Rascal Nation

Happy birthday to singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer Johnny Rivers who was born John Henry Ramistella on this date November 7, 1942 in New York, NY. His family moved from New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

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 Alan Freed, who advised him to change his name to "Johnny Rivers". Freed also helped Rivers get several recording contracts on the Gone label.[3] 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.

Rivers returned to Baton Rouge in 1959 and began playing throughout the 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.

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.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.

In 1964, Elmer Valentine gave Rivers a one-year contract to open at the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Rivers was so popular that record producer Lou Adler decided to issue the LP "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.

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.

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. 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.

He produced several hits including his own "Poor Side of Town", which became his biggest chart hit and his only No. 1 record. He also started his own record company, Soul 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 break when the 5th Dimension recorded his song "Up, Up and Away". Rivers also recorded Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix". It was covered by Glen Campbell, who had a major hit with it.

Rivers continued to record more hits covering other artists, including "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", originally recorded by the Four Tops, and "The Tracks of My Tears" by the Miracles, both going Top 10 in 1967. In 1968, Rivers put out Realization, a No. 5 album that included the No. 14 pop chart single "Summer Rain", written by a former member of the Mugwumps, James Hendricks.

In the 1970s, Rivers continued to record more songs and albums that were successes with music critics but did not sell well. L.A. Reggae (1972) reached the LP chart as a result of the No. 6 hit "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu," a cover version of the Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns song. The track became Rivers' third million seller, which was acknowledged with the presentation of a gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (R.I.A.A.) on January 29, 1973.

Rivers' last Top 10 entry was his 1977 recording of "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)," written by Jack Tempchin and originally released by Funky Kings. In addition, Rivers recorded the title song for the late night concert-influenced TV show The Midnight Special.[14] His career total is nine Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 and 17 in the Top 40 from 1964 to 1977.

In 1998 he reactivated his Soul City Records label and released "Last Train to Memphis".

On June 12, 2009, Johnny Rivers was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. His name has been suggested many times for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but he has never been selected. Rivers, however, was a nominee for 2015 induction into America's Pop Music Hall of Fame.

In 2019, Rivers announced his farewell tour His last live performance was in July 2023 at Commerce Casino near Los Angeles.