Profile: Johnny Rivers

Born: John Henry Ramistella, November 7, 1942, Brooklyn, New York City, NY

Genres: Rock and Roll, Pop-Soul, Pop, Soft Rock

Instruments: Vocals, Guitar

Early years: The path Johnny Ramistella took to become hitmaker Johnny Rivers was a long one, but he started young -- by the age of 14, he had a band (The Spades) and a recording contract (on the Suede label). By the age of 16, he'd been discovered by DJ Alan Freed (who encouraged his name change after hearing him talk about Baton Rouge, where he'd moved as a young child, and the Mississippi River). A year later, he was a staff songwriter in Nashville; a year after that, Ricky Nelson covered his song "I'll Make Believe," and that led to his migration to the Los Angeles scene in 1961, where he gigged and recorded.

Success: In 1963, club owner Bill Gazzari asked Rivers to fill in after his jazz combo suddenly quit; Rivers insisted on playing rock, but Gazzari didn't care, as long as he had an act. Much to everyone's surprise, Rivers was an instant smash, and when, in 1964, Elmer Valentine decided to open an L.A. version of his hot Parisian nightclub, Whisky A-Go-Go, the singer was tapped as the headline act. The resulting sound he and his band developed, augmented by go-go dancers, became known as the "Go-Go" sound, represented by his hit covers of Chuck Berry's "Memphis" and old blues numbers like "Midnight Special" and "Seventh Son."

Later years: Rivers stayed on the pop charts throughout the Sixties and early Seventies by embracing trends: country-pop ("Poor Side Of Town"), blue-eyed soul (covers of "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" and "Tracks Of My Tears"), and retro rock (his 1972 version of "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" remains more popular than the Huey "Piano" Smith original). He even had some success as a soft-rock artist in the disco years, but by the Eighties he had become passe. His way with a song, however, has continued to make him a hot prospect in concert, and he still tours the oldies circuit today.

Recorded work: #1 hits:
Pop:

• "Poor Side Of Town" (1966)

Top 10 hits:
Pop:

• "Memphis" (1964)
• "Mountain Of Love" (1964)
• "Seventh Son" (1965)
• "Secret Agent Man" (1966)
• "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" (1967)
• "The Tracks Of My Tears" (1967)
• "Rockin' Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu" (1973)
• "Swayin' To The Music (Slow Dancin')" (1977)

Top 10 albums:
Pop:

• Realization (1968)

Other popular recordings: "Maybellene," "Midnight Special," "Cupid," "Parchman Farm," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "Under Your Spell Again," "I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water," "By The Time I Get To Phoenix," "Do You Want To Dance?" "Do What You Gotta Do," "Tunesmith," "It's Too Late," "Summer Rain," "Positively 4th Street," "Look To Your Soul," "Brother, Where Are You," "Going Back to Big Sur," "Whiter Shade Of Pale," "These Are Not My People," "City Ways," "You Better Move On," "Muddy River," "Into The Mystic," "Fire And Rain," "Sea Cruise," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Help Me, Rhonda," "Outside Help"
Covered by: Devo, The Ventures, R.E.M., The Toasters, The Walkabouts, Nick Lowe, Glen Campbell, The Dickies, The 5th Dimension, Isaac Hayes, Agent Orange, The Pagans, Blues Traveler, Hank Williams Jr.
Appears in the movies: "The Day The Music Died" (1977), "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1978)