PRESENTS

Welcome to the Grapevine News. This section of the Mathis Chronicles contains my views about anything I find or am sent about Johnny Mathis on the 'net and elsewhere, that isn't being discussed by any "official" sites. Occasionally, I report on things not directly related to Mathis but have a connection, may even make up a question to ask myself and try to answer. Readers are welcome to share their news here also. So enjoy and thanks for coming.

VOL. 1 NO. 16 - OCTOBER 28, 2002

CHRISTMAS TIME IS HERE: Not only are we in the central part of the United States being subjected to below-normal temperatures, I have it on faith that the day Johnny Mathis' new Christmas album was released, snow fell. Toute bizarre! In light of that, I've opted to forego my copy until much, much later in the year. I have had the opportunity to hear it, though, through a friend, and those who know my tastes and expectations pretty well can probably guess what I think of it, right? Well, I hate being so predictable, and I'll discuss it later.

In the meantime, I have to say that my heart kind of went kerplop with the news from Reuters that Johnny Mathis has survived prostate cancer recently. I knew he'd been sick off and on these last few years, but I never suspected anything as serious as that, and I'm very happy he has found treatment that is working for him. Continued good health to him.

WAS'WONDERFUL: When big band legend Ray Conniff died recently at the age of 85, he was fairly anonymous to those of us in the digital age. But I think it's worth noting that some consider this Massachusetts native, last seen at the March wedding of Liza Minnelli, the innovator of so-called "elevator music", and it was his arrangements of Chances Are, Wonderful! Wonderful! and It's Not For Me To Say that helped put the young Johnny Mathis on the map, so to speak.

Ray Conniff reportedly had ten gold records and two platinum ones, had nearly a hundred recordings for Columbia Records to his credit, and sold more than 70 million albums, CDs, and cassettes. His version of Lara's Theme, from the movie Dr. Zhivago, won a Grammy in 1966.

An interesting innovation of his was that of the "wordless vocal", in a style I like to call a "white man's scat", where he had women and men sort of "da-da-da"-ing along with the melody. It was introduced in 1956 with his album, S'Wonderful. Apparently, people were so taken by that style that the album spent nine months in the Top 20 and sold about 15 million copies, which are excellent numbers in the dawn of rock-and-roll. Those who want to hear his style these days can either locate his 40th Anniversary CD from about seven years ago featuring the near-80-year-old on trombone, or some of the later ones which are available at Amazon.com. It seems lately he had been nurturing a strong interest in Brazilian music. (The last one of his I can find is called Do Ray Para O Rei from the year 2000). Otherwise, since we're now in the season, why not look for the old Christmas compilation album that Columbia put together, called Christmas with Johnny Mathis and the Ray Conniff Singers, and play it with a nod to a true pioneer.

It's not only because of his work that we have Johnny Mathis today, because what's a song without it's arrangement, but Mr. Conniff was reportedly a very nice man, as well. That, to me, indicates a life well lived. Thank you, Ray Conniff.

TOUR BUS: The bus stops next in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Also, I see he's coming back to the Boston area: Beverly, Massachusetts in August of next year. Visit See Mathis Live! for details.

©2002 Iris Gross Georg. All rights reserved.

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