by Robert Wilkinson
November 7 was Johnny Rivers’ birthday! He gave us some classic tunes delivered in his N'awlins style which we'll be grooving to this afternoon and this evening!
Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, November 7, 1942) was huge between the mid-60s and mid-70s, and still going strong today! His music spanned a wide range of styles, including pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. A NYC transplant to N’awlins when very young, he kicked around a few years, and then in 1958 met guitar James Burton, Ricky Nelson's lead player, after which his career took off like a rocket.
Tonight we’re revisiting his hits from the 60s and 70s, so let’s begin!
Here’s one that Johnny wrote which James Burton recommended to Ricky! “I’ll Make Believe”
Johnny was so popular in late 1963 that Lou Adler released this breakthrough album in February 1964 during Beatlemania which hit #12! Johnny Rivers Live at the Whiskey A Go Go – 1964
From American Bandstand in the Summer of 1964, Johnny covering his most requested song and #2 hit, Chuck Berry’s classic “Memphis” and from Shindig in 1964, “Memphis”
From two months later, also on American Bandstand, Johnny lip synching another Chuck Berry rock and roller classic that went to #12 on the charts! “Maybelline”
Johnny on television singing his #9 hit to a backing track, “Mountain of Love” and here's the original studio version, backed by the Wrecking Crew! "Mountain of Love."
From Hullabaloo, here’ s Johnny live covering “Midnight Special”
Lip synching his #7 hit for television in the mid-60s, “Seventh Son”
Here’s another very brief but ripping performance of “Seventh Son”
Live on television, a great performance of “Secret Agent Man”
Johnny live, lip synching his gigantic 1966 #3 hit, “Secret Agent Man.” And from 2018, live at the Ventura County Blues Fest, he still cooks! “Secret Agent Man”
From 1967, lip synching on television, here’s Johnny performing his soft soulful 1966 hit that went to #1 on the charts, “Poor Side of Town”
Live on the Marty Stewart Show, here’s Johnny live performing an acoustic version of “Poor Side of Town”
From The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, “Baby I Need Your Lovin’”
From Brazil in 2010, a great live offering of “Tracks of My Tears,” and here’s his original Soul City studio version! “Tracks of My Tears”
Here’s a live performance of a Cajun classic! From 1995 on California, Johnny cranking out his version of another Chuck Berry classic, “You Never Can Tell (C’est La Vie)” and from the same gig, “Mountain Of Love”
From 1973 in Montreux, Johnny live giving us his huge 1967 hit that went to #14 on the charts, “Summer Rain.” Fast forward 40 years, Johnny’s live on The Marty Stewart Show in 2013 performing another acoustic version of this major hit, “Summer Rain”
On teevee in 1973, a live performance of “Blue Suede Shoes”
From 1973 on German television, Johnny in a great live performance of a Cajun classic! “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.” Fast forward 20 years to Monterey in the 90s, and here he is again cranking out “Rockin’ Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu”
Here’s a great album of Johnny at the Whiskey! The last 15 minutes feature John Lee Hooker! Johnny Rivers and John Lee Hooker at the Whiskey A Go Go - 1967 (Set list: “C.C. Rider”/”Got My Mojo Working,” “Sunny,” “It’s Too Late,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “When A Man Loves A Woman,” and the last 16 minutes features John Lee Hooker!0
We’ll close this birthday tribute with the last tune that made the charts, written by my friend from my LA hangout days, Jack Tempchin. Live on The Midnight Special television show in 1977, delivering his final hit, For your slow dancing pleasure, here’s Johnny giving us “Swaying to the Music (Slow Dancing)”
For the encore, a great medley on Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Eve filmed in Dec 1977! “Mountain of Love,” “Secret Agent Man,” and “Seventh Son”
Thanks for the tunes and memories, Johnny!
© Copyright 2023 Robert Wilkinson
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