![]() 3 on the Billboard 200 chart before becoming certified gold two years after its release.īy 1999, Mathis’ “Merry Christmas” sold 5 million copies and cemented its place among the top 10 best-selling Christmas albums of all time. The collection, with spirited renditions of “Winter Wonderland,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Sleigh Ride,” has withstood the test of time and has earned new accolades along the way. I was blessed because he ended up accompanying me and making one of the best Christmas albums I’ve ever heard.” “I begged him to accompany me on the Christmas album because I loved his orchestrations. “He was a brilliant musician and became a very close friend of mine,” Mathis said. The singer headed into the studio to record “Merry Christmas,” that spring and brought Percy Faith, a conductor and fellow label mate, along with him. In 1958, with Avakian’s help and producer Mitch Miller’s blessing, Columbia granted Mathis’ Christmas wish. The rest is still unfolding history Mathis remains the longest-running recording artist with the label. Noga liked what she heard and introduced him to music industry bigwigs, including Columbia jazz talent scout George Avakian. After headlining acts cleared the smoky corner nightclub, the young crooner took the stage along with a pianist friend. Helen Noga, the Black Hawk’s co-owner, took notice of Mathis’ own gifts. He also sang better than anybody in the world.” “Most people never realized what an extraordinarily gifted pianist he was. “Nat King Cole was, to me, the epitome of excellence in not only vocal qualities but musicianship,” Mathis said. He met Nat King Cole, a musical hero who was to become a friend, after a performance one night at the Black Hawk. Later on, Mathis became a fixture at San Francisco’s jazz club scene, first in the audience and then onstage. ![]() Mildred, his mother, reared his siblings with unconditional love. He took a teenage Mathis to apprentice under Connie Cox, a vocal teacher who honed his talents in those early years. The balladeer, now 86, remains effusive with praise for his late parents.Ĭlem, his father, briefly moonlighted as a musician and imparted his passion for singing to his impressionable son. “The only thing that came to mind was the fact that they made Christmas so special for me and my six brothers and sisters.” “After I had success in the beginning of my career, all I ever wanted to do was to sing something for them,” Mathis said. The singer from San Francisco notched a number of hit singles early on in his recording career and an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” when he decided to take a chance of his own with Columbia Records.Ī very merry Mathis wanted to record a Christmas album next for his loving mother and father. With his velvety vibrato, a youthful Johnny Mathis melted midcentury America with “Chances Are,” a feathery love ballad that rose to the top of Billboard’s pop charts in 1957. ![]()
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