BARRY LEVINE: Mathis made the right choice: Music over Olympics

“Chances are, ‘cause I wear that silly grin the moment you come into view; chances are you think that I’m in love with you.”

— “Chances Are” by Johnny Mathis, 1957.

Remember when we were growing up and the modern rock ‘n’ roll era was in its infancy, our parents would say, “Why do you keep listening to that stuff and those singers? It’ll never last.”

Well, this singer really has lasted. He is about to complete his sixth decade in show business.

All the incomparable Johnny Mathis has done during his glittering 60-year career is record 71 studio albums, three live albums, 26 compilation albums and 100 singles.

How’s that for a body of work?

Of Mathis’ 71 studio albums, 11 placed in the Top 10.

Concentrating more on the albums market than the singles, Mathis has had five of his albums on the charts at the same time, an achievement equaled by only two singers: Frank Sinatra and Barry Manilow.

His album “Johnny’s Greatest Hits” remained on the charts for a then-record 490 weeks, almost 10 years.

Pink Floyd, a British rock group, shattered Mathis’ record with their album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” Released in 1973, the album remained on the charts until 1988, a total of 741 weeks. The album sold approximately 45 million copies worldwide, making it one of the biggest of all-time.

Six of Mathis’ singles reached the Top 10, with “Chances Are” in 1957 and “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” with Deniece Williams in 1978 becoming his only No. 1 hits. His other Top 10 singles were “It’s Not for Me to Say” and “Twelfth of Never” in 1957, “Gina” in 1962 and “What Will My Mary Say” in 1963.

Among his other lasting hits are “Wonderful, Wonderful,” and “Wild is the Wind” in 1957, “A Certain Smile” in 1958, “Misty” and “Small World” in 1959 and “Maria” in 1960

Despite his successes, Mathis almost spurned his music career.

Born in Texas, Mathis grew up in San Francisco, where he was a star athlete at George Washington High School. He was a high jumper and hurdler and also played on the school’s basketball team.

He enrolled at San Francisco University in 1954 on an athletic scholarship.

In 1956, Mathis was invited to try out for the U.S. Olympic team that would be competing that fall in Melbourne, Australia.

Mathis had to make a decision: Go to the Olympic trials or keep his appointment in New York to make his first recordings.

His father, Clem, suggested his son nix the Olympic opportunity and begin a career as a professional singer.

Mathis, fortunately, took his father’s advice.

He remained in New York after making the recordings for Columbia Records, performing in night clubs in the Big Apple.

While with Columbia, he came under record-producer Mitch Miller’s influence, and they combined to develop “The Mathis Sound.”

While Miller admittedly detested rock ‘n’ roll, he loved Mathis’ style and his velvety voice.

Mathis has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three recordings: “Chances Are” in 1998, “Misty” in 2002 and “It’s Not for Me to Say” in 2008.

He was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall Of Fame in 2014 with Linda Ronstadt, Shirley Jones and Nat King Cole. The awards were presented by the Center for the Performing Arts’ artistic director Michael Feinstein. The honors originated “as an enduring testament to the Great American Songbook. The Hall of Fame honors performers and composers responsible for creating America’s soundtrack.”

The 81-year-old singer still maintains a busy performing schedule.

He has four concerts slated for California in December and four in Florida in January at The Villages (Jan. 12), Lakeland (Jan. 14), Fort Pierce (Jan. 27) and Sarasota (Jan. 29).

Mathis never became an Olympic champion, but he certainly earned a gold medal as a singer.

This week in rock history: — The Association were presented with a Gold record for their hit, “Never My Love” on Nov. 27, 1967. The song peaked at No. 2. … “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” a ballad that was written in 1926 and first recorded by Al Jolson, became Elvis Presley’s 14th No. 1 hit on Nov. 27, 1960. … At the 1959 Grammy Awards on Nov. 29, Bobby Darin won Record of the Year for “Mack the Knife” as well as the Best New Artist of the Year. Song of the Year was awarded to Jimmy Driftwood, writer of Johnny Horton’s hit, “The Battle Of New Orleans.”

The Beach Boys’ “In My Room” cracked the Top 40 on Nov. 30, 1963. Although the song would climb only to No. 23, it would be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and was ranked 212th on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time. … Bobby Darin married heart-throb actress Sandra Dee on Dec. 1, 1960. The couple divorced in 1967. … The Temptations’ version of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” gave the Motown group its fourth No. 1 song on Dec. 2, 1973..

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].