That's What Friends Are For (Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams) 1978

 

That's What Friends Are For is an album by American singers Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams, released in July 1978 by Columbia Records. The project was a continuation of the pairing of the artists that began on his previous LP, You Light Up My Life, which included "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", the duet that was on its way to number one on three different charts in Billboard magazine as the recording sessions for this album got underway.

On July 20, 1978, That's What Friends Are For received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States,^[3] and it debuted on Billboard's list of America's Top LP's & Tapes shortly thereafter, in the issue dated July 29, for the start of a 16-week chart run that took the album to number 19.^[4] That same issue also marked its debut on the magazine's Black Albums chart, where it remained for 11 weeks and peaked at number 14.^[5] The following month, on August 28, it made its first of 11 weekly appearances on the UK album chart, during which time it got as high as number 16,^[6] and October 31 of that year the British Phonographic Industry awarded the album with Gold certification for sales of 100,000 copies in the UK.^[7]

The album was first released on CD in 1997 and reissued on July 1, 2003, with four additional songs by the duo, including a previously unreleased version of "Without Us", the theme from the television series Family Ties.

 

Following quickly on the heels of the June 3, 1978, issue of Billboard in which "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" enjoyed its week at number one on the magazine's Hot 100, this album's opener, a cover of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "You're All I Need To Get By", was released on June 15^[1] and had a July 8 debut on the magazine's list of the 100 most popular R&B singles in the US, where it peaked at number 10 over the course of 12 weeks.^[9] The July 8 issue also marked its first appearance on the magazine's list of the 50 most popular Easy Listening records in the US, where it spent 11 weeks and got as high as number 16.^[10] The July 29 issue included the debut of the song on the Hot 100, where it stayed for eight weeks and reached number 47.^[11] The duet also became a new entry on the July 29 UK singles chart, where it made it to number 45 during a six-week run.^[6]

The title song from the album (not to be confused with the Bacharach/Sager composition later popularized by Dionne Warwick) was released as a single in the fall of 1978^[12] but did not have any chart appearances. 

 Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams made a fine team on this collection of sentimental love songs and light pop ballads. They had had previous success on the title track, which had been included on her first release, so they opted for a full session. They had a moderate hit with a cover of "You're All I Need To Get By," and they also reworked Stevie Wonder's "Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Going To Do)." It peaked at Number 19 on the pop chart, and actually proved Williams' most consistent album from a sales standpoint.