Johnny Mathis turns 91 on September 30, and the voice behind ‘Chances Are’ has earned a quiet birthday. He was born in Gilmer, Texas, in 1935. According to his official site, he signed with Columbia Records in August 1955, a month before he turned 20. What followed was a career that Fox News measures at more than seven decades. Few singers have been the sound of so many first dances and anniversary dinners.
The numbers behind the romance are remarkable. According to Billboard, his 1958 collection ‘Johnny’s Greatest Hits’ spent 490 weeks on the album chart, a record that stood until Pink Floyd’s ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ passed it in 1983. Three of his recordings are in the Grammy Hall Of Fame: ‘Chances Are,’ ‘Misty’ and ‘It’s Not For Me To Say.’ The Recording Academy gave him its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003. He also reached the top of the Hot 100 in 1978 with ‘Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,’ his duet with Deniece Williams.
Johnny Mathis Said Goodbye To The Road In 2025
His touring days ended last year. In March 2025 his team announced his retirement from live concerts. “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,” the statement read, as reported by Fox News. He sang his last show on May 18, 2025, in Englewood, New Jersey, and DYR covered the night he bid farewell with that final performance. His official site reports that he joined Instagram and TikTok this month and that a new vinyl Christmas collection is on the way. The stage lights are off now, but the records keep spinning.
