Merry Christmas (Johnny Mathis album)

Merry Christmas
Original LP cover
Studio album by
Johnny Mathis
ReleasedOctober 6, 1958[1]
RecordedJune 16, 18, and 20, 1958[2]
StudioCBS 30th Street Studio
New York City[2]
GenreChristmas
Length44:08
LabelColumbia
ProducerMitch Miller
Al Ham[2]
Johnny Mathis chronology
Swing Softly
(1958) 		Merry Christmas
(1958) 		Open Fire, Two Guitars
(1959)
Alternate cover
Reissue LP cover
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Merry Christmas is the first Christmas album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis and was released by Columbia Records on October 6, 1958.[1] The selections are a mix of traditional Christmas carols ("Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "The First Noel") and holiday hits ("The Christmas Song", "White Christmas", "Silver Bells").

The album debuted on Billboard magazine's list of the 25 Best-Selling Pop LPs in the US in its December 15, 1958, issue and got as high as number three during its initial four-week run.[3] It made additional appearances there each holiday season from 1959 to 1962 and on the magazine's Christmas Albums and Pop Catalog Albums charts in subsequent years.[1] It received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the US in December 1960[4] and in 2013 ranked as one of the top selling Christmas albums of all time with five million copies sold.[5]

Four songs from the album – "Winter Wonderland", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", and "Sleigh Ride" – were also released on the EP Merry Christmas, Vol. 1, which reached number two during the 1958 holiday season and number seven the following year on the magazine's Best-Selling Pop EPs chart.[3] "Winter Wonderland" also spent three weeks on the UK singles chart, where his recording peaked at number 17 over the course of three weeks that began on Christmas Day 1958.[6]

The album was initially released only in the monaural format but became available in stereo in 1959.[7] It was issued in the UK by Fontana Records and was later reissued in 1962 with a different cover both there and in the US.[7] The original cover was used for compact disc pressings, the first of which was in 1984,[8] and an edition featuring two bonus tracks was released on September 16, 2003.[9] The 2015 Mathis compilation The Complete Christmas Collection 1958–2010, a 3-CD set on the Real Gone Music label, also includes the album in its track list.

  1. ^ a b c (1993) The Christmas Music of Johnny Mathis: A Personal Collection by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records CK-57194.
  2. ^ a b c (2003) Merry Christmas by Johnny Mathis [CD booklet]. New York: Columbia Records CK 92705.
  3. ^ a b Whitburn 2004, p. 167.
  4. ^ "Sounding Off: The Best in Recorded Music". Ebony. December 1987. p. 18B.
  5. ^ "The Top Selling Christmas Albums of All Time". billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  6. ^ "Johnny Mathis - Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Johnny Mathis – Merry Christmas". Discogs. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  8. ^ "Merry Christmas - Johnny Mathis - Releases". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Merry Christmas [Bonus Tracks] - Johnny Mathis – Release Info". allmusic.com. All Media Network, LLC. Retrieved 21 October 2016.