Johnny Mathis

One of the last great American crooners to achieve success before the rise of rock-n-roll, singer Johnny Mathis enjoyed a half-century of popularity as a romantic balladeer with such timeless, million-selling songs as "Chances Are," "Misty," "It's Not for Me to Say" and countless others. Mathis' ethereal voice, marked by a heavy, oft-imitated vibrato and clarity of tone, imbued a sense of innocent, youthful longing to the pop standards that formed the backbone of his catalog, beginning in 1957 with the Top 20 hit "Wonderful! Wonderful!" He would work almost exclusively in these genres for the next five decades, amassing a staggering amount of gold and platinum records and albums and nearly 75 songs in the Top 40. Mathis was also the first artist to release a greatest hits album, which enjoyed unprecedented favor among listeners, who kept it on the charts for nearly a decade. Though the adult contemporary audience contracted significantly in the late 1960s and 1970s, Mathis remained a major attraction on the concert circuit. He also shifted successfully into R&B with "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late," a 1978 duet with Deniece Williams that returned him to the top of the pop charts. Mathis continued to release albums well into the 21st century while maintaining his status as a living link to the classic pop sound of the 1950s through live and television appearances, which showcased his singular voice in fine form, even after five decades. The extraordinary span of Johnny Mathis' career and talent underscored his status as one of the most beloved and successful pop singers in the history of the recording industry.