Johnny Mathis made a shocking statement about

Johnny Mathis was born in the small town of Gilmer, Texas, but the family relocated to San Francisco before he reached school age. His mother, Mildred, worked as a housekeeper, his father Clem as a chauffeur. Of the seven children, Johnny took the greatest interest in music, to the delight of his father, who sang and played the piano. Clem Mathis taught Johnny his first songs, and soon the boy was singing in a church choir, at school assemblies, and on local television.

By age 13, he was studying voice seriously with teacher Connie Cox, who gave him a thorough grounding in classical vocal technique. The young Johnny Mathis was also an outstanding athlete, playing on the George Washington High School basketball team and competing in track and field. After high school, he enrolled at San Francisco State to study English and physical education, with the intention of becoming a teacher. In college, he continued to compete in track and field, excelling at the high jump. He also began to sing in local nightclubs with the jazz band of his friend Virgil Gonsalves. One club owner, Helen Noga, was so impressed she offered to manage the young man’s singing career. Soon Mathis was singing every weekend.

Noga invited record producer George Avakian to hear Mathis sing. Avakian, who headed the jazz department at Columbia Records, sent a famous telegram to the label’s New York office: “Have found phenomenal 19-year-old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts.” After signing Mathis to a contract with Columbia Records, Avakian returned to New York to plan the singer’s recording debut.

Meanwhile, Johnny Mathis returned to his studies and continued to attract the attention of the local press with his feats as a high jumper. He was invited to attend the 1956 Olympic trials, but by then, Avakian had scheduled a recording session in New York, and Mathis had a difficult choice to make. Music won out, and Johnny Mathis traveled to New York City to record his first record in March 1956. Avakian, who had only heard Mathis performing in a jazz context, produced an album in a similar vein, Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Music. Despite Johnny’s obvious talent, and the accompaniment of first-rate musicians, the record attracted little attention. Mathis remained in New York over the summer, performing in the city’s major nightclubs while Columbia reconsidered their approach.

Mitch Miller, the head of A&R (artists and repertoire) at Columbia, wanted to hear Mathis singing romantic ballads in a mainstream popular style, emphasizing the beauty of his voice and the clarity of his diction, rather than trying to make a jazz artist of him. Miller produced Mathis’s second session, that autumn, and came up with two hit singles, “Wonderful! Wonderful!” and “It’s Not for Me to Say.” Soon Mathis made his first motion picture appearance, singing “It’s Not for Me to Say” in the MGM film Lizzie. In June 1957, Mathis appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, and the singles he had recorded with Miller soon became major hits. Later that year, he recorded his biggest hit of all, “Chances Are,” which became the bestselling record in the country. It was followed quickly by his third Top Ten single, “The Twelfth of Never.”