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New York Times
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Johnny Mathis Is Retiring From Touring After Almost 70 Years of Crooning
Johnny Mathis, a pop music singer and one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, said this week that he would perform only four more live concerts before retiring from touring after nearly 70 years. Known for his 'velvet voice' on romantic ballads like 'It's Not for Me to Say' and 'Wonderful! Wonderful!' Mr. Mathis has been singing standards and soft rock since his teenage years, but he started touring professionally after his debut album was released in 1956. Mr. Mathis, 89, will pick up the microphone for shows in April and May, but his concerts scheduled for the summer and fall have been canceled. 'It's with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis's age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring and live concerts,' a statement posted on his website said. Mr. Mathis's final concert is scheduled for May 18 at the Bergen Performing Arts Center in Englewood, N.J. The other concerts are April 10 in Shippensburg, Pa.; April 26 in Shipshewana, Ind.; and May 10 in Santa Rosa, Calif. Some tickets remain available for his final concerts, his website noted, and refunds will be issued for the ones that were canceled. Mr. Mathis grew up in San Francisco, where in 1955 he got a job singing on the weekends at a club. Its owner eventually persuaded George Avakian, a record producer and talent scout with Columbia Records, to see him. After he listened to Mr. Mathis sing, Mr. Avakian sent a telegram to Columbia that read, 'Have found phenomenal 19 year old boy who could go all the way. Send blank contracts.' Mr. Mathis is widely recognized as a pioneer of the romantic ballad style that emerged in the 1950s as a pop-music alternative to high-energy rock 'n' roll. Mr. Mathis would go on to make more top-selling albums than any other modern pop performer except Frank Sinatra, by the end of the 1970s. Forty years ago this month, the critic Stephen Holden wrote in The New York Times that 'Johnny Mathis is still the most compelling exponent of a time-honored crooning tradition carried forward in recent years by the Bee Gees, George Benson, Al Jarreau and Julio Iglesias.' Mr. Holden noted in his review of a concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York that while Mr. Mathis's 'ethereal, androgynous tenor, with its built-in sob and breathy hesitations, has darkened perceptibly, it communicates the same aura of adolescent longing that it did in 1957.' In 2003, Mr. Mathis received the Grammys' lifetime achievement award. At his peak, he was booking some 200 concert dates a year. 'The road is my home,' he once said. 'I carry my best friends with me. We work together, play together. I have no other life.' But midway through his career, Mr. Mathis admitted that he was uncomfortable onstage. 'I hate it,' he said. 'But it's something I'll have to do all my life. I don't know how to do anything else. 'There are moments when the emotion comes out and I get absolutely carried away, and I know that this is right, this is wonderful.'
Fox News
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Johnny Mathis, 89, retires from touring due to 'accelerated' memory issues after seven-decade career
Legendary singer Johnny Mathis is officially stepping away from the stage. The 89-year-old announced his retirement from touring and live concerts due to age and declining health. "It's with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis' age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring & live concerts," a statement read on Mathis' Facebook account. The sudden news comes on the heels of Mathis preparing to celebrate his 90th birthday this year. After a career spanning more than seven decades, Mathis has made the difficult decision to cancel upcoming performances, marking the end of his long and storied presence on the road. "While there are still some exciting concerts coming up, regrettably all Johnny Mathis concerts from June 2025 onwards are now cancelled." Mathis is scheduled to perform for the remainder of his 2025 Voice of Romance Tour, with the final concert scheduled on May 18 in Englewood, New Jersey, at the Bergen Performing Arts Center. "Johnny Mathis & his entire staff send their heartfelt gratitude to all Mathis Fans worldwide for your continued love & support of his music," the statement concluded. "It's truly been 'Wonderful, Wonderful.'" Reps for Mathis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Mathis is famously known for his timeless classics, including hits like "Chances Are," "Misty" and "It's Not for Me to Say." He launched his Voice of Romance Tour in September 2024. After a show at Mystic Lake Casino in Minnesota earlier this month, his fans were in awe over his performance, with one fan writing on social media, "My favorite all time Romance Singer Ever! At the fine age of 89…" "Mr Mathis is amazing and still singing beautifully, never disappoints, thanks for your continued work and music contribution!" another fan said. Mathis' classic songs such as "Wonderful, Wonderful" and "It's Not for Me to Say," climbed up the Billboard pop charts in the '50s, followed by his single "Chances Are," which became a No. 1 hit. Mathis has received five Grammy nominations, with the first for his single "Misty" in 1960. He's been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame three times. His site claims that he is Columbia Records' longest-signed recording artist.
