bergenPAC to Welcome Johnny Mathis This Fall

Bergen Performing Arts Center located at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, New Jersey presents Johnny Mathis: The 60th Anniversary Tour, a part of the Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp Concert Series-Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 8PM. Purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com or Box Office at 201.227.1030.

"There are a number of good singers, a smaller handful of truly great singers, and then there's Johnny Mathis." - Letter from Barbra Streisand

Born in 1935, the fourth of seven children, Johnny Mathis 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 Olympic Trials. In the same week Columbia Records called, so he chose to go to New York to record his first album in March of 1956.

Best-known for his supremely popular hits like "Chances Are," "It's Not For Me To Say," and "Misty," Johnny has recorded more than 80 albums, 6 Christmas albums, and has sold millions of records worldwide. During his extensive 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 history of Billboard's pop album charts. He has received 5 Grammy Nominations, and in 2003 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He continues to be Columbia Records longest signed recording artist.

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 also sung at many golf banquets such as the Ryder Cup. 2016 marks his 60th 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."

Founded in 2003, the 1,367-seat Bergen Performing Arts Center, or bergenPAC, is the area's cultural mecca. Housed in a historic Art Deco-style theater boasting one of the finest acoustic halls in the United States, bergenPAC attracts a stellar roster of world-class entertainment. The jewel in our crown is The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC - the innovative, educational performing arts initiative that, through programs, classes, outreach, school shows, and main theater presented shows, reach more than 30,000 students and community youth annually. The Performing Arts School provides community youth, age 2 months to 21 years, with unique, "hands-on" training in music, dance and theater by industry professionals. It is through the ongoing generosity of sponsors, donors, members, and patrons that the not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation bergenPAC and The Performing Arts School are able to thrive and enrich our community.

For updates, "Like" bergenPAC on Facebook (facebook.com/#!/bergenpacfan), follow @bergenPAC on Twitter, follow us on LinkedIn and visit our website at www.bergenpac.org.