ABSTRACT
American popular singer, born in San Francisco. After training as a classical singer, he turned to nightclub work and became an international star. Although African-American, Mathis was known for his smooth pop vocalizing in the Nat King Cole tradition. Between 1957 and 1974 he made 39 chart singles, among them “It’s Not for Me to Say” (Columbia #40851; 1957) and the late career hit “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” (Columbia #10693; 1978), a duet with pop star Deniece Williams. He also had 54 chart albums by 1974, most from the late 1950s and early 1960s, notably Heavenly (Columbia #1251, 8152; 1959), on the lists 56 weeks. As of the turn of the 21st century, Mathis continued to record for Columbia, making him one of the label’s longest active acts. Columbia has reissued a number of his original albums on CD, along with various hit packages on its Legacy label.
