JOHNNY MATHIS – THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

Johnny Mathis’ accomplishments are numerous and varied. He holds many records and has set many precedents in the music industry. His career began in 1956 under the wing of Columbia jazz producer George Avakian.  In 1958, two years after being signed by Columbia Records, Johnny's Greatest Hits was released. It began a "Greatest Hits" tradition copied by every record company since then. Johnny's Greatest Hits went on to become one of the most popular albums of all time and spent an unprecedented 490 continuous weeks (almost ten years) on the Billboard Top Albums Chart. This record has been noted in the Guinness Book of World Records. Mathis’ long recording career, which to date has produced some 73 charting albums and sales of 350 million records. 2006 marked Johnny's 50th anniversary as a recording star and was very busy for him. Johnny Mathis – Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration and A 50th Christmas Celebration were both released and PBS taped a special called "Wonderful, Wonderful". The PBS special was later released on DVD as "Johnny Mathis – Gold: A 50th Anniversary Celebration". 2006 also marked the year that he was honored with receiving the Society of Singers coveted Ella Award.

The Ultimate Collection was released in the U.K. on October 10, and it feature 23 tracks spanning the period of 1957 to 2010, and highlighted by two tracks from CHIC’s legendary “lost” production for Mathis, 1981’s I Love My Lady.  One of these, “Something to Sing About,” surfaced on last year’s The CHIC Organization box set from Warner Music France, while the other, the title song “I Love My Lady,” makes its first appearance anywhere on The Ultimate Collection. Sequenced non-chronologically, a full ten tracks on The Ultimate Collection are from the period between 1957 and 1959, two tracks come from the 1960’s, and seven from the 1970s.  The two CHIC productions are the only representative tracks from the 1980’s, and the 1990s and 2000’s are ignored completely with the exception of two tracks from last year’s
Let It Be Me: Mathis in Nashville.   

Meanwhile, Johnny Mathis will perform two rare Holiday concerts in the Bay Area this December. Mathis will perform A Johnny Mathis Christmas Friday, December 2 at the historic Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California and Friday December 23 at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California. The two rare holiday concerts will feature holiday classics and Johnny Mathis' greatest hits.

Johnny Mathis – The Ultimate Collection
1. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late (Duet with Deniece Williams)
2. Misty
3. The Twelfth of Never
4. Maria
5. Chances Are
6. A Certain Smile
7. It’s Not For Me to Say
8. Teacher, Teacher
9. My Love for You
10. The Best of Everything
11. Someone
12. You are Beautiful
13. What Will My Mary Say
14. Crazy
15. Love Me Tender
16. When Will I See You Again (Single Version)
17. I’m Stone in Love with You
18. You’re All I Need to Get By (Duet with Deniece Williams)
19. Gone, Gone, Gone
20. Something to Sing About
21. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)
22. When A Child is Born
23. I Love My Lady