Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, on September 30, 1935, the fourth of seven children of Clem Mathis and Mildred Boyd, both domestic cooks. In a 1968 interview, he cited Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Bing Crosby among his musical influences.
Mathis has also recorded six albums of Christmas music. Although frequently described as a romantic singer, his discography includes traditional pop, Latin American, soul, rhythm and blues, show tunes, Tin Pan Alley, soft rock, blues, country music, and even a few disco songs for his album Mathis Magic in 1979. Mathis is the third best-selling artist of the 20th century, selling 360 million records worldwide. Mathis has received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for three recordings. Starting his career with singles of standard music, Mathis became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status and 73 making the Billboard charts. John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music.
