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 Twelfth Of Never
Johnny Mathis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need you, oh, my darling, like roses need rain
You ask how long I'll love you, I'll tell you true
Until the twelfth of never, I'll still be loving you
Hold me close, never let me go
Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow
I'll love you till the clover has lost its perfume
I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time
The Twelfth of Never is a romantic ballad originally recorded by Johnny Mathis in 1957. The song expresses an undying and unconditional love that the singer has for someone special. The lyrics capture this idea when he affectionately sings, “You ask how much I need you, must I explain? I need you, oh my darling, like roses need rain.” This line indicates that the love he has for his partner is essential and necessary in his life, just like how roses need rain to survive. The lyrics go on to state that this love will never end and will last until the end of time, represented by the twelfth of never. The phrase “twelfth of never” represents a distant point in the future that is never reached, symbolizing the eternity of his love.
The songwriter uses imaginative metaphors to convey the depth of the singer's emotions. The lyrics "Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow" is an expression of the singer's vulnerability and how his love for his partner is profound enough to soften his heart. The other verses of the song use similar metaphors such as "I'll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom" and "till the poets run out of rhyme", representing eternity and the endlessness of his love.
Line by Line Meaning
You ask how much I need you, must I explain?
I need you more than anything, like roses need rain.
You ask how long I'll love you, I'll tell you true
I'll love you forever, until the end of time, that's my vow to you.
Until the twelfth of never, I'll still be loving you
I'll love you for eternity, that's how deep my love for you is true.
Hold me close, never let me go
Embrace me tightly, hold me with all your might, don't ever let me go.
Hold me close, melt my heart like April snow
By holding me closely, you warm my heart, melting it like fresh-fallen April snow.
I'll love you till the bluebells forget to bloom
My love for you is everlasting, beyond the seasons and the bluebells' bloom.
I'll love you till the clover has lost its perfume
My love for you will never fade, like the perfume of clovers that never lose their fragrance.
I'll love you till the poets run out of rhyme
I'll love you until the end of time, until poets no longer find the words to describe our love divine.
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time
My love for you will last forever and beyond, until the twelfth of never, a time that's distant and unknown.
Until the twelfth of never and that's a long, long time
My devotion to you will never die, until the twelfth of never, a time we can't fathom or define.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group
Written by: Jerry Livingston, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gwynnethdyde6644
My husband played this to me on our Pearl wedding Anniversary, unfortunately I lost my beloved husband last year and played this lovely song at his funeral. God Bless you David 💔💔
@brendan.9906
God bless you and may your beloved husband Rest in Peace.
@janefrost2167
I wish that I had thought to play this at my husband's funeral back in 1967. That was such a great idea. Thanks so much. I am so sorry you lost David.
@vicgogan3337
And YOU GWENETH D....1 Corinthians 📖 chapter 2 vs 9....
Ask your 📱 💻 for this
King 📖 James gospel scripture..
@vicgogan3337
@Brenda N. read Ecclesiastes 12 vs 7....1 Corinthians 2 vs 9.😄
@clarkpotter8731
My wife departed on June 23, 2020, and I play and sing along every night laying on the bed in the same room. July 23, 2020, 55 years.
@BenBigelow3
I was struggling one day. Sent my child off on a plane to his mothers. I walked back through the airport and heard a melody coming from a restaurant and it pierced me. I got close enough to hear. And felt like God was singing this to me, giving me a message that very moment. Brings me to tears. Thx Johnny!
@karlsnow5281
I know you do but remember to tell others you thank God too
@fayebrewer7733
@Karl Snow I think he did that by saying what he did.
@karlsnow5281
@Faye Brewer not exactly. God created us to love him and wants to hear that we love are in love with him and I just think it's imperative to always preface and end any meaningful worship with our gratitude. The prophets have said to
"...enter into His courts with Thanksgiving and come into His courts with praise....". We do that with a stranger that helps us in some small way by thanking them 1st. It's a small enough piece of advise to follow. Have a great day