This person had so many musical hits in the 1950's that he became the first artist ever to release a "Greatest Hits" album. It stayed in the Billboard top album charts for over 7 years! Which musical artist is this?

The concept of a "greatest hits" or "best of" compilation is so common today that it's hard to imagine a time without it. The artist who pioneered this format was the legendary crooner Johnny Mathis. In 1958, after releasing a string of hugely successful singles, Columbia Records decided to bundle twelve of his most popular songs onto a single LP. This release, titled "Johnny's Greatest Hits," was the very first of its kind and created an entirely new marketing category for the music industry.

The album's success was simply unprecedented. Featuring timeless ballads like "Chances Are," "It's Not for Me to Say," and "Wonderful! Wonderful!," it became a fixture in American households and on the radio. The compilation entered the Billboard top album charts and remained there for an astonishing 490 consecutive weeks, a record-breaking run of nearly nine and a half years. This proved that an album could be more than just a fleeting hit; it could be a long-term, steady seller.

This single album not only cemented Johnny Mathis's status as one of the most beloved vocalists of the 20th century but also established the "greatest hits" package as a vital tool for record labels. It became a standard way to celebrate an artist's career, introduce their work to new listeners, and generate revenue from back catalogs—a tradition that continues to this day, all thanks to the phenomenal popularity of that first collection.