hour, the quiet spell
Seduced by the promise of bliss
We soon forget that nothing's happened yet
So hold me, whisper gently
This is what we live for, how we learn who we are
It defines us, ever reminding us
That life never is more precious than this
From the dim light in the greyness
The aim of the soul tends to miss
When the clouds catch fire and the ocean's pitch
We're made for the moments like this
So hold me, whisper gently
That there's nothing to fear
You'll always be near, to remind me, stand behind me
Although life can be rough we can never give up
It's in our power to face the storm with all its fury and madness
The flash of thunder roll behind us with a longing and sadness
The clouds will break
Hold me, whisper gently
This is what we live for, how we learn how we are
It defines us, ever reminding us
That life never is more precious than this
So hold me, whisper gently
That there's nothing to fear
You'll always be near, to remind me, stand behind me
Although life can be rough we can never give up
The song, Moments Like This by Johnny Mathis, reflects on the human need for comfort and security during times of uncertainly and chaos. It acknowledges that the world is constantly changing, and we often feel out of control, but there are moments of peace and tranquility that give us hope and keep us going. The lyrics suggest that we should cherish and hold on to these moments, for they define who we are and remind us of the preciousness of life.
The song opens with a reflection on how the world is changing and how we often struggle to cope with these changes. We try to control the situation, but we are bound to learn that we cannot control everything. However, in the peaceful moments, we are able to forget all our worries and live in the present moment. It is during these moments that we truly learn who we are and what is important to us. The lyrics suggest that we should cherish these moments, as they remind us that life is precious and we should not take it for granted.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the need for human connection, comfort, and security. The lyrics suggest that we should hold on to each other during hard times, whisper gently and remind each other that we are not alone. The song recognizes that life can be rough, but we should never give up. We have the power to face any storm with all its fury and madness. The song ends on a hopeful note that the clouds will eventually break, and the sun will shine again.
Line by Line Meaning
While the dying world redefines
Amidst the changing world and its meanings
The reasons we strive to exist
We are still striving for reasons to exist
We feign control though we’re bound to learn
We pretend to be in control, but ultimately we learn that life is not always within our control
The meaning of moments like this
The true significance of moments like these
’Cause in the peaceful hour, the quiet spell
During moments of peace and quiet
Seduced by the promise of bliss
Lured in by the promise of happiness
We soon forget that nothing's happened yet
We forget that nothing has actually happened yet
We're living for moments like this
We live for moments such as these
So hold me, whisper gently
Hold me tightly and speak softly
This is what we live for, how we learn who we are
These moments help us understand ourselves better
It defines us, ever reminding us
These experiences shape us and serve as a constant reminder
That life never is more precious than this
Moments like these make us realize the value and beauty of life
From the dim light in the greyness
In the midst of gloom and uncertainty
The aim of the soul tends to miss
Our soul may lose sight of its goals and purpose during these times
When the clouds catch fire and the ocean's pitch
During powerful and intense moments
We're made for the moments like this
As humans, we are built to experience moments like these
That there's nothing to fear
There is nothing to be afraid of
You'll always be near, to remind me, stand behind me
You will always be there to remind and support me
Although life can be rough we can never give up
We must not give up, despite the struggles that come our way
It's in our power to face the storm with all its fury and madness
We have the power to face difficulties courageously
The flash of thunder roll behind us with a longing and sadness
The past can haunt us with a sense of longing and sadness
The clouds will break
Eventually, the difficult times will pass
Writer(s): Frank Loesser, Burton Lane
Contributed by Ian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.