麻豆约拍

Paul Gambaccini celebrates the voice and career of Johnny Mathis, one of the last in a long line of traditional male vocalists who emerged before the rock era of 1960s.

Though he scored a flurry of chart hits in the late 50s, Mathis later crossed over to album market, where he enjoyed considerable success. While he concentrated on albums of show tunes and standards during the 60s, he began incorporating more contemporary tunes by the 70s and remained a popular concert attraction well into the 90s and today.

Programme one hears how Mathis grew up in a religious and musical family and went on to study with an opera coach prior to his teenage years. In September 1955, age 19, Johnny landed a job singing weekends at a San Francisco club where he was spotted by the head of A&R at Columbia Records. Six months later he was in New York recording his first album of jazz oriented standards.

Later Columbia placed Johnny under the supervision of producer Mitch Miller and Mathis scored hits with Wonderful, Wonderful, It's Not For Me To Say and his first U.S number one, Chances Are. From that point on, he concentrated strictly on lush ballads for adult contemporary listeners. Though he charted often, half of his career Top Ten output in America occurred in 1957 alone.

As he explains he chose to focus on the burgeoning album market - much like Frank Sinatra, his main rival during the late 50s - and he recalls the advent of rock 'n' roll and how he thought Elvis would finish his career. 1958 saw the release of Mathis first festive album Merry Christmas, a holiday he's been closely associated with through his career.

This documentary first broadcast in 2006, when Mathis was celebrating 50 years in show business.