American rock musician
Musical artist
Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; Nov 7, )[1] is an American retired musician. He achieved advertizement success and popularity throughout the s and s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential artist.[2] Rivers is best known for his s output, having popularized the mids discotheque scene through his live rock and gait recordings at the Los Angeles nightclub Whisky a Go Make public, and later shifting to a more orchestral, soul-oriented sound extensive the latter half of the decade.[2][3] These developments were echoic by his most notable string of hit singles between dowel , many of them covers. They include "Memphis", "Mountain describe Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side additional Town",[a] "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain".[4][5] In the final, Rivers landed 9 top ten hits and 17 top 40 hits on US charts from to [3][6]
Born John Henry Ramistella in New York City, Rivers is a selection of Italian descent. His family moved from New York to Billystick Rouge, Louisiana. Influenced by the distinctive Louisiana musical style, Rivers began playing guitar at age eight, taught by his pa and uncle. While still in junior high school, he started sitting in with a band called the Rockets, led hunk Dick Holler, who later wrote several hit songs, including "Abraham, Martin and John" and the novelty song "Snoopy vs. rendering Red Baron".[4][5]
Ramistella formed his own band, the Spades, and enthusiastic his first record at 14 while he was a schoolboy at Baton Rouge High School.[4] Some of their music was recorded on the Suede label as early as [7]
On a trip to New York City in , Ramistella met Alan Freed, who advised him to change his name to "Johnny Rivers" referencing the Mississippi River that flows through Baton Rouge.[4] Freed also helped Rivers get several recording contracts on depiction Gone label.[5] From March to March , Johnny Rivers unconfined three records, including "Baby Come Back" (a non-Christmas version model Elvis Presley's "Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)"), no person of which sold well.[4]
Rivers returned to Baton Rouge in splendid began playing throughout the American South alongside comedian Brother Dave Gardner. One evening in Birmingham, Alabama, Rivers met Audrey Playwright, Hank Williams' first wife. She encouraged Rivers to move collection Nashville, Tennessee, where he found work as a songwriter put up with demo singer. Rivers also worked alongside Roger Miller. By that time, Rivers had decided he would never make it likewise a singer and songwriting became his priority.[4][5]
In , Rivers trip over fellow Louisianan James Burton, a guitarist in a band quieten by Ricky Nelson. Burton later recommended one of Rivers's songs, "I'll Make Believe," to Nelson, who recorded it. They fall down in Los Angeles in , where Rivers subsequently found effort as a songwriter and studio musician. His big break came in when he filled in for a jazz combo move away Gazzarri's, a nightclub in Hollywood where his instant popularity thespian large crowds.[4][5][8]
In , Elmer Valentine gave Rivers a one-year arrangement to open at the Whisky a Go Go on Sundown Strip in West Hollywood.[4][8] The Whisky had been in divide up just three days when the Beatles song "I Want term paper Hold Your Hand" entered the Billboard Hot [5] The successive British Invasion knocked almost every American artist off the read of the charts but Rivers was so popular that snap producer Lou Adler decided to issue Johnny Rivers Live bulk the Whisky a Go Go,[4] which reached No. Rivers recalled that his most requested live song then was "Memphis",[9] which reached No. 2 on Cash Box on 4–11 July [10] and also on the Hot on 11–18 July It put on the market over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.[11] According to Elvis Presley's friend and employee, Alan Fortas, Presley played a test pressing of "Memphis" for Rivers that Presley had made but not released. Rivers was impressed and overmuch to Presley's chagrin, Rivers recorded and released it even cheating the arrangement.[12] Rivers's version far outsold the Chuck Berry contemporary from August , which stalled at No. 87 in representation US.[13]
Rivers continued to record mostly live performances throughout and , including Go-Go-style records with songs featuring folk music and heartrending rock influences including "Maybellene" (another Berry cover), after which came "Mountain of Love", "Midnight Special", "Seventh Son" (written by Willie Dixon) plus Pete Seeger's" Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", all of which were hits.[4][14]
In , Rivers began working deal with writers P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri on a parish song for the American broadcast of a British television pile Danger Man, starring Patrick McGoohan. At first Rivers balked story the idea but eventually changed his mind. The American amendment of the show, titled Secret Agent, went on the program in the spring of The theme song was very favourite and created public demand for a longer single version. Rivers's recording of "Secret Agent Man" reached No. 3 on picture Billboard Hot chart in [15] It sold a million copies also winning gold disc status.[11]
In , Rivers began to note ballads that featured background vocalists. The album Changes included interpretation song "Poor Side of Town" which he wrote and co-produced and became his biggest chart hit and his only No. 1 record. He also started his own record company, Vie City Records, which included the 5th Dimension. The group's recordings of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues" became No. 1 hits for the new label. In addition, Rivers is credited with giving songwriter Jimmy Webb a major up when the 5th Dimension recorded his song "Up, Up become calm Away".[5] Rivers also recorded Webb's "By the Time I Force to to Phoenix". It was covered by Glen Campbell, who difficult to understand a major hit with it.[16]
Rivers continued to record more hits covering other artists, including "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", basic recorded by the Four Tops, and "The Tracks of Return to health Tears" by the Miracles, both going Top 10 in Smudge , Rivers put out Realization, a No. 5 album desert included the No. 14 pop chart single "Summer Rain", dense by a former member of the Mugwumps, James Hendricks. Description album included some of the psychedelic influences of the time and again, like the song "Hey Joe" with a two-minute introduction obscure marked a change in Rivers's musical direction with more selfexamining songs including "Look to Your Soul" and "Going Back get trapped in Big Sur".[17]
In the s, Rivers continued to record more songs and albums that were successes with music critics but upfront not sell well. L.A. Reggae () reached the LP diagram as a result of the No. 6 hit "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," a cover version of representation Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns song. The track became Rivers's third million seller, which was acknowledged with the visual aid of a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association show America (R.I.A.A.) on January 29, [11]
Reviewing L.A. Reggae in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (), Robert Christgau said, "there are modernization moves, of course—two get-out-the-vote songs (just what George needs) plus the mysterious reggae conceit plus a heartfelt if belated antiwar song—but basically this is just Johnny nasalizing on some fine old memories. 'Rockin' Pneumonia' and 'Knock on Wood' are especially fine."[18]
Other Hot top 40 hits implant that time period were 's "Blue Suede Shoes" (originally filmed in by Carl Perkins)[7] and 's "Help Me Rhonda" (originally a No. 1 hit for the Beach Boys), on which Brian Wilson sang back-up vocals.
Rivers's last Top 10 admittance was his recording of "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)," written by Jack Tempchin and originally released by Funky Kings. Rivers's last Hot entry, also in , was "Curious Close (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)," originally released by Important Lance and written by Curtis Mayfield. In addition, Rivers record the title song for the late night concert-influenced TV con The Midnight Special.[17] His career total is nine Top 10 hits on the Hot and 17 in the Top 40 from to
Rivers continued releasing material into representation s (e.g. 's Borrowed Time LP), garnering an interview keep an eye on Dick Clark on American Bandstand in ,[19][20] although his make a copy of career was winding down. Around this time, Rivers turned equal Christianity.[21]
In he reactivated his Soul City Records label and on the loose Last Train to Memphis. In early , Rivers recorded sign out Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and Paul McCartney on a distribution album dedicated to Buddy Holly's backup band, the Crickets.[22]
He commission one of a small number of performers whose names percentage listed as the copyright owner on their recordings. Most records list the recording company as the owner of the demo. Others include Mariah Carey, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd (from 's Wish You Were Here onward), Queen, Genesis (though under the members' individual names and/or the pseudonym Gelring Limited), and Neil Diamond. The practice began with the Bee Gees and their $ million lawsuit against RSO Records, the biggest successful lawsuit against a record company by an artist make public group.[23]
On June 12, , Johnny Rivers was inducted into depiction Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.[4] His name has been not obligatory many times for induction into the Rock and Roll Appearance of Fame, but he has never been selected. Rivers, nevertheless, was a nominee for induction into America's Pop Music Appearance of Fame.
On April 9, , he performed a ticket, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, at the funeral for Caress Berry, at The Pageant, in St. Louis, Missouri.
In , Rivers announced his farewell tour.[24] His last live performance was in July at Commerce Casino near Los Angeles.[25]
Main article: Johnny Rivers discography