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.
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "be of good cheer"
It's the most wonderful time of the year
It's the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call
It's the hap-happiest season of all
There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago
It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It's the most wonderful time of the year
(There'll be parties for hosting
Marshmallows for toasting
And caroling out in the snow)
There'll be scary ghost stories
And tales of the glories of
Christmases long, long ago
It's the most wonderful time of the year
There'll be much mistltoeing
And hearts will be glowing
When love ones are near
It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time of the year
The song "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" is a classic Christmas tune that's loved all over the world. Its upbeat, cheerful tempo combined with its enthusiastic lyrics make it an all-time favorite of holiday lovers everywhere. The first verse begins by describing the happy sounds of Christmastime: the children's bells jingling and everyone wishing each other good cheer. In the second verse, the song's praises are sung even more loudly as it describes the joy of meeting with friends and exchanging holiday greetings. The verse also highlights the season's other delights such as parties, hot cocoa, and snow-filled caroling.
The third verse, which is the shortest, introduces a unique element into the song's imagery. Instead of focusing only on the happy and jolly aspects of Christmas, this verse mentions scary ghost stories and old tales of Christmases long ago. With this gesture, the song's lyrics demonstrate that even the more unsettling and spooky aspects of the holiday have a place in the celebrations as they help build a sense of community and shared wonder.
In conclusion, "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" is a charming and inspirational Christmas song that expresses the feelings of togetherness, joy, and camaraderie that the holiday promotes.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the most wonderful time of the year
A time of joy, happiness and good cheer
With the kids jingle belling
Children are happy and enthusiastic, creating a festive mood
And everyone telling you "be of good cheer"
Others encourage positivity and happiness in all
It's the hap-happiest season of all
The holiday season is a time of maximum happiness
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
Festive greetings and joyful social events bring people together
When friends come to call
People reunite with loved ones and celebrate the season together
There'll be parties for hosting
Many festive social events will be held by various celebrants
Marshmallows for toasting
A common holiday activity is toasting marshmallows over an open fire
And caroling out in the snow
People sing holiday carols in snowy winter environments, creating an atmosphere of celebration
There'll be scary ghost stories
Traditionally, folklore and ghost stories are shared during holiday season, often with an eerie twist
And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago
People share stories of past Christmases, giving a sense of nostalgia and history to the season
There'll be much mistletoeing
Festive customs like kissing under mistletoe adds to the romantic and joyful atmosphere of the season
And hearts will be glowing
People feel warmth and love in their hearts during the holiday season
When love ones are near
People cherish the presence and love of their family and friends when everyone is together
It's the most wonderful time
The holiday season is truly magical
It's the most wonderful time
The holiday season is truly magical
It's the most wonderful time of the year
The holiday season is truly magical
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Pola, George Wyle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kenjoneslee
I like Andy's version too, but Johnny's voice is uplifting, soothing and filled with energy.
@alexglass2927
I think both are amazing!!!
@ashbach10
I speak for the majority of us, many happy childhood memories and jonnys voice just brings Christmas back Into our homes every year. Thank you Mr mathis for making Christmas so magical every year
@evawaswo8917
This was my childhood. Johnny Mathis is still a Holiday staple for my family.
@GottaLoveScarlette
Whenever I hear Johnny Mathis's Christmas music, all I wanna do is skip around my house 😄 His voice is so happy and skippy
@chadking1938
I know right. his christmas songs makes it all better and give you that good spirit.
@zxdfty77
I certainly agree!
I use this as a ringtone for my Mom on my cellphone! His singing (particularly his holiday music) always reminds me of such happy memories of the all the nice, thoughtful things my Mom would do for us, especially around Christmas.
@michellecasey4590
Yep
@danielmorgan3590
very truie
@eh288
Lol! Happy Skipping! 😊