Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician.

Some of their music was recorded on the Suede label as early as 1956.

On a trip to New York City in 1958, Ramistella met Alan Freed, who advised him to change his name to "Johnny Rivers" referencing the Mississippi River that flows through Baton Rouge.

Freed also helped Rivers get several recording contracts on the Gone label.

From March 1958 to March 1959, Johnny Rivers released three records, including "Baby Come Back" (a non-Christmas version of Elvis Presley's "Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)"), none of which sold well.

In 1958, Rivers met fellow Louisianan James Burton, a guitarist in a band led by Ricky Nelson.

Burton later recommended one of Rivers' songs, "I'll Make Believe," to Nelson who recorded it.

Rivers returned to Baton Rouge in 1959 and began playing throughout the American South alongside comedian Brother Dave Gardner.

One evening in Birmingham, Alabama, Rivers met Audrey Williams, Hank Williams' first wife.

She encouraged Rivers to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where he found work as a songwriter and demo singer.

Rivers also worked alongside Roger Miller.

By this time, Rivers had decided he would never make it as a singer and songwriting became his priority.

Rivers' version far outsold the Chuck Berry original from August 1959, which stalled at No. 87 in the US.

He enjoyed success throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential artist.

Rivers is best known for his 1960s output, having popularized the mid-60s discotheque scene through his live rock and roll recordings at Los Angeles' Whiskey a Go Go nightclub, and later shifting to a more orchestral, soul-oriented sound during the latter half of the decade.

They met in Los Angeles in 1961, where Rivers subsequently found work as a songwriter and studio musician.

His big break came in 1963 when he filled in for a jazz combo at Gazzarri's, a nightclub in Hollywood where his instant popularity drew large crowds.

In 1963, Rivers began working with writers P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri on a theme song for the American broadcast of a British television series Danger Man, starring Patrick McGoohan.

At first Rivers balked at the idea but eventually changed his mind.

These developments were reflected by his most notable string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, many of them covers.

They include "Memphis", "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain".

Ultimately, Rivers landed 9 top ten hits and 17 top forty hits in the American charts from 1964 to 1977.

Rivers was born John Henry Ramistella in New York City, of Italian descent.

His family moved from New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Influenced by the distinctive Louisiana musical style, Rivers began playing guitar at age eight, taught by his father and uncle.

While still in junior high school, he started sitting in with a band called the Rockets, led by Dick Holler, who later wrote several hit songs, including "Abraham, Martin and John" and the novelty song "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron".

Ramistella formed his own band, the Spades, and made his first record at 14 while he was a student at Baton Rouge High School.

In 1964, Elmer Valentine gave Rivers a one-year contract to open at the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.

The Whisky had been in business just three days when the Beatles song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" entered the Billboard Hot 100.

The subsequent British Invasion knocked almost every American artist off the top of the charts but Rivers was so popular that record producer Lou Adler decided to issue Johnny Rivers Live at the Whisky a Go Go, which reached No. 12.

Rivers recalled that his most requested live song then was "Memphis", which reached No. 2 on Cash Box on 4–11 July 1964 and also on the Hot 100 on 11–18 July 1964.

It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.

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 much to Presley's chagrin, Rivers recorded and released it even copying the arrangement.

Rivers continued to record mostly live performances throughout 1964 and 1965, including Go-Go-style records with songs featuring folk music and blues 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.

The American version of the show, titled Secret Agent, went on the air in the spring of 1965.

The theme song was very popular and created public demand for a longer single version.

Rivers' recording of "Secret Agent Man" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966.

It sold a million copies also winning gold disc status.

In 1966, Rivers began to record ballads that featured background vocalists.