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In 1956, a young balladeer named Johnny Mathis released his debut album. Mathis, the son of a vaudeville performer, was friends and athletic rivals with NBA all-timer Bill Russell when they were both in high school. Mathis began singing in jazz clubs in San Francisco in the mid-’50s, and then he signed to Columbia and released romantic slow-dance hits like “Wonderful! Wonderful!” and “Chances Are.” He continued to make hits for decades, landing at #1 with the Deniece Williams duet “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” in 1978. Mathis’ career lasted for 70 years, and he finally played his final show on Sunday night in New Jersey.
