The fourth of seven children, John Royce Mathis was born on September 30, 1935 in Gilmer, Texas, to Clem and Mildred Mathis. As a small boy, the family moved to Post Street in San Francisco. It was there that he learned an appreciation of music from his father who taught him his first song, “My Blue Heaven.” At age eight, his father purchased an old upright piano for $25. When he brought it home, it wouldn't fit through the front door. So that evening, Mathis stayed up all night to watch his father dismantle the piano, get it into the small living room of their basement apartment and then reassemble it. Clem Mathis, who worked briefly as a musician back in Texas playing the piano and singing on stage, would continue to teach his son many songs and routines. Mathis had proven to be the most eager of the children to learn all about music. He sang in the church choir, school functions, community events and for visitors in their home, as well as amateur shows in the San Francisco area. He was also a successful track & field athlete, and was offered a chance to compete in the Olympic Trials. In the same week, Columbia Records called, so he choose to go to New York to record his first album in March 1956.

 

Best-known for his supremely popular hits like “Chances Are," "It's Not for Me to Say" and "Misty,” Mathis has recorded more than 80 albums, six Christmas albums, and has sold millions of records worldwide. During his extensive career he has had three songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, achieved 50 Hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, received five Grammy Nominations and, in 2003, he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

In spite of a very busy tour schedule & many charity events, Mathis still finds time to enjoy a little free time. He was an avid tennis player until the late 1960s, when a good friend turned him on to his now life-long love of golf. He plays golf almost every day when he's not traveling and has sung at many golf banquets such as the Ryder Cup. After almost 60 years as a recording artist, what’s next for Mathis? “I don’t think about retiring. I think about how I can keep singing for the rest of my life. I just have to pace myself.”