THE BBC IS OUR FRIEND: My readers in the Eastern hemisphere will enjoy this news! BBC Radio 2 station will be broadcasting a show simply called Johnny Mathis over a period of 6 weeks starting Friday, March 9 at half an hour each time. It's a radio biography featuring comments by Mathis' brother Ralph and sister Elizabeth Mathis-Douds, singers Dionne Warwick and Deniece Williams, producer Thom Bell, George Avakian, and even Pat Boone gets his two pence in! Here's a link to a description of the show. Sounds like a virtual "Johnny Mathis, this is your life" show that shouldn't be missed! With a lineup like this, sounds like it'll be well worth taping but if you do, I'd keep it under your hat!
The Radio 2 broadcast is live and can be easily picked up on Real Audio/Real Player...click "Listen" on the BBC page referenced above, and you can hear it on the pop-up player. If you don't want to use their pop-up player, type the following into the Location bar of your RealPlayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/realmedia/fmg2.rpm.
The time zone difference is prohibitive; London is 5 hours ahead of the Eastern time zone, so if you don't have to work for a living and can stay home and listen. The show starts at 19:03 Meridian time, (that's three after 7 pm; aren't those Brits exacting?!) so it should be on from 2:00-2:30 pm for my buddies in Long Island, 1:00 to 1:30 pm for us here in the Central zone, Noon-12:30pm in Albuquerque, and 11:00-11:30 am for the Seattlites and San Diegans! I don't know, Australians might ought to tune in the day before or even the day after! Who knows?! This time zone tag can get crazy!
I think they're trying to make up for the cancellation of Mathis' concert tour last year. I think if I were the Brits, I wouldn't settle for just a golf tournament!
MATHIS IN BRAZIL: I'm afraid this is after the fact, but I guess better late than never! São Paulo Brazil's Scalla - fm 102 www.scallafm.com.br also produced a tribute to Johnny Mathis on Saturday, February 24 and it was rebroadcast Sunday, March 4. It was necessary to have the Windows Media Player to listen in. I noticed the download instructions are also designed for Windows users. We here at the Mathis Chronicles don't do Windows...so I never heard the broadcast and can't tell what was on it. I do know that the show featured 18 of Mathis' songs, lovingly selected by my Brazilian compadre Lindaura Raposo del Carlo. It's a tricky site for non-Portuguese readers/speakers, but basically "clique" means "click" (duh) and start clicking around the places that turn orange upon mouseover. Thumbs up to Lindaura for helping to keep the music playing down in the land of Carnaval! By the way, São Paulo is one hour ahead of New York City....
SIGN-IN SAN DIEGO: Gina Yarbrough is a freelance photojournalist working for a 40-year-old African-American newspaper, The San Diego Voice and Viewpoint, as well as for a couple of other San Diego-based publications. Gina, who's also 40, recently attended her very first Johnny Mathis concert at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego. She's been kind enough to share her impressions with us:
Despite California's "Stage 3" power alert we were able to see Johnny Mathis perform live in concert at the Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego. The first half of the concert kicked off at 8:00 P.M. with the San Diego Symphony performing selections from "My Fair Lady", Richard Rodgers and at tribute to Henry Mancini. The symphony played for about 40 minutes. During the 20-minute intermission Mathis' main musicians (Gil, Joe, Eric and John) came on stage to make preparations for the second half of the show. A few minutes later the San Diego Symphony made its way back to the stage. At 9:00 P.M. the lights dimmed and Johnny Mathis made his way on to the stage. Everybody in the auditorium stood up and applauded as he made his way to the center of the stage. He wore his usual black tux. I also noticed that he trimmed down a bit. It looked like he lost between 10-15 pounds. But he really looked good.Here is a list of songs he performed: You Make Me Feel Brand New (his favorite), Why did I Choose You, Let Me Be The One, My Foolish Heart, Misty, Kismet medley, Laura, And Her Mother Came To, Felicidade/Manha de Carnaval/Brazil, To The Ends Of The Earth, Days Of Wine And Roses, Two For The Road, Lovers In New York, From Moment To Moment, Charade, Long Ago And Far Away, Twelfth of Never and 99 Miles (with Gil). Johnny Mathis performed for a total of 85 minutes straight without a break! When he finished performing his last song of the night the audience stood up and gave him a thunderous applause. A few of his fans ran up to the stage and presented him with flowers. After receiving the flowers Mathis left the stage and went back to his hotel, the Marriott Suites Hotel in downtown San Diego. The hotel is located around the corner from Copley Symphony Hall.
As the audience started to leave the auditorium I went to the front of the stage and talked to Gil. I asked him if Johnny Mathis was going to meet with the press after Saturday's show. He told me he wasn't. But I found out later that a few fans from Saturday's show lined up outside the stage door and waited for him to come out. He did and signed a few autographs and posed for photos with fans. I started to stop by Saturday evening to see if I could meet him but a prior commitment prevented me from doing so..."
"The show did sell out on both nights. Copley Symphony Hall is a clean place...medium size. That is, not too big, but not too small. In my opinion Copley Symphony Hall is one of San Diego's finest theaters..."
"...This was my first Johnny Mathis concert. I was very impressed both by his looks and his voice. He looks great for his age and his voice has not changed one bit. I would like to see him in concert again. Seeing and hearing him in person is much better than seeing him on television. What also impressed me was his musicians. They weren't stuck up like some musicians I've met. People like that irk me. They were very courteous and very nice, especially Gil. He took the time to talked to me and answer my questions honestly. Mathis' Rojon staff was also courteous and helpful. They gave us two free concert tickets to attend the show."
IN CASE YOU DIDN'T KNOW: Four of the five songs which received the nomination for Best Original Song in 1970 were eventually recorded by Johnny Mathis. I asked which four and what album. The answers: For All We Know from You've Got A Friend; Pieces of Dreams, from the album known in America as Close To You and in Britain as The Long and Winding Road; Till Love Touches Your Life from You Light Up My Life; and Whistling Away The Dark from The Hollywood Musicals.
MATHIS IN CONCERT: Tickets for the Nashville Symphony concert in Antioch (June 14) will be on sale online next Sunday, March 11! Tickets are still on sale through Ticketmaster for the Fort Wayne, Indiana show on March 29. Click here for seating chart/more info.
Tickets have been on sale for the shows in Fort Lauderdale (April 13 and 14) since December, and the prices are reasonable. Click here for more information.
The late shows at Caesar's Atlantic City are on sale now. At $60, it's a fairly hefty price. The shows are set for April 27 and 28th.
I believe tickets are on sale now for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra shows on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12. Looks like they're not selling online, though. Some folks insist on doing things the old-fashioned way! I would call 1-800-699-3168 and ask about tickets to that show. Here's an online ad for the show.
Tickets are on sale for the shows at the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada. Prices are $50, $44, and $30; call (800) 687-8733 for details or use the online form.
The Westbury Music Fair has added two NEW dates for the summer: July 20th & 21st. Tickets are on sale NOW online via Ticketmaster for these new dates.
Tickets for the North Shore Music Theatre concert in Wednesday, August 15 and Thursday, August 16 in Beverly, MA are on sale online NOW!
Sorry, still no Canadian or other foreign dates that I can see. I think I'd find some way to let Mathis know you guys want to hear him sing, too.
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