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 Internet and elsewhere, that had been overlooked by the "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 experiences here also. So enjoy and thanks for coming.

VOL. 1 NO. 18 - NOVEMBER 28, 2002

JOHNNY'S OSCAR: I got a press release in my e-mail Wednesday night, and it read as follows:

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 27, 2002-- Recipients of the 2003 Lifetime Achievement Award and Trustees Award were announced today by the Recording Academy¨. Recording artists Etta James, Johnny Mathis, Glenn Miller, Tito Puente, and Simon & Garfunkel will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. Engineer/producer and folk music archivist Alan Lomax and the New York Philharmonic will be honored with Trustees Awards. Formal acknowledgment of the awards will be made in conjunction with the 45th Annual GRAMMY¨ Awards ceremony, which will be held at New York's Madison Square Garden on Sunday, February 23, 2003. The show will be a prime-time television special on the CBS Television Network. "The recipients of these awards are a diverse group of inspired creators who have contributed some of the most distinctive and seminal recordings of the past century," said Garth Fundis, Chairman of the Academy's Board of Trustees. "From the creation of timeless recordings and the preservation of our nation's rich musical history, to furthering music education for students of all ages, their outstanding achievements leave a timeless legacy that inspire generations of fans and artists alike. Their work exemplifies the highest creative and technical standards by which we all measure our own personal and professional contributions." The Lifetime Achievement Award honors lifelong artistic contributions to the recording medium while the Trustees Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the industry in a non-performing capacity. Both special merit awards are decided by vote of the Recording Academy's National Trustees during meetings held annually in May. The winners will be officially acknowledged in a ceremony during GRAMMY Week in New York City.

This is the big one, folks. After much jumping and dancing, I stopped to absorb what I had just read and think about what it means. Several things came to mind. First, why have they been holding on to that information since May? Second, on next February 23rd will we get to see Johnny Mathis walk royally onto the stage at Madison Square Garden and be presented an award by some music legend who has been inspired by him, or will the Lifetime Achievement Award segment be given short shrift by the Grammy people in favor of more current or youthful ratings-grabbing performers (not that they had been that successful at that in the past)? Third, why has the late Glenn Miller not been a recipient before now, for heaven's sake? Fourth, I wonder who he'll come with to get his award! Fifth, how much are tickets to that show, and how do you get to be a "seat-filler" like the lady on Oprah managed to do?

In light of the music business' current attitude toward its older artists, and recalling how they callously ignored the great Peggy Lee last year, one can almost look upon this as a kind of "let's give Mathis this award now, and that will absolve us from ever having to consider him for anything else from here on out."

On the other hand, as far as a music career goes, there's practically no higher honor. The songwriters have given Mathis a place in their Songwriters Hall of Fame as an interpreter, and he really has no place in Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In fact, there really is no hall of fame for someone of his genre, no "Singer's Hall of Fame" or "American Pop Hall of Fame". That means, as a friend of mine noted when I shared the news this Thanksgiving morning, that "this is Johnny Mathis' Oscar". He's right. What other award would honor him the way he deserves to be honored?

There's the Kennedy Center Honors, which I've been wanting him to get for years. According to their literature, "...Honors recipients are recognized for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts: whether in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures, or television. The primary criterion in the selection process is excellence." Does Mathis not fit this criterion? Come on.

He could also get an American Music Award of Merit. Why Dick Clark hadn't thought of giving him one is beyond me. Had Johnny Mathis not been a near-regular on his show in the early days of his American Bandstand? He gave that God-awful "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" the regular award in 1979, could he not give Mathis a more meaningful tribute? But perhaps, since in my opinion there's little real recognition with this award, it's just as well.

So, it looks like the NARAS Lifetime Achievement Award is as good as it gets for now. This is the absolute pinnacle of professional acclaim for Johnny Mathis. If I may paraphrase writer Mack David, "overture, douse the light, this is it, he's hit the heights."

It hasn't come a moment too soon, either, in my opinion. And I want to see what I can do to make sure Johnny's one brief, shining moment gets telecast. He's been around too long, and done too much, to be reduced to a snapshot and a handshake. Let the young folk learn just how high the bar is to get anywhere near the level Mathis is at. The more determined ones will see something worth reaching for, perhaps. They'd have no better target to shoot for. And oh, what heights they'd hit. On with the show, this is it!

TOUR BUS: The bus stops next in San Diego, California. Visit See Mathis Live! for details.

©2002 Iris Gross Georg. All rights reserved.

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