Singer Johnny Mathis is retiring from touring, citing age and ‘memory issues’
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It’s time to get a little “Misty”: Johnny Mathis, the singer who has entertained audiences since the 1950s, is retiring from touring, his team announced Wednesday.
“As many of you may already be aware, Johnny Mathis is approaching his 90th birthday this year,” the statement said on Facebook. “So it’s with sincere regret that due to Mr. Mathis’ age and memory issues which have accelerated, we are announcing his retirement from touring & live concerts.”
Ahead of Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, the veteran record executive turned his party at the Beverly Hilton into a fire-relief fundraiser for MusiCares.
Mathis, who will perform four shows in April and May before hanging up his microphone for good, is canceling shows set for July, August, October and November in Biloxi, Miss., and at various Pennsylvania venues.
A decade ago, the six-time Grammy Award winner wowed Clive Davis and his guests at the music producer’s annual pre-Grammys party, with the rare hometown gig sparking speculation that he might start enjoying the resurgent success that standards singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand were enjoying.
At the time, Davis described to The Times an audience that was blown away by one of the best-selling singers of the 20th century: “People in the audience who put on live shows were asking me, ‘Where can we reach him? Why doesn’t he perform more? Look what he does to an audience!’”
Mathis knew he had performed a great show that night, but he had learned over the years that that wasn’t a guaranteed outcome or a goal. Not every show could be his best.
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“You realize, ‘I don’t have to kill ‘em tonight,’” he told The Times. “But what I can do is entertain them. Sometimes you have to go on pure professionalism. ... If you do what I do, there’s no way you can sleepwalk [through a show]. I would say three-quarters of what I do depends on the sincerity of it. You can croak, but if you croak good, they’ll still listen.”
And people will get to listen to the Oscar-nominated Angeleno “croak” a handful more times, at shows in Pennsylvania, Indiana, New Jersey and yes, a rare home-state concert on May 10 in Santa Rosa.
In the retirement notice on Wednesday, Mathis and his staff sent their “heartfelt gratitude” to his fans worldwide for their support, adding, “It’s truly been ‘Wonderful, Wonderful.’”
People holding tickets for the four canceled shows can get a refund at the point of purchase, the team said. Mathis turns 90 on Sept. 30.
The Times’ music critic Mikael Wood contributed to this report.
