Introduction:
Long before he became one of America’s most beloved singers, Johnny Mathis found a musical hero in Ella Fitzgerald. Her voice captivated him, but a childhood photograph gave that admiration a deeply personal meaning.
For Johnny Mathis, the magic of Ella Fitzgerald began long before he understood the importance of her place in music history. As a little boy growing up in San Francisco, he was surrounded by music. His father and siblings filled the family home with records, introducing him to the voices that would shape his musical imagination. Among them, one singer left an especially lasting impression: Ella Fitzgerald.
In a 1999 interview with PBS’s American Masters, Mathis recalled that he was probably only three or four years old when he first heard her sing. He described the experience as one of the most wonderful feelings of his childhood. Her voice sounded beautiful, effortless and deeply pleasing to him.
But then came a small discovery that made the connection even more meaningful. When Mathis finally saw a photograph of Fitzgerald, he noticed that she reminded him of his mother. From that moment, listening to Ella became more than simply enjoying a great singer. In his young imagination, he could picture his own mother singing with that extraordinary voice. It was a tender association that stayed with him for decades.
As Mathis grew older, his admiration developed into an intense musical education. He listened closely to Fitzgerald’s recordings, particularly her early Decca material, studying the details of her phrasing, vocal flexibility and improvisation. He later admitted that he tried to imitate almost everything she did.
Fitzgerald’s improvisational gifts fascinated him. She could reshape a melody with unexpected notes and elegant vocal turns while making every variation sound natural. Mathis became so familiar with her interpretations that he sometimes believed her improvised passages were the original melodies. When he eventually recorded some of the same songs, he found himself reproducing the versions he had learned from her rather than the written melodies.
That influence was not unusual for a young singer searching for his own musical identity. Mathis also admired other great female vocalists, but Fitzgerald held a special place among his heroes. Her command of the voice demonstrated how expressive singing could be, whether in a tender ballad or an upbeat jazz performance.
Years later, their admiration became a personal connection. Fitzgerald once heard Mathis sing on a television soap opera and sent him a telegram praising his voice. For a performer who had spent much of his childhood studying her recordings, receiving that message was an unforgettable moment.
Even at around 50 years old, Mathis said he proudly showed the telegram to his friends. He was thrilled that someone he had admired for so long knew he existed.
In that 1999 interview, he expressed his feelings with remarkable humility: he never imagined he could impress Ella Fitzgerald. Knowing that she was aware of him was enough.
Johnny Mathis went on to build a celebrated career of his own. Yet beneath the success remained the little boy who had once listened to Ella’s records with wonder — and imagined his mother singing with that beautiful voice.