Johnny Mathis was born John Royce Mathis, the fourth of seven children to Clem and Mildred Mathis on September 30, 1945 in Gilmer, Texas. As a young boy, the family moved to San Francisco where, at the age of 13, he began studying music and vocal lessons with Connie Cox, a Bay Area voice teacher.Johnny had a two career opportunity facing him: either become a professional singer or a professional athlete. He won a Track Scholarship to San Francisco State College and was even invited to the Olympic tryouts. He opted for music, and as they say, the rest is history.
Between 1957 and 1984, Johnny Mathis appeared on the Billboard charts 45 times, reached the Top Ten six times, and achieved three Gold Records.
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights the amazing Johnny Mathis with two of his great his songs: It's Not For Me To Say and A Certain Smile.
Cast you vote for your preferred song by coming to the Voice Your Choice page at Treasure Island Oldies. Make your selection and then wait for the results. We'll play the winning song in Hour 3 of next week's show.
