It's very much like opera singers. They do the same thing. The first thing in the morning and the last thing at night, the thing they think about is their voice and how to take care of it.
— Johnny Mathis
I'm just one of the lucky people. I have no other reason for my longevity.
I also met, early on Ella Fitzgerald. Her songbooks are some of the most amazing bodies of work.
It's just that some people are lucky and people still seem to enjoy the music.
I think there are a lot of people who really want to be famous, they really do. I don't. It sort of gets in the way of the everyday things that I do.
Even though there's no forum for me on the radio for the kind of music I sing anymore, I am still excited about having a career where I can sing the best music in the world, and people will come and hear me because of the hit records I've had in the past.
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.
I really, really enjoy music and that's why I do what I do.
But I am very grateful for my success, and with success, of course, comes a whole lot of celebrity.
