Johnny Rivers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johnny Rivers
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Rivers performing in 2007
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| Birth name | John Henry Ramistella |
| Born | November 7, 1942 New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1956–2023 |
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Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American musician who is now retired. He became very popular in the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist. Johnny Rivers was known for being a talented and important artist.
He is most famous for his music from the 1960s. He helped make the "discotheque" dance scene popular in the mid-60s with his live rock and roll recordings. These were made at the Los Angeles nightclub called Whisky a Go Go. Later, his music changed to a more orchestral and soul-like sound.
Some of his most famous hit songs between 1964 and 1968 were "Memphis", "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain". Johnny Rivers had nine songs that reached the top ten and 17 songs that reached the top forty on the US music charts between 1964 and 1977.
Contents
Johnny Rivers: His Life and Music Journey
Early Years and Musical Beginnings
Johnny Rivers was born John Henry Ramistella in New York City. His family later moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was influenced by the unique Louisiana music style. Johnny started playing guitar at age eight. His father and uncle taught him how to play.
When he was in junior high school, he began playing with a band called the Rockets. This band was led by Dick Holler, who later wrote famous songs like "Abraham, Martin and John".
Ramistella formed his own band, called the Spades. He made his first record at age 14 while he was a student at Baton Rouge High School. Some of their music was recorded as early as 1956.
In 1958, Johnny went to New York City and met Alan Freed. Freed was a famous radio DJ. He told Ramistella to change his name to "Johnny Rivers." This name was a nod to the Mississippi River that flows through Baton Rouge. Freed also helped Johnny get several recording deals. From 1958 to 1959, Johnny Rivers released three records, but none of them sold very well.
Rivers went back to Baton Rouge in 1959. He started playing music across the American South with comedian Brother Dave Gardner. In Birmingham, Rivers met Audrey Williams, who was Hank Williams' first wife. She told Johnny to move to Nashville, a big music city. There, he found work writing songs and singing demo versions (practice recordings for other singers). Johnny also worked with country star Roger Miller. At this time, Rivers thought he might not make it as a singer, so writing songs became his main goal.
Rising to Fame in the 1960s
In 1958, Rivers met James Burton, a guitarist who played in Ricky Nelson's band. Burton later suggested one of Johnny's songs, "I'll Make Believe," to Nelson, who recorded it. Johnny and James met again in Los Angeles in 1961. Rivers then found work writing songs and playing as a studio musician (a musician hired to play on recordings).
His big chance came in 1963. He filled in for a jazz band at Gazzarri's, a nightclub in Hollywood. He became so popular that large crowds came to see him play.
In 1964, Elmer Valentine offered Rivers a one-year contract to perform at the Whisky a Go Go. This famous club is on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The Whisky had only been open for three days when the Beatles' song "I Want to Hold Your Hand" became a huge hit. The "British Invasion" (when British bands became very popular) knocked many American artists off the music charts. But Johnny Rivers was so popular that record producer Lou Adler decided to release a live album called Johnny Rivers Live at the Whisky A Go Go. This album reached No. 12 on the charts.
Rivers remembered that his most requested live song was "Memphis". This song reached No. 2 on the Cash Box and Billboard charts in July 1964. It sold over one million copies and earned a gold disc (meaning it sold a lot of copies). Johnny Rivers' version sold much more than the original song by Chuck Berry.
Rivers continued to record mostly live performances in 1964 and 1965. His music during this time included influences from folk music and blues rock.
In 1963, Rivers started working with songwriters P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. They were creating a theme song for the American TV show Danger Man. At first, Rivers wasn't sure about it, but he changed his mind. The American version of the show, called Secret Agent, started in the spring of 1965. The theme song was very popular, and people wanted a longer version to buy. Rivers' recording of "Secret Agent Man" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1966. It also sold one million copies and became a gold disc.
In 1966, Rivers began recording slower songs called ballads. These songs often featured background singers. He had several hits, including his own song "Poor Side of Town." This became his biggest hit and his only No. 1 record.
He also started his own record company, Soul City Records. This label signed the 5th Dimension, a famous group. Their songs "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues" were No. 1 hits for Soul City Records. Rivers also helped songwriter Jimmy Webb get a big start when the 5th Dimension recorded Webb's song "Up, Up, and Away." Rivers also recorded Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," which became a major hit for Glen Campbell.
Rivers continued to have more hits by covering (singing his own version of) other artists' songs. These included "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" (originally by the Four Tops) and "The Tracks of My Tears" (by the Miracles). Both of these songs reached the Top 10 in 1967. In 1968, Rivers released the album Realization, which reached No. 5 on the album charts. It included the song "Summer Rain," which reached No. 14 on the pop charts. This album showed some psychedelic influences of the time. It also marked a change in Rivers' music, with more thoughtful songs like "Look To Your Soul."
Music in the 1970s
In the 1970s, Johnny Rivers kept recording songs and albums. Many music critics liked them, but they didn't always sell as well as his earlier work. His album L.A. Reggae (1972) reached the LP chart because of the No. 6 hit "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu." This was a cover version of a song by Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns. This song became Rivers' third song to sell over a million copies.
Other songs that reached the Top 40 in the 1970s were "Blue Suede Shoes" (1973), originally by Carl Perkins, and "Help Me Rhonda" (1975). On "Help Me Rhonda," Brian Wilson from the Beach Boys sang backup vocals.
Rivers' last song to reach the Top 10 was "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)" in 1977. His very last song to appear on the Hot 100 chart, also in 1977, was "Curious Mind (Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um)." Johnny Rivers had a total of 9 Top 10 hits and 17 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 from 1964 to 1977. He has sold more than 30 million records throughout his career.
From the 1980s to Today
Johnny Rivers continued to release music into the 1980s. He even had an interview with Dick Clark on the TV show American Bandstand in 1981. Around this time, Rivers became a Christian.
In 1998, he started his Soul City Records label again and released an album called Last Train to Memphis. In the early 2000s, Rivers recorded music with famous artists like Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney. This was for an album that honored Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets.
Johnny Rivers is one of the few performers whose name is listed as the copyright owner on his recordings. Usually, the record company owns the recording. Other artists who own their copyrights include Mariah Carey, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Pink Floyd, Queen, Genesis, and Neil Diamond. This practice became more common after the Bee Gees won a large lawsuit against their record company.
On June 12, 2009, Johnny Rivers was added to the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Many people have suggested his name for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he has not been chosen yet. However, Rivers was nominated for America's Pop Music Hall of Fame in 2015.
On April 9, 2017, he performed a song at the funeral for Chuck Berry in St. Louis, Missouri. He played his acoustic guitar while singing.
In 2019, Rivers announced that he would be doing a farewell tour. His last live performance was in July 2023 at Commerce Casino near Los Angeles.
Discography
See also
In Spanish: Johnny Rivers para niños
