JOHNNY MATHIS - MATHIS WARNS OF DANGERS OF FAME

Veteran crooner JOHNNY MATHIS has warned budding musicians not to be side-tracked by the trappings of fame. The WHEN A CHILD IS BORN hitmaker insists the money and exposure surrounding success often make an artist lose sight of their primary goal - music. And the 70-year-old is the first to admit he was fooled by his fortune as a young star. Mathis says, "It's very easy to get caught up in the materialistic aspect of what seems to constitute success. "Well, if the gold, the imagined finery, the entourages and hangers-on don't do lasting damage to your psyche, your life span or your bank balance, then I suppose it can be fun, but really it's all just a distraction from what should be the cornerstone of everything - your talent. "I realised that for myself when I was just 19 and had my first hit. What did I do but go right out and buy myself a diamond ring. I thought it was the coolest thing, and flaunted it at the camera every time my photograph was taken. "What I soon learnt was that the public saw the jewellery but didn't see me. What quicker way to make them think of me as superficial?"