She was a wonderful voice teacher and she’s the one that I owe my career to because she took me on. And fortunately, I met this wonderful lady named Connie Cox. My father said we have to find a voice teacher for you. Someone who Johnny credits with being responsible for his successful career. He credits his father with having the foresight to encourage him to train with a vocal coach at an early age.
Mathis would go on to record 73 studio albums, 18 of which achieved Gold status, six of which earned Platinum status. I wanted to sound more like Billy Eckstein or some of these wonderful baritones. I thought I sounded like a girl and I hated it. And I would listen and try to correct myself because I always had sort of a high voice for a male.
I got a chance to hear myself sing at an early age because we had a little recording device. One of the more surprising things to come out of our interview was that when Johnny first listened to recordings of himself on a tape recorder, he did not like what he heard. Which is interesting given Johnny’s often delicate unforced phrasing. While Johnny’s father taught him to sing as a young boy, Johnny explains that his father never sang above a whisper. We met a lot of different people who were appearing in nightclubs and what have you. We used to drive around in the car all over San Francisco after he’d come home from work. My father, God bless him, was my best pal. When he couldn’t fit it through the front door of their modest apartment, his father took it apart and reassembled it himself. One anecdote which seems almost too poetic to be true is how his father bought an upright piano for $25 when Johnny was a child. Throughout our interview Johnny talked often and lovingly about his parents, particularly his father. His path to stardom seems almost preordained, but this is part of the mystique of a man whose artistry and creative instincts are intertwined in a seemingly effortless way.ĭuring our recent interview, Mathis reflects on his music, his upbringing, how he came to terms with his sexual orientation during an era where it was not socially acceptable, and the things that kept him grounded and healthy in mind, body and spirit. The son of domestic worker parents, Mathis scored his first recording contract by age 19. Instead, he is a man who is deeply appreciative of the opportunities he was afforded from a young age and the people who came before him who paved the way. A national treasure at 86, Mathis exudes the kind of innocent exuberance of a man who seems more focused on gratitude for his many blessings than he is impressed with his own fame and vaunted status as the renowned voice of romance. Like other musical icons whose voices are instantly recognizable, Mathis’ songs are notable for his distinctive sound, perfect pitch and sonorous vocals which seem to envelop you in a warm embrace. “Chances Are,” “It’s Not for Me to Say,” “Misty,” three songs that are immortalized in the Grammy Hall of Fame, songs that forged an indelible imprint on our musical heritage by Johnny Mathis.
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