Hi Marian
Johnny Mathis is actually 74: born 30 September 1935.
JOHNNY MATHIS
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
Thanks Jon--I dfd know that really---it is just the years flying past, it is easy to lose track.
Mariana
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
I'm with the group who likes country music -- especially the period from 1975 to 1980.
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
friends in Florida are seeing JM in concert this week at The Ruth Eckerd Hall. 
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
I have just heard that the new country music cd from Johnny Mathis will be released on September 21st-in USA , anyway.
I think it might be called "Let it be Me"-but not 100% sure.
I think it might be called "Let it be Me"-but not 100% sure.
Mariana
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Terence Lee
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Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
Chances Are Mathis' Romance with Country Will Flourish
by Brett Milano
Boston Herald, July 20, 2010
Think of Johnny Mathis, and you have to think of romance. You may start humming "Chances Are," "It's Not for Me to Say," "Wonderful! Wonderful!" or one of the other classic ballads Mathis has been crooning for well over half a century.
"I don't think anybody realizes how long they're going to perform," Mathis, 74, said from his Burbank, Calif., office last week. "It's something you do day to day. If you still like it and you're healthy, you keep going. One of my favorite singers, and a great inspiration to me, was Beverly Sills. She stopped at 60 because of the physical demands. She just didn't like how she was sounding. I guess I feel that my voice doesn't sound the way I want it to all of the time, but enough of the time it sounds OK."
Mathis, who plays the South Shore Music Circus on Thursday and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on Saturday, first entered the studio in 1956. Initially a jazz singer, he was steered toward pop by Columbia Records president Mitch Miller. Miller had Mathis turning out career-defining ballad hits, but the young singer wasn't enthused about recording them.
"I just didn't think they were loud enough," he said. "This was the time when Elvis had just become very popular and rock 'n' roll was the thing, so it seemed like what I was singing was audibly too soft. When I recorded them, Mitch Miller would sit next to me and hit me on the back, to make sure I kept the beat going properly. Kind of a strange way of going about it, but it taught me to monitor my voice and add some structure to my songs."
Mathis has updated his material over the years, covering the Beatles in the '60s and the Bee Gees in the '70s, but he's never strayed far from his trademark ballads.
"We had a lot of fun in the studio over the years," he said. "Some of it worked and some of it was awful. Like, I tried some rock 'n' roll and was never that good at it. I just wasn't earthy enough. It sounds stilted when a trained singer does it. That never saw the light of day and it probably saved my career."
One thing Mathis has never touched before is country music, which will be featured on his upcoming "Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville," slated for a late summer release.
"My dad was from the South," the Gilmer, Texas-born singer said. "And those Hank Williams songs were some of the first that I ever heard. When I was young, my dad would also take me to see rhythm-and-blues singers I'd never heard of. At the same time I had a voice teacher, a woman who wanted me to maintain the high singing I could do. Some of my heroes were the extraordinary lady singers like Lena Horne and Peggy Lee. I always liked the ladies because their voices were so flexible."
Asked if there's still romance in modern music, Mathis laughed.
"There's a lot of swagger, isn't there? I think that when you're a kid, you don't want to be known as a romantic. You want to be hot, provocative, edgy. Those are the words that come to mind with kids nowadays. But everybody needs some romance, whether they want to admit it or not."
____________ _________ _________ _________ ____
To Dad, With Love
At 74, the smooth pop star is singing country tunes his father taught him as a kid
by Christopher Muther
Boston Globe, July 16, 2010
Q. You're releasing an album of country music this fall. Have you sung country music before?
A. This is the first time that I've consciously sung country. My first introduction to country songs was through my dad, when I first started to sing when I was 5 or 6. Those were the songs that he sang to me. He grew up in the South and he loved country music. He was a good singer and a good piano player. It's kind of nice to remember my dad by recording some of this music.
Q. I just finished reading John Waters's new book, "Role Models," and was surprised to see that you rank high as one of his idols. What was it like getting interviewed by him for the book?
A. I think I met John for the first time in Baltimore. He came to see me, and we just chatted. I'm a big fan of his, too. I think he mentioned to me that he was writing something. When he came out here [Southern California], we sat and talked for a while, and that was the end of it as far as I was concerned. And then he sent me a book. It was wonderful to know that someone as talented as he is has such good regard for my singing and for me as a person. It was a revelation.
Q. I don't think I would have guessed that he's a fan of yours, and you're a fan of his.
A. You can't imagine. When John came to the house, I thought: "What do you want to talk to me about?" But we had a wonderful time.
Q. One of your songs that always chokes me up is "What'll I Do?" Are there any songs that have choked you up when you're recording in the studio, or that still bring a tear to your eye?
A. Isn't that funny that you mention "What'll I Do?" Yesterday, I was looking for something to sing this weekend with the Pittsburgh Symphony. I wanted something just a little different. I listened to "What'll I Do?" and thought it would be just wonderful. It was one of the first songs that my dad taught me. Every song I ever learned from my dad I've recorded. "What'll I Do?" was always my favorite. I had a hard time singing it. It was on the third or fourth album that I recorded, and I was still finding my way, but that song is very special. I'm happy that you mentioned it.
Q. Do you find that it gets easier or more difficult over the years to give the audience an emotional experience?
A. Once you get into the frame of mind, or once you realize that people really want to hear you express yourself, then you do get a little bit more emotional. But mostly, you're just happy to be singing, as I am.
by Brett Milano
Boston Herald, July 20, 2010
Think of Johnny Mathis, and you have to think of romance. You may start humming "Chances Are," "It's Not for Me to Say," "Wonderful! Wonderful!" or one of the other classic ballads Mathis has been crooning for well over half a century.
"I don't think anybody realizes how long they're going to perform," Mathis, 74, said from his Burbank, Calif., office last week. "It's something you do day to day. If you still like it and you're healthy, you keep going. One of my favorite singers, and a great inspiration to me, was Beverly Sills. She stopped at 60 because of the physical demands. She just didn't like how she was sounding. I guess I feel that my voice doesn't sound the way I want it to all of the time, but enough of the time it sounds OK."
Mathis, who plays the South Shore Music Circus on Thursday and the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on Saturday, first entered the studio in 1956. Initially a jazz singer, he was steered toward pop by Columbia Records president Mitch Miller. Miller had Mathis turning out career-defining ballad hits, but the young singer wasn't enthused about recording them.
"I just didn't think they were loud enough," he said. "This was the time when Elvis had just become very popular and rock 'n' roll was the thing, so it seemed like what I was singing was audibly too soft. When I recorded them, Mitch Miller would sit next to me and hit me on the back, to make sure I kept the beat going properly. Kind of a strange way of going about it, but it taught me to monitor my voice and add some structure to my songs."
Mathis has updated his material over the years, covering the Beatles in the '60s and the Bee Gees in the '70s, but he's never strayed far from his trademark ballads.
"We had a lot of fun in the studio over the years," he said. "Some of it worked and some of it was awful. Like, I tried some rock 'n' roll and was never that good at it. I just wasn't earthy enough. It sounds stilted when a trained singer does it. That never saw the light of day and it probably saved my career."
One thing Mathis has never touched before is country music, which will be featured on his upcoming "Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville," slated for a late summer release.
"My dad was from the South," the Gilmer, Texas-born singer said. "And those Hank Williams songs were some of the first that I ever heard. When I was young, my dad would also take me to see rhythm-and-blues singers I'd never heard of. At the same time I had a voice teacher, a woman who wanted me to maintain the high singing I could do. Some of my heroes were the extraordinary lady singers like Lena Horne and Peggy Lee. I always liked the ladies because their voices were so flexible."
Asked if there's still romance in modern music, Mathis laughed.
"There's a lot of swagger, isn't there? I think that when you're a kid, you don't want to be known as a romantic. You want to be hot, provocative, edgy. Those are the words that come to mind with kids nowadays. But everybody needs some romance, whether they want to admit it or not."
____________ _________ _________ _________ ____
To Dad, With Love
At 74, the smooth pop star is singing country tunes his father taught him as a kid
by Christopher Muther
Boston Globe, July 16, 2010
Q. You're releasing an album of country music this fall. Have you sung country music before?
A. This is the first time that I've consciously sung country. My first introduction to country songs was through my dad, when I first started to sing when I was 5 or 6. Those were the songs that he sang to me. He grew up in the South and he loved country music. He was a good singer and a good piano player. It's kind of nice to remember my dad by recording some of this music.
Q. I just finished reading John Waters's new book, "Role Models," and was surprised to see that you rank high as one of his idols. What was it like getting interviewed by him for the book?
A. I think I met John for the first time in Baltimore. He came to see me, and we just chatted. I'm a big fan of his, too. I think he mentioned to me that he was writing something. When he came out here [Southern California], we sat and talked for a while, and that was the end of it as far as I was concerned. And then he sent me a book. It was wonderful to know that someone as talented as he is has such good regard for my singing and for me as a person. It was a revelation.
Q. I don't think I would have guessed that he's a fan of yours, and you're a fan of his.
A. You can't imagine. When John came to the house, I thought: "What do you want to talk to me about?" But we had a wonderful time.
Q. One of your songs that always chokes me up is "What'll I Do?" Are there any songs that have choked you up when you're recording in the studio, or that still bring a tear to your eye?
A. Isn't that funny that you mention "What'll I Do?" Yesterday, I was looking for something to sing this weekend with the Pittsburgh Symphony. I wanted something just a little different. I listened to "What'll I Do?" and thought it would be just wonderful. It was one of the first songs that my dad taught me. Every song I ever learned from my dad I've recorded. "What'll I Do?" was always my favorite. I had a hard time singing it. It was on the third or fourth album that I recorded, and I was still finding my way, but that song is very special. I'm happy that you mentioned it.
Q. Do you find that it gets easier or more difficult over the years to give the audience an emotional experience?
A. Once you get into the frame of mind, or once you realize that people really want to hear you express yourself, then you do get a little bit more emotional. But mostly, you're just happy to be singing, as I am.
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
Thanks Terence for those articles. The new cd is set to be released on Sept 21st--so we shall see. At first I was not sure about it, but the more I look at the tracks, the more I think I will enjoy it.
2 of my friends were at the Pittsburgh concerts, mentioned above-they said it was great hearing him sing with a Symphony Orchestra--he has done that before, in Boston.
The article also mentioned South Shore Music Circus, where I saw him in the late 1980's---it is completely round, like a circus tent--but completely open all round--it was just so hot-I got badly bitten by mosquitos there--even though I had been taking a triple dose of Piriton beforehand !!!!!
2 of my friends were at the Pittsburgh concerts, mentioned above-they said it was great hearing him sing with a Symphony Orchestra--he has done that before, in Boston.
The article also mentioned South Shore Music Circus, where I saw him in the late 1980's---it is completely round, like a circus tent--but completely open all round--it was just so hot-I got badly bitten by mosquitos there--even though I had been taking a triple dose of Piriton beforehand !!!!!
Mariana
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Lena & Harry Smith
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Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
That's a great article Terence. Good to know another legendry artist is still going strong.
Some one in " IN TUNE " this time was asking for any Johnny Mathis memorabillia from Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa,.
Some one in " IN TUNE " this time was asking for any Johnny Mathis memorabillia from Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa,.
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Terence Lee
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Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
I'm looking forward to Johnny's new CD. I know he will rise to the occasion and it will be another feather in his cap.
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
New cd "Johnny in Nashville" now available from Amazon USA for pre-order--due Sept 21st. I have seen some pics from recording sessions, but heard no tracks as yet.
Mariana
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
Available now for preorder in Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.
The cover looks very different to any other cover of JM--complete with a Farm, and a horse. Still set for Sept 21st.
The cover looks very different to any other cover of JM--complete with a Farm, and a horse. Still set for Sept 21st.
Mariana
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Terence Lee
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Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
Award-winning musical theater star Elaine Paige will perform duets on her new CD with Paul Anka, John Barrowman, Michael Bolton, Kenny G, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton-John, Billy Ocean, LeAnn Rimes, Jon Secada, Neil Sedaka, and Dionne Warwick. The CD will be produced by Phil Ramone.
The album, which is tentatively titled Elaine and Friends, is scheduled to be released in the UK on November 1, with a US release early in 2011.
"I am very excited by this project," Elaine said, "I have been waiting for this opportunity for 20 years to work with the legendary Phil Ramone. He is a true magician in the recording studio. And being able to sing with some of my idols, people I have admired for years, is an absolute pleasure, a dream come true!"
The album, which is tentatively titled Elaine and Friends, is scheduled to be released in the UK on November 1, with a US release early in 2011.
"I am very excited by this project," Elaine said, "I have been waiting for this opportunity for 20 years to work with the legendary Phil Ramone. He is a true magician in the recording studio. And being able to sing with some of my idols, people I have admired for years, is an absolute pleasure, a dream come true!"
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
That is a new one on me, Terence---sounds great--I will definately be looking out for that one.
Mariana
Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
Isn't Elaine doing a duet with Susan Boyle ?
"My Tears Will Fall Now That You're Gone,
I Can't Help But Cry, But I Must Go On"
I Can't Help But Cry, But I Must Go On"
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Lena & Harry Smith
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Re: JOHNNY MATHIS
She did duet with Susan Boyle on a TV show recently.