Johnny "Country" Mathis

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Johnny "Country" Mathis (b. Sept. 28, 1933, Maud, Texas) is an American country singer and songwriter, not to be confused with the pop singer of the same name.

Mathis played on Louisiana Hayride from 1951 to 1960, as a solo artist and as a member of the hitmaking duo Jimmy & Johnny (with Jimmy Lee Fautheree). Mathis left the group to go solo in the middle of the 1950s, leaving Fautheree's brother Lynn to fill his shoes in the duo. Jimmy and Lynn nevertheless did not change the name Jimmy & Johnny; this would prove ideal for Mathis, who returned to the group from 1959 to 1961.

As a solo artist, he released several singles for D Records, Decca, United Artists, and Little Darlin. His final charting single was "Please Talk to My Heart", released in 1963. He also encountered significant success as a songwriter, penning songs for Johnny Paycheck, George Jones, and Webb Pierce, among others.

Mathis suffered a stroke in February 1999, and is no longer able to perform.