Heavenly (Johnny Mathis album)

Heavenly
Studio album by
Johnny Mathis
ReleasedAugust 10, 1959[1]
RecordedApril 16, 1959
April 20–21, 1959[2]
StudioCBS 30th Street Studio
New York City
GenreVocal[3]
Length48:03
LabelColumbia
ProducerMitch Miller
Al Ham[1]
Johnny Mathis chronology
More Johnny's Greatest Hits
(1959) 		Heavenly
(1959) 		Faithfully
(1959)
Alternate cover
UK album cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Heavenly is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on August 10, 1959,[1] by Columbia Records and marked his return to recording ballads with orchestral accompaniment. Along with the material that others had covered before are two new songs: the title track and "I'll Be Easy to Find".

The album debuted on Billboard magazine's album chart in the September 21, 1959, issue to begin a run of 295 weeks, five of which were spent at number one.[4] Because the UK version of his 1958 LP Good Night, Dear Lord was retitled Heavenly, Fontana Records issued this album there under a different title, Ride on a Rainbow, which got as high as number 10 on the UK album chart in February 1960.[5] The US version of Heavenly received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the US on December 4, 1962, and Platinum certification for one million in sales was awarded on November 21, 1986.[6]

This was the first Mathis LP to have a single released in the US. His cover of "Misty" made its first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the issue dated October 5, 1959, and peaked at number 12 during its 17 weeks there.[7] It also began a run of seven weeks on the magazine's R&B chart the following month, in the November 9 issue, and reached number 10[8] and started 12 weeks on the UK singles chart in February 1960, where it also reached number 12.[5] The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.[9] This special Grammy Award category was established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old and that have "qualitative or historical significance."[9]

The album was released for the first time on compact disc in 1990[10] and was part of a 1995 three-disc set that included the 1958 compilation Johnny's Greatest Hits and his 1984 concert album Live.[11]

  1. ^ a b c (1993) The Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records C4K-48932.
  2. ^ (2017) The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Sony Music Entertainment 88985 36892 2.
  3. ^ "Heavenly - Johnny Mathis". allmusic.com. All Media Network. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  4. ^ Whitburn 2010, p. 503.
  5. ^ a b "Johnny Mathis - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Gold & Platinum". riaa.com. Retrieved 28 October 2016. Type Johnny Mathis in the Search box and press Enter.
  7. ^ Whitburn 2009, p. 628.
  8. ^ Whitburn 2004, p. 383.
  9. ^ a b "Grammy Hall of Fame Database". Grammy.org. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Heavenly by Johnny Mathis (Album, Standards): Reviews, Rating, Credits, Song list". rateyourmusic.com. Sonemic, Inc. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Heavenly/Greatest Hits/Live - Johnny Mathis - Releases". allmusic.com. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 28 October 2016.