­By Bill Shearman

Special to the American Press

An old girlfriend told me one evening that playing records of Johnny Mathis’ love songs was an “Unfair (romantic) advantage.”

I agreed wholeheartedly.

So after “Chances Are,” came “Misty,” “Wonderful, Wonderful,” “The Twelfth of Never,” “A Certain Smile,” “Where Do I Begin,” and at least a dozen more.

(Johnny Mathis will be in concert Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. at The Golden Nugget. In a recent interview with The American Press, Mathis spoke at length of his very long career).

The middle of seven children, Mathis was born in Gilmer, Texas, which is just outside of Tyler. There must be something in the water in Gilmer because the Eagles’ Don Henley was born there as well as the late Blues legend Freddie King.

Mathis’ family moved to San Francisco where his father Clem was a vaudeville entertainer as well as a singer.

“He was my best pal,” said Mathis. “We had a large family and he was the controlling factor.

“He was THE (his emphasis) early influence. He liked to sing and I liked to sing and he’d say, ‘Let’s try this,’ ” continued Mathis.

Clem’s perception was that he had a talented son. He shopped him in the Bay Area for a voice coach who wouldn’t charge; there was no money.

“I auditioned for Connie Cox who had lots of students. I would sit in the corner and listen to her teach all those kids and I learned from that.

“In between lessons, she would coach me. I ran her errands, I cleaned her kitchen, anything. There are many facets of voice and she helped develop my melody, which suits my personality,” said Mathis.

Mathis’ voice has been described as “velvet,” and certainly “romantic.”

In San Francisco, he was able to hear many of his idols, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby. It was where he also developed into a high school track star.

Mathis was invited to the 1956 Olympic Trials as a high jumper (6’6″ was his personal best and just five inches under the winning jump at the Melbourne Olympics).

He decided to audition at Columbia Records instead and that, as they say, was that. His 1957 record, “Chances Are,” went golden. Columbia signed him to a five-year contract, an unheard of deal for a new talent not named Elvis.

Mathis has been with Columbia his entire career. He has had at least one record or album — or both — go golden in the last six decades.

Mathis gives physical fitness a lot of credit for his voice as well as his appearance, which is spooky youthful. “I found when I stretched and did calisthenics that my voice sounded better.

“It (exercise) gets your blood flowing and it started my engine. There are muscles surrounding your vocal cords,” said Mathis which helps explain his phrasing, pacing and ability to hold a note.

On the cover of his album, “Chances Are,” Mathis is holding a cigarette. When asked about that, he laughed and said, “That didn’t last long!

“I was coming home on a plane (when you could smoke on planes) and my voice was scratchy and sounded awful. I made a pact with the Lord that if He’d help me, I would never, ever smoke another cigarette,” he said.

Mathis does not have a principal song writer like Elton John’s Bernie Taupin. Instead, he said, Columbia has assigned producers to his voice and style and they research songs that they think fit Mathis’ voice.

“And they are flexible. I’ve tried everything, Percy Faith, Miles Davis. But they (producers) know what your vocal capabilities are, what’s suitable and what works for your market,” said Mathis.

One of his many compliments is that he is the “Voice of Christmas.”

“Are you kidding — I love Christmas music. When I was very young, my father would take me to a department store at Christmas to sing and that’s where our presents came from.”

He has recorded six Christmas albums.

It was also there that he got used to singing before live audiences, a confidence, he believes you either get — or you don’t.

But now, in his early 80s, why still tour?

“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,” he added, in that golden voice a half-continent away.