Johnny Mathis - Voice Your Choice

I had the great pleasure of meeting Johnny Mathis after a wonderful concert in Vancouver in 2009. Such a gentleman and great entertainer. Here we are together after the show.

I am pleased to spotlight Johnny Mathis on Voice Your Choice. He 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. His Johnny Mathis Greatest Hits album, released April 4, 1958 remained on the Billboard Top 100 Album chart for 409 weeks!

This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights the amazing Johnny Mathis with two of his great his songs. Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page for either Sleigh Ride or It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. I'll play the winning song on next week's show.