5 minutes ago/ Legendary singer Johnny Mathis was devastated, his 20-year secret was exposed.

5 minutes ago/ Legendary singer Johnny Mathis was devastated, his 20-year secret was exposed.

#johnnymathis

John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts. According to Guinness Music writer and charts historian Paul Gambaccini, Mathis has sold over 400 million records worldwide to date, making him the third-biggest selling artist of the 20th century after Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. Mathis has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three recordings.

Although frequently described as a romantic singer, his discography includes traditional pop, Brazilian and Spanish music, soul, rhythm and blues, show tunes, Tin Pan Alley, soft rock, blues, country music, and even a few disco songs for his album Mathis Magic in 1979. Mathis has also recorded six albums of Christmas music. In a 1968 interview, Mathis cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby among his musical influences.

Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, on September 30, 1935,[3] the fourth of seven children of Clem Mathis and Mildred Boyd, both domestic cooks.[4][5] The family moved to San Francisco, settling on 32nd Avenue in the Richmond District, where Mathis grew up. His father, a singer and pianist,[4] had worked in vaudeville, and when he saw his son's talent, he bought an old upright piano for $25 (US$385 in 2021 dollars[6]) and encouraged him. Mathis began learning songs and routines from his father; his parents also ran his fan club.[4] His first song was "My Blue Heaven".[7] Mathis started singing and dancing for visitors at home, at school, and at church functions.[8] Mathis is of African-American and Native American heritage.

When Mathis was 13, voice teacher Connie Cox accepted him as her student in exchange for work around her house.[9] Mathis studied with Cox for six years, learning vocal scales and exercises, voice production, classical and operatic singing. The first band he sang with was formed by his high school friend Merl Saunders. Mathis eulogized Saunders at his funeral in 2008, thanking him for giving Mathis his first chance as a singer.

Mathis was a star athlete at George Washington High School in San Francisco. He was a high jumper and hurdler, and he played on the basketball team. In 1954, he enrolled at San Francisco State College on an athletic scholarship, intending to become an English teacher and a physical education teacher.[9] While there, Mathis set a high-jump record of 1.97 m (6 ft 5+1⁄2 in). This is still one of the college's top jump heights and was only 7 cm (3 in) short of the 1952 Olympic record of 2.04 m (6 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Just as when he was in high school, Mathis's name was frequently mentioned in the sports sections of the Northern California newspapers. He and future NBA star Bill Russell were featured in a 1954 sports section article of the San Francisco Chronicle demonstrating their high-jumping skills (Russell #1 & Mathis #2 in the City of San Francisco at that time). During one meet at the University of Nevada, Mathis beat Russell's highest jump attempt that day. Mathis was often referred to as "the best all-around athlete to come out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Despite missing the Olympic high-jump trials, he retains enthusiasm for sports. He is an avid golfer, with nine holes in one to his credit. He has hosted several Johnny Mathis Golf Tournaments in the United Kingdom and the US. Since 1985, he has been hosting a charity golf tournament in Belfast sponsored by Shell corporation,[20] and the annual Johnny Mathis Invitational Track & Field Meet has continued at San Francisco State University since it started in 1982. He also enjoys cooking and in 1982, he published a cookbook called Cooking for You Alone.[21]

Mathis has undergone rehabilitation for both alcohol and prescription drug addictions,[9] and he has supported many organizations through the years, including the American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, the YWCA and YMCA, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the NAACP.

He is a convert to Catholicism