Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers
Rivers performing in 2007
Rivers performing in 2007
Background information
Birth nameJohn Henry Ramistella
Born (1942-11-07) November 7, 1942 (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
OriginBaton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1956–2023
Labels
Websitejohnnyrivers.com

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942)[1] 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.[2] Rivers is best known for his 1960s output, having popularized the mid-60s 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.[2][3] 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",[a] "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain".[4][5] Ultimately, Rivers landed 9 top ten hits and 17 top forty hits on US charts from 1964 to 1977.[3][6]

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 2097/8. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ a b "Johnny Rivers Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Johnny Rivers". www.history-of-rock.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "Louisiana Music Hall of Fame – Johnny Rivers". Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  5. ^ "Johnny Rivers Biography". JohnnyRivers.com. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  6. ^ "Johnny Rivers - Biography". IMDb. Retrieved January 19, 2024.


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