Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American retired musician. He achieved commercial success and popularity 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-1960s discotheque scene through his live rock and roll recordings at the Los Angeles nightclub Whisky a Go Go, and later shifting to a more orchestral, soul-oriented sound during the latter half of the decade. 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". Rivers had a total of nine top-ten hits and 17 top-forty hits on the US charts from 1964 to 1977.

John Henry Ramistella was born in New York City and moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana when he was five. 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".

The younger Ramistella formed his own band, the Spades, and made his first record at 14 while he was a student at Baton Rouge High School. 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 DJ-promoter Alan Freed, who suggested the name change to "Johnny Rivers" referencing the Mississippi River that flows through Baton Rouge. Freed also helped the artist then renamed Johnny Rivers to get him signed to recording contracts with the Gone record label. Between March 1958 and 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.

Rivers returned to Baton Rouge in 1959 and began touring the American South alongside comedian Brother Dave Gardner. One evening in Birmingham, Alabama, Rivers met Audrey Williams, Hank Williams's 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.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.