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.
Sleigh Ride
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling you hoo
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up let's go, let's look at the show
We're riding in a wonderland of snow
Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up it's grand, Just holding your hand
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we
We've snuggled close together like two birds of a feather would be
Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
There's a birthday party at the home of Farmer Gray
It'll be the perfect ending of a perfect day
We'll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop
At the fireplace where we'll watch the chestnuts pop
Pop, pop, pop
There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy
When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie
It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives
These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives
These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives
Just hear those sleigh bells jingling , ring-ting-tingling too
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling "You Hoo"
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up let's go, let's look at the show
We're riding in a wonderland of snow-ow
Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up it's grand, Just holding your hand
We're gliding along with a song of a wintery fairy land
Nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we
We've snuggled close together like two birds of a feather would be
Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with
Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with
In "Sleigh Ride," Johnny Mathis paints a picture of a joyous winter day spent with loved ones. The song opens with the sound of sleigh bells ringing and a call to action to join in the celebration of the season. Mathis invites his partner to come along on a sleigh ride through the snow, referencing the fun and freedom of being outside in the winter weather. He emphasizes the shared experience of being together and enjoying the scenery of the snowy wonderland.
The second verse sees the duo cozying up as they glide through the snow, accentuated by the giddy feeling of a perfect day. They sing songs and eat pumpkin pie by the fireplace, channeling the idyllic winter scene created by Currier and Ives artwork. Mathis concludes by affirming that these happy moments are things to be remembered for the rest of their lives.
Overall, "Sleigh Ride" is a whimsical and cheerful song that captures the magic and wonder of the winter season, while emphasizing the importance of togetherness and enjoying life's simple pleasures with loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
Just hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling too
Experience the jingling sounds of sleigh bells, which bring joy and excitement
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
The current weather conditions are perfect for enjoying a sleigh ride with a companion
Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling you hoo
Observe the beauty of the falling snow and the excitement of friends who are beckoning to enjoy the weather
Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up let's go, let's look at the show
Encourage the horse to move along, as we take in the scenic view
We're riding in a wonderland of snow
The journey we are taking is like a magical experience in a winter wonderland
Giddy-up giddy-up giddy-up it's grand, Just holding your hand
The joy of spending time together is enhanced by holding hands and enjoying the ride
We're gliding along with a song of a wintery fairy land
As we ride, we are singing a joyful song that evokes feelings of winter magic
Our cheeks are nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we
The cold weather has caused our cheeks to become rosy, but we are comfortable and happy together
We've snuggled close together like two birds of a feather would be
We are cuddled together like two closely related birds, enjoying each other's company
Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two
Let's keep moving forward on this journey while singing together in harmony
There's a birthday party at the home of Farmer Gray
We have an invitation to attend Farmer Gray's birthday celebration
It'll be the perfect ending of a perfect day
Attending this celebration would be the perfect culmination of a wonderful day
We'll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop
We will enjoy singing our favourite songs without interruption
At the fireplace where we'll watch the chestnuts pop Pop, Pop, Pop
By the fireplace, we will watch chestnuts popping with a rhythmic sound
There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy
We are experiencing pure joy that cannot be bought with anything in the world
When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie
Drinking coffee and eating pumpkin pie with others makes us feel even happier
It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives
The scene we are experiencing feels like it could be a work of art by Currier and Ives
These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives
The joyous memories of these special moments will remain with us forever
Nice and rosy and comfy cozy are we
We are still comfortable and happy, with our cheeks still rosy from the cold
Let's take that road before us and sing a chorus or two
Let's continue forward, singing together and enjoying each other's company
Come on, it's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
The weather is still perfect for enjoying a sleigh ride together
Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you
The perfect weather for spending time together on a sleigh ride
Lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with
The weather is perfect, and we are excited to enjoy a sleigh ride together
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Pickering144
My grandma loved Christmas so much that she practically was Christmas. She listened to old Christmas music like this and watched Christmas specials all year round. She died in 2010 but I love listening to this music because it helps keep her alive. So beautiful!
@markmassare7786
God bless Grandma
@christiane438
thats me right now, listening to Christmas songs in June.
@mr.ramfan8100
You were blessed- happy holidays!!🎅🎅🎄👼!!
@jaredesham9380
my grandmother loved johnny mathis and we both love christmas so much we’d watch hallmark movies and set up her xmas village every year but she passed dec 18 last year, coming up on one year and it’s so hard being without my favorite person but at least i know she’s listening to johnny with me every time i put him on. love you gram
@jaredesham9380
thank you for sharing, it’s the hardest time of the year especially when they were the core of the enjoyment and cheer.
@skunkygrogan6956
This is BY FAR the best vocal rendition of this classic!!🎅🤶👼🎄☃️☃️
@christianweatherbroadcasti3491
Repent and trust in Jesus. We all deserve Hell for our sins, such as lying lusting coveting and more. We can't save ourselves, but Jesus can save us. He died on the cross to save us for our sins and rose from the grave defeating death and Hell. You must put your faith in him only. He is the only way to Heaven. Repent and trust in Jesus.
Romans 6:23
John 3:16❤❤❤😊
@undecidedmarkus
For 1958 standards it sounds ahead of it’s time..
@MeadeSkeltonMusic
His voice makes it. His voice has a timeless quality.