A Johnny Mathis Christmas
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Johnny Mathis – Singer
John Scott Lavender – Musical Director/Piano/Keyboards
Kerry Marx/Steve Peavey* – Guitarist
Ken Wild – Bass
Joe Lizama – Drums
Gil Reigers – Tour Manager/Production Manager
Stacey Westbrook – Lighting Director /Stage Manager
Eric Hatcher – Sound Engineer
Carrie Reigers – Merchandise Manager & Souvenir Program Co-ordinator
Opener
BRAD UPTON
The world is discovering comedian Brad Upton after 36 years in the standup business. Brad was teaching the fourth grade and coaching high school track in Pasco, WA when he first stepped on stage in 1984. He quickly decided that he wanted to do standup instead, so he quit teaching in June of 1986 and never looked back.
He made several cable TV appearances in the early 90s, headlined comedy clubs from coast to coast, opened for big name music acts and was hired to perform at corporate events. He never sought the brighter lights of LA or New York and chose instead to remain based in Seattle where he and his wife of 35 years raised their now 28-year old son and 26–year old daughter and he could continue his offstage hobby.
As his reputation grew and his work became renowned, Brad began working on the occasional cruise ship in 1999. He then won the Las Vegas Comedy Festival in 2002 and appeared at Caesars Palace as part of the HBO Comedy Festival. He toured briefly with the late, great Joan Rivers and has spent the past 15 years as the opening
act for the legendary Johnny Mathis. He has also been seen in concert with The Smothers Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, George Jones, Glen Campbell, Little Big Town, Smokey Robinson, Pam Tillis, Joe Diffie, Lewis Black, Jeff Foxworthy, Neal McCoy and others.
In 2017 he taped a special for a brand new comedy platform called Dry Bar Comedy. Things would soon change in ways he never expected. Dry Bar released a clip of Brad in June of 2018 about millennials that went viral in ways very few comedy videos have ever done. It had 12 million views in 48 hours, then 33 million views in 10 days. It sent his CD to number 1 on the iTunes Charts and had him trending on Twitter. The world became suddenly aware of this ‘new’ comedian. That video today has nearly 90 million views and according to Dry Bar, is the most viewed standup video ever. He has released two very successful specials on Dry Bar and now has well over 200 million views on the internet. His immense internet fame drew the attention of the iconic Grand Ole Opry where he had the ultimate honor to step into the circle and make
his debut in September of 2019 and has since become a regular guest.
So how does someone catch fire in his 32nd year? The internet. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok have suddenly led millions of people to Brad’s comedy and they have discovered a comedian that has mastered the nearly impossible task of appealing to people from the ages of 18 to 80. No one has been
JOHNNY MATHIS
December 7, 2024
more surprised than Brad; he has been very humbled by the newfound fame at this point in his career and is currently working feverishly all over the country to take advantage of his moment in the sun. After a rather significant health scare and diagnosis in the early summer of ‘22, Brad is grateful for this late career validation and everyone of you that read this far.
“Christmas is very special for me. There were seven of us growing up and my mom and dad always made it such a wonderful, magical time.”
- Johnny Mathis
The fourth of seven children, John Royce Mathis was born on September 30, 1935 in Gilmer, Texas to Clem & Mildred Mathis. As a young boy, the family moved to Post Street in San Francisco. It was there that he learned an appreciation of music from his father who taught him his first song, “My Blue Heaven.” At age eight, his father purchased an old upright piano for $25. When he brought it home, it wouldnʼt fit through the front door. So that evening, Johnny stayed up all night to watch his father dismantle the piano, get it into the small living room of their basement apartment and then reassemble it. “Those are the memories I have when I sing these Christmas songs,” Johnny says, “And then to get lucky and fortunate enough to have (the songs) become staples every year for the listening public – it’s just everything that I ever dreamed of, because it brings back their memory to me every time I hear them.”
Clem Mathis, who worked briefly as a musician back in Texas playing the piano and singing on stage, would continue to teach his son many songs & routines. Johnny had proven to be the most eager of the children to learn all about music. He sang in the church choir, school functions, community events, for visitors in their home, as well as amateur shows in the San Francisco area. He was also a successful track & field athlete, and was offered a chance to compete in the U.S. Olympic Trials in Melbourne, Australia.
In the same week Columbia Records called, so he chose to go to New York to record his first professional album, which was released on July 16, 1956.
Best-known for his supremely popular hits like “Chances Are,” “Misty,” “Wonderful, Wonderful,” and “Itʼs Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas,” Johnny has recorded close to 80 albums, 6 Christmas albums, and has sold millions of records worldwide.
During his extensive 6+ decade career he has had 3 songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, achieved 50 Hits on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, and ranks as the all-time #6 album artist in the entire history of Billboard’s Pop Album Charts. He has received 5 GRAMMY Nominations, and the 2003 GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2011 he received the Gold Medal of the Academy of Achievement in Washington, D.C. In 2014 he was inducted into the Great American Songbook Hall of Fame. And in 2017 he was given the Lifetime Achievement award by the mayor of Los Angeles, and received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from his Alma Mater San Francisco State University.
In addition to all this Johnny & his music have appeared in numerous films & TV shows, including The Tonight Show, Family Ties, Criminal Minds, Mad Men, The Muppet Show, Silver Linings Playbook, Gremlins, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, just to name a few. In 2017 he released his 78th studio album titled “Johnny Mathis Sings The Great New American Songbook”, and debuted his 2 “lost” albums - “I Love My Lady” produced & written by Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards of the pivotal group CHIC; “The Island” with Sergio Mendes. To this day he still tours & records new musical collaborations with other artists and solo projects. Johnny also continues to be Columbia Records longest signed recording artist, and recognizable to fans of all ages as The Voice Of Christmas!
In spite of a very busy tour schedule & many charity events, Johnny still finds time to enjoy a little free time. He was
an avid tennis player until the late 1960s, when a good friend turned him on to his now life-long love of golf. He plays golf almost every day when he's not traveling, and has even hosted his own golf tournament, The Johnny Mathis Seniors PGA Classic. He is also quite the gourmet chef thanks to his parents, who taught him how to cook at an early age.
2024 marks his 68th anniversary as a recording artist, so what’s next for Johnny? “I don’t think about retiring. I think about how I can keep singing for the rest of my life. I just have to pace myself.”