New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Johnny Mathis, the iconic singer, is taking his final bow. According to a post on his official Facebook page, the Grammy-winning performer will be returning from touring and live concerts "due to...age and memory issues which have accelerated." The news comes as Mathis approaches his 90th birthday later this year. Though he will retire from public performance, there is still a possibility of new music in the future.
A few last concerts as part of his "Voice of Romances Tour" will still happen, with the final performance scheduled for May 18th, 2025, in Engelwood, New Jersey, at the Bergen PAC. See here for more concert details, which also include stops in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and California. All concerts from June 2025 onward have been canceled.
Throughout his prolific career, Matthis performed songs in a huge variety of styles and categories, from music composed for stage and film to golden era jazz standards, contemporary pop hits, and holiday music, all of which has assured his reputation as one of the most enduring vocalists in music history.
Best-known for his supremely popular hits like "Chances Are," "It's Not For Me To Say," and "Misty," Mathis has recorded close to 80 albums, six Christmas albums, and has sold millions of records worldwide. During his extensive career, he has had three songs inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame, achieved 50 hits on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart, and ranks as the all-time No. 6 album artist in the history of Billboard's pop album charts. He has received five GRAMMY nominations, and in 2003 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
In 1960, Matthis released The Rhythms and Ballads of Broadway, a double album that served as one of his first outings into the realm of musical theater covers. The album featured renditions of songs from The King and I, Gypsy, Guys and Dolls, and more. Other Broadway major covers in his career included West Side Story's "Maria," "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever), and "Send in the Clowns." In 1993, he performed with Barbra Streisand on a duet from West Side Story for her Back to Broadway album.
His most recent Broadway recording came in 2000, with Mathis on Broadway, an album that includes songs from more recent musicals, including Passion, The Lion King, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Rent.
