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.
Moon River
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm crossing you in style someday
You dream maker, you heartbreaker
Wherever you're going I'm going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
Were after the same rainbows end
Waiting round the band
And me
The song Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini and the lyrics were penned by Johnny Mercer. It is widely considered as one of the greatest songs ever written and its popularity has continued to endure for more than half a century. The opening line "Moon river, wider than a mile" is a beautiful metaphor that evokes the feeling of an endless journey that is full of adventure and excitement. It hints at the idea of the human spirit that is always curious to explore and discover new horizons in life.
The following lines that read "you dream maker, you heartbreaker, wherever you're going I'm going your way" portray the essence of the human connection, of the desire to be with the ones we love as we navigate through life's journey. The two drifters in the song represent the human experience of going on an adventure to explore the world, and their quest is to find the same rainbow's end. The lyrics also evoke a sense of friendship, with the use of the phrase "My huckleberry friend," which is a term of endearment used to describe a close friend.
Line by Line Meaning
Moon river wider than a mile
Oh, moon river, you're a vast, expansive body of water that spans over a mile in width.
I'm crossing you in style someday
One day, I'll make my way across your majestic waters in a stylish and elegant manner.
You dream maker, you heartbreaker
Moon river, you have the ability to make dreams come true, but you can also cause heartbreak to those who cross your path.
Wherever you're going I'm going your way
No matter where you lead me, moon river, I will follow your path.
Two drifters off to see the world
My companion and I are two wandering souls with a desire to explore the world and discover all that it has to offer.
There's such a lot of world to see
There are countless sights, experiences, and adventures waiting to be explored and discovered throughout the world.
Were after the same rainbows end
My companion and I both share a common goal, which is to achieve our own version of happiness or success.
Waiting round the bend
We may face obstacles or challenges along the way, but we're willing to persevere and see what's waiting for us around the corner.
My huckleberry friend, moon river
Moon river, you are like a close friend and confidant to me, and I feel a familiar sense of comfort and belonging whenever I'm near you.
And me
I am simply a small part of this grand adventure, but I am grateful to be a part of it nonetheless.
Lyrics © Tratore
Written by: Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Parlement Mavisi
Moon river wider than a mile
I'm crossing you in style someday
You dream maker, you heartbreaker
Wherever you're going I'm going your way
Two drifters off to see the world
There's such a lot of world to see
Were after the same rainbows end
Waiting round the band
My huckleberry friend, moon river
And me
Maria Das Graças Santos
Lindo demais da conta!!! Parece um anjo cantando!!!
Ken Hatchett
There doesn’t seem to be a song that Johnny Mathis can’t sing,just amazing.
Jurandir Fortes
🎆🎈belissima 🎶 musica, linda voz🎈🎆
Marilyn Hudson
It's, amazing even if a song has been recorded, by thousands of artists.. Johnny Mathis, makes the song his own..Thanks, Mr.Johnny Mathis ~~~
dalzisa Rocha bichara
Simplesmemente divino!!! Sua voz maravilhosa encanta geraçoes.
joy bacarrisas gacuma
never get tired of listening Mancini's great compositons...and Themes........oh and Mathis version of the song is just wonderful..........
i dont understand
Noone can replace or sing better then this man.
Regina Bortoletto
Música lindaaaaaa ! ❤️❤️
Muriel Lima
Adoro essa música
Rowena Rocafort
One of the best singer I heard in my life