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by Terence Lee » Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:16 pm
When Barbra Streisand's friends and family wanted a singer to perform for her 70th birthday in April, there was no doubt who they'd call — Streisand's professed favorite, Johnny Mathis. It was a surprise, and a success.
"She was over the moon," says Mathis, 76, laughing. "I tried to sing a couple of things I thought she might like. The first song I sang, 'You'll Never Know,' I hit that one right on the nail. The second one was a song from (Streisand's movie) 'Yentl,' and I forgot the words! She said, 'Don't worry about it, keep going! Keep going!' "
He sort of knew already that he's Streisand's favorite singer. "She's kind of mentioned it a couple of times," Mathis says, modestly. "Maybe if she says it one more time, I'll believe it!"
Mathis, who performs tonight at MotorCity Casino's Sound Board, is also aware that his 1957 hit "Wonderful, Wonderful," played a key role in a scene in the "Desperate Housewives" finale. It was as a bedridden Karen McCluskey, dying of lung cancer, asks that a vinyl single of "Wonderful, Wonderful" be played over and over. Flashbacks from the series are seen as McCluskey's life slowly fades away. Despite the song's buoyant lyrics and Mathis' youthful joy, the mood is bittersweet.
The singer heard about his song being used, and watched it as a clip on the Web. "It was just so well done, and it was very sad," he says. "I was thrilled to be included."
The emotional texture of Mathis' voice, that palpable feeling, lends itself to such moments, and has always been intrinsic to his sound.
"When you sing or when you record, it's of the moment," Mathis explains. "I get inspiration from fantasizing, and I actually believe what I'm singing, every word of it. That's why it's so wonderful to sing music that's so well written. Over the years I've been so fortunate that I can continue to sing songs that I recorded years and years ago. I never get tired of hearing those wonderful words, and of course the pretty melodies that I've been able to get from these songwriters."
Currently, he's poring over possible songs for an album of duets he'll record soon. He hopes to sing with, among others, Michael McDonald, Aretha Franklin and, yes, Streisand.
"She's doing a duets album too, so I said, 'Sing for me and I'll sing for you,' " Mathis says.
It was 1956 and Mathis was just 21 when he flew to New York to record his first sides for Columbia Records. Born in Texas, when he was a small boy his family moved to San Francisco. There he excelled in both sports — he was a high jumper and hurdler — and singing, taking lessons from a private coach in exchange for chores.
At 19, he was set to try out for the Olympics, but received an invitation from Columbia Records at the same time. At that key fork in the road, he opted for music. That first Columbia album of jazz standards didn't catch on with radio or fans, but his second one, an album of pop ballads (including "It's Not For Me To Say" and "Wonderful, Wonderful") produced by Mitch Miller, was an instant hit, buoyed by an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. A few years later came "Misty" and other hits.
Nat King Cole was among his early mentors. "He was a dear, dear friend to me and took me under his wing and was very kind to me before he passed away," Mathis says.
He didn't make it to the Olympics as a track star, but Mathis didn't give up athletics altogether. He's still an avid golfer, his greatest passion apart from cooking. "When my day begins, I always figure out a way to get a golf game in as well as do all the stuff I'm supposed to be doing," he said. "It reminds me of what I've had to go through in a career, because golf is the most difficult game in the world, it requires so much attention and your complete and total absorption. It's a great outlet."
Mathis also stays in shape to keep his voice in tune.
"When I was in high school and college I was a high jumper and a hurdler, I almost got a chance to go to the Olympics as a high jumper," he says. "I kind of got into a routine of exercising, and I think it's helped my singing. It's kept my stomach muscles strong, which is where you support all the muscles in your vocal cords. I've been very lucky, I haven't had too many problems vocally. The occasional bout of laryngitis, other than that my voice has maintained the strength to sing as often as I want
