WMTR’s Top 5: Johnny Mathis Essentials

To quote Barbra Streisand, “There are a number of good singers, a smaller handful of truly great singers, and then there’s Johnny Mathis.”

Johnny Mathis is celebrating nearly 70 years as a musician and being "The Voice of Romance". One of the best vocalists of all time, Mathis' approach to music has been more than just following the trend of what's popular. He has performed songs in an incredible range of styles, from stage and film scores and jazz standards, to contemporary pop hits, and even a a hearty amount of holiday music, all of which has assured his reputation as one of the most enduring vocalists in music history.  

Over his illustrious career, Johnny Mathis has recorded 80 albums, 7 Christmas albums, and has sold millions of records worldwide. During his extensive career he has had 3 songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, achieved 50 Hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, ranks as the all-time #6 album artist in the history of Billboard’s pop album charts, and is the originator of the “Greatest Hits” album industry tradition.  He has received 5 Grammy Nominations, and was also given the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Johnny continues to be Columbia Records’ longest-signed artist, and to fans of all ages The Voice of Christmas. 

Join your friends here at WMTR as we take a look at our top 5 favorite Johnny Mathis songs!

Following the less than stellar performance of his self-titled debut album, Johnny Mathis and Mitch Miller agreed to make a little change to the jazz-centered style going forward. The first single from the reinvented Johnny Mathis would be "Wonderful! Wonderful!" with the B-Side of "When Sunny Gets Blue". The release of this single would launch Mathis to the forefront of popular music, with "Wonderful! Wonderful!" eventually landing at the number 17 position on the Billboard Top 100 chart. The success of this single helped kick off his historic career, and has become one of the biggest songs ever.

A duet that features soul vocalist Deniece Williams, "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" was the push that Johnny Mathis needed to get him back on top after the rise of The Beatles kept him out of the limelight. The song would top charts Charts in the US and Canada and land in top 3 spots in a handful of other countries and would eventually be certified Gold by the RIAA and and Silver by the British Phonographic Industry.

One of three songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, "It's Not for Me To Say" was written for the movie Lizzie (1957) starring Eleanor Parker. The version recorded by Johnny Mathis was the most popular version of the song, landing at number 5 on the Billboard Top 100 chart in the US, and being kept just out of the number 1 spot in Canada by Elvis's "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear". Mathis' version has been featured in several movies of varying genre since Lizzie, including Tin Men (1987), Goodfellas (1990), and Zodiac (2007).

"Chances Are" was a smash hit for Mathis in 1957, being considered one of the most played by radio jockeys according to a Billboard survey that year. It was a number 4 best seller and the A-side to another hit "The Twelfth of Never", creating a one-two punch of some of Johnny Mathis' best works. The song would eventually be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and was put on 1958's Johnny's Greatest Hits which would be certified Gold thanks in part to the popularity of the song. 

Originally a jazz standard by Erroll Garner that had lyrics added later by Johnny Burke, "Misty" has become Johnny Mathis' signature song. The demand for it was so high that, despite originally being pressed for broadcasters only, "Misty was released as its own single and proceeded to reach the number 12 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With a handful of versions coming before, and many coming after, nobody was able to lift "Misty" to the heights that the one and only Johnny Mathis could, which is why this version landed Mathis his first Grammy nomination at the 3rd Annual Grammys and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame alongside the original instrumental from Garner.