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Johnny Mathis, who, as these notes are being written in March 2026, is still a much-loved and respected figure in popular music at the age of 90, has been one the most distinctive and successful singers in popular music for the last seven decades. His velvet voice and immaculate phrasing enabled him to transcend the genres to encompass, sophisticated pop, jazz, easy listening and even disco over the years, and he had over 80 hits from the 1950s through to the ‘80s (see Johnny Mathis “The Complete US Singles As & Bs 1957-62” Acrobat ADDCD3171). He began his recording career just as the long-playing album format was becoming a burgeoning medium, soon followed by the stereo boom and he was ideally placed to take advantage of that. This 46-track 2-CD collection features just about all the titles from his first albums for Columbia, “Johnny Mathis”, “Wonderful, Wonderful”, “Warm” and “Swing Softly”. Mostly comprising his trademark versions of classics from the Great American Songbook, and with accompaniments directed by great arranger/composers of the day - Percy Faith, Ted Macero, Bob Prince, Manny Albam, Gil Evans, and John Lewis – the collection offers a thoroughly enjoyable showcase for his unique talent, captured at the start of what would be a long and illustrious career. As a result of his popularity, success and high profile, he had a huge number of hits, and this 91-track 4-CD collection consists entirely of all his career hits as listed in Joel Whitburn’s book “Pop Memories 1890-1954” and also in the early Billboard charts. Among those are the 22 records listed as No. 1s, which include “Sonny Boy”, “Swanee”, “Toot Toot Tootsie, Goodbye” “You Made Me Love You”, “Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody”, “When The Red Robin”, “There’s A Rainbow Round My Shoulder”, “I’m Sitting On Top Of The World”, “California Here I Come”, and many more from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley. He was a hugely influential and distinctive performer and this substantial collection, capturing the essence of his style and talent, is a fine showcase for his significant recorded legacy.
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