Country Johnny Mathis, Louisiana Hayride, Grand Ole Opry, Nashville Songwriter's Hall of Fame, Country Music Hall of Fame, Country Music

Michelob ULTRA Renews Sync License for Country Johnny Mathis Song

“Just Do The Best You Can” was featured in the 2022 ’19th Hole’ commercial by Michelob ULTRA. The commercial aired almost 7,000 times across national networks in the United States and Canada such as ESPN, The Golf Channel and a host of others. Social media campaigns for the commercial reached over 2 million views.

Michelob ULTRA has renewed the sync license for “Just Do The Best You Can” (Avid Group Publishing/BMI) and will be airing the commercial again in 2023. The song was written by Mathis and recorded at RCA Studio in Nashville around 1968 and features the legendary steel guitarist, Lloyd Green. It was never released. It may have been shelved because Bobby Helms of “Jingle Bell Rock” fame had just recorded a ballad-styled version of the song which was released as a single in 1969.

Mathis recorded 3 versions (ballad style to uptempo) of “Just Do The Best You Can” in RCA Studio that day in the late 60’s that were all stored on a reel-to-reel master tape, none of which were heard again for almost 50 years. They were discovered in a the process of transferring old master recordings to digital, and John Mathis Jr (Avid Group Publishing) made the decision to release the uptempo version of the song in 2011 from those 3 versions. The first public release of the song after being recorded over 50 years earlier.

Obviously the classic Country sound and vibe of the song resonated with ad execs at Michelob ULTRA when it was secured for a sync license in 2022. And sometimes the journey of a song and its recording is the ultimate test of talent for an artist because it stood the test of time and still stands out.

Mathis had a long career in Country Music, as an artist he was a regular performer on the Louisiana Hayride during the 50’s with several chart hits as an artist. As a songwriter, he has had 12 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees records his songs, received 2 BMI Citations of Achievement, his songs were on over 14 Billboard Charting Country albums and Gold Records and he his credited with at least 10 Billboard Country charting singles.

Johnny had a dozen live recordings on the ‘At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight’ Box Set (Bear Family Records), which included a 224 page hardcover book, and 20 CDs with 561 tracks of live performances from the Louisiana Hayride. The release received a 2019 Grammy Nomination for ‘Best Historical Album’.

2024 Update: Michelob ULTRA licensed “Just Do The Best You Can” for continued use in 2024.

“Just Do The Best You Can”
Country Johnny Mathis
(Avid Group Publishing/BMI – Sync Representation by Koze Music)