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" I got an invitation to go to the Olympic trials. And in the same week, I got a telegram from a... big executive at Columbia Records. "
Johnny Mathis
Trials
Invitation
Big
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" I think most people don't understand: I have nothing to do with that. I just open my mouth, and it comes out that way. "
Johnny Mathis
Open
People
Way
" In other words, the celebrity gets out of hand, and if you're not careful, you will forget what you are about - and that is you are about making music that people want to hear. "
Johnny Mathis
You
Forget
People
" I've had several unavoidable problems because of my athletic career. "
Johnny Mathis
Because
Had
Career
" My aspirations were never anything other than I really, really admired certain singers over the years, and I just wanted to do the best I could. And that has been kind of like the way I've been fortunate enough to be able to have a career, have some success, and yet continue to learn my craft. "
Johnny Mathis
Success
Career
Enough
" I had stage fright for years and years, and I could hear it in my singing. But since I've done it so often for so many years, you'd think that I'd relax a little bit, and I think that I have. "
Johnny Mathis
You
Relax
Singing
" Sometimes being famous gets in the way of doing what you want to do. "
Johnny Mathis
You
Way
Want
" My music has always been enough. "
Johnny Mathis
Always
Music
Enough
" It doesn't mean a thing when others tell you you're good. You have to feel it yourself. "
Johnny Mathis
Yourself
Good
Mean
" Pavarotti's is the best male voice, and Joan Sutherland had a big voice but also acquired great coloratura notes. "
Johnny Mathis
Great
Had
Best
" I'm just one of the lucky people. I have no other reason for my longevity. "
Johnny Mathis
Reason
People
Longevity
" You know the secret to dunking a ball? Big hands. You've got to be able to palm it, and I couldn't. "
Johnny Mathis
Know
Secret
You
" There was a time when I was in the South, singing, and someone came to me before the show and said, 'There's been a threat on your life. Someone had phoned in and said they were going to shoot you if you go on stage.' I was singing 'Chances Are,' and I kept moving so they wouldn't have a shot at me. "
Johnny Mathis
Moving
Singing
You
" People are stubborn about what they perceive to be the right thing or the wrong thing, and it takes a long time to filter this human condition. There's a waiting period until people catch up. But if you have patience - which it takes when someone thinks differently from you - everybody always catches up. That patience is a wonderful virtue. "
Johnny Mathis
Waiting
Time
People
" Sure, I've thought about retiring, but in my mind, if you can't sing the song anymore, change the song and sing a different one! "
Johnny Mathis
Change
Thought
You
" Every performer has a little gem, a little pearl they have done that nobody pays much attention to. And then one day, somebody does recognize it, which is so gratifying. "
Johnny Mathis
Done
One Day
Attention
" The one who really captured me and became my absolute favorite was Nat King Cole. He was a genius at what he did. Most people don't realize what a great pianist he was. After listening to him for years, I finally met him, and he was the nicest human being. "
Johnny Mathis
Listening
Me
King
" Years ago, I went to Brazil and fell in love with it. I really like the music, samba, bossa nova, the language and the people. "
Johnny Mathis
Love
People
Music
" I've lost a few notes on the top. But I've gained a little insight about what makes people comfortable when they're listening or watching a performance of mine. It usually has to do with singing something that isn't vocally too strenuous. "
Johnny Mathis
Listening
People
Singing
" Christmas is never going to go away, and it's always going to be there. And there's always room for one more Christmas song, I think. "
Johnny Mathis
Think
Song
Christmas
" I've never been married, and I have no regrets about not starting my own family. I come from a large one, so there are so many people around all the time. I've been very happy, but I've never gotten married. That's about the size of it. I would have been a good father because I've been a father to my brothers' and sisters' children. "
Johnny Mathis
Good
Children
Family
" The thing that means most to me is the joy that my mom and my dad got because of my career... They raised seven children on domestic wages, in a city like San Francisco, and did nothing but work, work, work. "
Johnny Mathis
Work
Children
City
" No, I don't regret my decision at all, especially after I started this music career. My eyes were as big as saucers. "
Johnny Mathis
Music
Eyes
Regret
" I really, really enjoy music and that's why I do what I do. "
Johnny Mathis
Enjoy
Really
Music
" My claim to fame has always been that iconic picture that ended up in 'The San Francisco Chronicle' of Bill Russell jumping over my head. "
Johnny Mathis
Always
Head
Fame
" I was a mediocre basketball player. But I was there, and I could remember the plays. And my basketball coach, after he retired from teaching, would come to my performances all the time. And I was very happy about that, because I was not memorable as a basketball player. "
Johnny Mathis
Time
Basketball
Remember
" When I was 12 and started to take singing lessons from a woman, she told me that I would probably spend the rest of my life taking care of my voice. "
Johnny Mathis
Singing
Life
Me
" I don't think about the future. It sort of will take care of itself; there's not really much that I can do other than fundamental things like taking care of my voice, keeping to my exercise routine, and getting some rest. "
Johnny Mathis
Care
Future
I Can
" Most of the people I hang out with who sing love it, and they just want to do it until they die. I still look forward to the performances. And believe it or not, they're all kind of different. Even though you sing the same songs, and maybe you go to the same venues, it just feels completely different every time you go on stage. "
Johnny Mathis
Love
Look
Time
" It's just that some people are lucky and people still seem to enjoy the music. "
Johnny Mathis
Lucky
Music
People
" For me, hearing my voice is sometimes a little nauseating, especially at Christmas. "
Johnny Mathis
Voice
Me
Hearing