Chances Are Johnny Mathis Returns to Heinz Hall with PSO

For Immediate Release
May 18, 2012

LEGENDARY SINGER JOHNNY MATHIS RETURNS TO HEINZ HALL FOR 2 SPECIAL CONCERTS WITH PSO
Concerts at 8 p.m. on June 30 & July 1

PITTSBURGH – Music legend Johnny Mathis will return to Heinz Hall for a special two-night concert series with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO).

The concerts will be at 8 p.m., Saturday, June 30, and Sunday, July 1. Tickets, ranging from $35 to $125, may be purchased in person at the Heinz Hall box office at 600 Penn Ave., downtown, by calling 412.392.4900, or visiting www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

 This is Mathis’ sixth performance with the PSO since 1973. His last performance was a sold-out concert series in July 2010.

From jazz to ballads to Broadway, Johnny Mathis has more than 50 years in the music business. Originally from Gilmer, Texas, Mathis was known not only for his singing ability but his athleticism as well. At San Francisco State, he gained additional fame as a high jumper. But Mathis gave up his chance to become a member of the USA Olympic Team and went to New York to record his first album in March 1956. The first album, Johnny Mathis: A New Sound In Popular Song, was a collection of jazz oriented renditions of popular standards, and included such songs as Angel Eyes, and Easy to Love.

At his second recording session, in the fall of 1956, he recorded two singles. These songs were to become among his most popular all-time greatest hits: Wonderful, Wonderful and It’s Not For Me To Say. Subsequently, MGM Studios signed Mathis to sing “It’s Not For Me To Say” in the film Lizzie, in which he played a tavern piano bar singer. In 1958, he appeared in A Certain Smile, where he sang the title song playing himself in an elegant nightclub scene. Since then, Johnny’s voice has been used in countless Hollywood movies.

At one point in his career, according to record historian Joel Whitburn, Mathis was one of only five recording artists to have Top 40 Hits spanning each of his first four decades as a recording artist. His second No.1  hit single, Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (recorded with Deniece Williams), came almost 21 years after his very first No. 1 hit single, Chances Are.

Mathis has received several Grammy nominations. The first was for Misty in 1960 in the category of Best Male Vocal Performance - Single Record or Track. The second was in 1992 for In a Sentimental Mood / Mathis Sings Ellington in the category of Best Traditional Pop Performance. He also was nominated in 2006 for Isn’t it Romantic in the category of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
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Contact: James Barthen, Vice President of Public Affairs
Phone: 412.392.4835 | email: jbarthen@pittsburghsymphony.org
Contact: Ramesh Santanam, Director of Media Relations
Phone: 412.392.4827 | email: rsantanam@pittsburghsymphony.org

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