Oldies Goldies Oasis

Oldies Musics

JOHNNY MATHIS HAD EVERYTHING A YOUNG SINGER COULD DREAM OF — SO WHY DID HE WALK AWAY FROM THE RECORD LABEL THAT MADE HIM FAMOUS? By 1963, Johnny Mathis had become one of America’s most beloved recording artists. Columbia Records had helped turn his gentle voice into an international sensation. But Johnny wanted something more than another successful album. He wanted greater creative freedom. So he made a surprising decision: he left Columbia and signed with Mercury Records. During those years, Johnny explored different musical arrangements, worked with respected talents including Quincy Jones, and became more involved in producing his own recordings. It was a bold step for someone whose familiar romantic style had already brought him extraordinary success. Eventually, Johnny returned to Columbia. But those Mercury years revealed something important about him. Behind the soft voice was a man willing to take risks to grow as an artist.

Introduction: By 1963, Johnny Mathis had achieved what many young singers could only dream of. His smooth, romantic voice had made him…

Oldies Musics

THE WORLD HAD CHANGED. THE MUSIC HAD CHANGED. BUT IN 1978, JOHNNY MATHIS PROVED HIS STORY WAS FAR FROM OVER. More than twenty years after “Chances Are” made him a romantic sensation, Johnny Mathis found himself in a very different musical world. Disco dominated the airwaves, and younger stars were capturing America’s attention. Then came Deniece Williams. Together, they recorded “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,” a bittersweet song about two people realizing their love could no longer be saved. Johnny’s smooth, familiar voice blended beautifully with Deniece’s youthful warmth. On June 3, 1978, their duet reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Johnny’s first chart-topper on the Hot 100, introduced in 1958. For listeners who had loved him since the 1950s, it felt like welcoming an old friend home.

Introduction: The world had changed. The music had changed. But in 1978, Johnny Mathis proved that a legendary voice could still find…

Oldies Musics

“MILLIONS HEARD DON WILLIAMS SING ‘YOU’RE MY BEST FRIEND’ — BUT AWAY FROM THE STAGE, THE GENTLE GIANT OF COUNTRY MUSIC WAS LIVING A QUIET LOVE STORY THAT LASTED 57 YEARS…” In 1975, Don Williams released a song that would become one of the most cherished love ballads in country music. It was called “You’re My Best Friend.” Written by songwriter Wayland Holyfield, the song captured something beautifully simple: the comfort of having someone who remains beside you through life’s changing seasons. Don’s warm, gentle voice made every word feel personal. The recording reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart and became one of his signature hits. But there was something equally remarkable about the man singing it. In 1960, long before international fame, Don had married Joy Bucher. While the music business was filled with headlines about troubled relationships, Don preferred to keep his family life private. He and Joy remained married for 57 years, until his death in September 2017. The song wasn’t written by Don or specifically for his wife, but its message reflected the kind of lasting companionship many fans associated with him. Don Williams never needed dramatic headlines to tell a beautiful love story. Sometimes, the most extraordinary love is the one that quietly lasts a lifetime.

Introduction: Millions of country music fans remember Don Williams for the warmth of his baritone and the unhurried way he sang about…

Oldies Musics

FOR NEARLY TEN YEARS, ONE JOHNNY MATHIS ALBUM REFUSED TO LEAVE THE CHARTS — AND THE STORY STILL SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE. In 1958, Johnny Mathis was just 22 when Columbia Records released *Johnny’s Greatest Hits*, a collection of songs that had already captured America’s heart. Nobody could have imagined what would happen next. Weeks passed. Then months. Then years. Elvis Presley was making history. The Beatles arrived. American music changed beyond recognition. Yet Johnny’s album remained on Billboard’s album chart for an astonishing 490 consecutive weeks. Nearly ten years! Think of the couples who bought that record when they were young, then continued playing it as their lives changed. Johnny wasn’t simply selling music. His voice was becoming part of people’s personal histories. And perhaps that’s why those recordings still feel so familiar today.

Introduction: In 1958, a 22-year-old singer named Johnny Mathis achieved something that would become one of the most remarkable milestones in popular…

Oldies Musics

“THREE MARRIAGES HAD ENDED, AND WILLIE NELSON HAD SPENT DECADES LIVING LIFE ON THE ROAD — BUT WHEN ANNIE D’ANGELO ENTERED HIS WORLD, A NEW CHAPTER BEGAN THAT WOULD LAST MORE THAN 30 YEARS…” For much of his life, Willie Nelson seemed destined to belong to the open road. The legendary singer had spent decades touring, recording, and building a career unlike any other in country music. But behind the music was a complicated personal history. Three marriages had ended, and balancing fame, family, and life on tour had never been simple. Then Willie met Annie D’Angelo, a makeup artist who worked on the 1986 film Stagecoach, in which he appeared. Their relationship grew, and on September 16, 1991, they married. Together, they raised two sons, Lukas and Micah, both of whom followed their father into music. As Willie grew older, Annie became an important presence in his family life. Their relationship has endured through decades of performances, changing times, and the extraordinary demands of his career. Willie Nelson spent much of his life singing about love, loneliness, and the road. With Annie, he found a partnership that continued long after the spotlight faded each night.

Introduction: For much of his life, Willie Nelson seemed destined to keep moving. The legendary country singer built his career on the…

Oldies Musics

For “Mythology,” the Gibb Family Chose Which Songs Would Tell Each Brother’s Story. When Mythology appeared in November 2010, its four discs gave Barry, Robin, Maurice, and Andy separate places within the family’s recorded history. The selections came from people with personal ties to the voices. Barry and Robin chose their own tracks; Maurice’s widow Yvonne and their children Adam and Samantha chose his, while Andy’s daughter Peta selected her father’s songs. That arrangement made the collection a set of family perspectives as well as a retrospective. It also brought Andy’s previously unreleased “Arrow Through the Heart” to listeners in full, preserving music intended for a comeback project. For Peta, choosing songs meant participating directly in how her father’s work would be presented. Across the four discs, familiar hits stood beside less familiar recordings, allowing each brother’s voice to receive sustained attention within a catalogue usually heard through the collective identity of the Bee Gees.

Introduction: When Mythology: The 50th Anniversary Collection arrived in November 2010, it offered Bee Gees fans something more personal than a conventional…

Oldies Musics

EVERYONE REMEMBERS “CHANCES ARE” — BUT THE SONG ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT RECORD HELD ONE OF JOHNNY MATHIS’ MOST BEAUTIFUL PROMISES. In 1957, millions of Americans were falling in love with Johnny Mathis and his unforgettable recording of “Chances Are.” But when listeners turned over the little Columbia 45, another remarkable love song was waiting. It was called “The Twelfth of Never.” Written by Jerry Livingston and Paul Francis Webster, the song imagined a love so enduring that its ending belonged to a day that would never arrive. There was no grand drama, no desperate farewell. Just a gentle promise of devotion. And Johnny’s tender voice made that promise feel wonderfully sincere. The song became a hit in its own right, reaching the American Top 10. Nearly seven decades later, its message remains timeless.

Introduction: In 1957, Johnny Mathis was capturing the hearts of American listeners with “Chances Are,” a romantic ballad that would become one…

You Missed

Oldies Musics

“KEITH WHITLEY NEVER LIVED TO SEE HIS NEXT SONG REACH NO. 1 — BUT MONTHS AFTER HIS DEATH, ‘I WONDER DO YOU THINK OF ME’ GAVE HEARTBROKEN FANS ONE MORE CHANCE TO HEAR THE VOICE THEY HAD LOST…” In the spring of 1989, Keith Whitley’s career was reaching extraordinary heights. His emotional performances of “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “When You Say Nothing at All,” and “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” had established him as one of Nashville’s most promising stars. Then, on May 9, 1989, Keith died at just 33 years old. Country music was stunned. But his musical story was not finished. Later that year, “I Wonder Do You Think of Me” was released from his posthumous album of the same name. The song climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart, becoming another major success for an artist who was no longer there to celebrate it. Its lyrics reflected on memories of a past love, making the recording especially poignant for fans mourning Keith’s passing. His widow, Lorrie Morgan, and their young son Jesse were left to carry his memory forward. Keith Whitley never heard the applause for that final chapter of success. But his voice continued reaching hearts long after his own life had ended.

Oldies Musics

HE COULD BARELY STAND… BUT ROBIN GIBB REFUSED TO LET THE MUSIC DIE.

Oldies Musics

**AMERICA CALLED HIM THE VOICE OF ROMANCE — BUT FOR DECADES, JOHNNY MATHIS CARRIED A PRIVATE STORY FEW FANS UNDERSTOOD. His songs played at weddings, anniversaries and candlelit dinners. Yet the man behind “Chances Are” and “Misty” never married. For years, Johnny carefully protected his personal life. Then, in 1982, a magazine interview brought his sexuality into the public spotlight. The reaction was painful. Johnny later revealed that he received death threats, and for many years he avoided discussing the subject publicly. But there was one person whose acceptance had always mattered deeply. His father. Johnny recalled telling him as a teenager that people were talking about him being gay. His father’s response was calm and understanding. Decades later, Johnny spoke more openly about his life, grateful that society had become more accepting.

Oldies Musics

“JIM REEVES WAS GONE, BUT HIS VOICE KEPT RETURNING TO THE RADIO — AND YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH, THE GENTLEMAN OF COUNTRY MUSIC WAS STILL REACHING NO. 1 WITH SONGS HE NEVER LIVED TO SEE BECOME HITS…” When Jim Reeves died in a plane crash on July 31, 1964, country music lost one of its smoothest and most recognizable voices. He was only 40 years old. But the remarkable story of his career did not end with his death. Jim had left behind recordings that would continue reaching audiences for years. His widow, Mary Reeves, played an important role in preserving and promoting his musical legacy. In 1966, “Distant Drums” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart, nearly two years after his passing. The song also became a major international success, topping the British singles chart. For fans who had mourned Jim’s death, hearing his voice on the radio again carried a special kind of emotion. His gentle delivery made songs about love, longing, and separation feel deeply personal. While the world continued changing, Jim Reeves’ music remained familiar and comforting. The man was gone, but his songs kept finding new listeners. And every time that unmistakable voice returned to the radio, it felt as though Jim Reeves had never really left.