Book Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers, born John Henry Ramistella in New York City, grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, learned guitar at eight from his father and uncle, and made his first record at fourteen with his band the Spades. DJ Alan Freed suggested the stage name, a nod to the Mississippi River, and Rivers signed to the Gone label in 1958. In the 1960s he popularized the discotheque scene through live rock sets recorded at Whisky a Go Go, a Los Angeles nightclub, then moved toward a more orchestral, soulful sound. His hit singles from 1964 to 1968 include "Memphis," "Mountain of Love," "The Seventh Son," "Secret Agent Man," "Poor Side of Town," "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" and "Summer Rain." He scored nine top-ten and seventeen top-forty hits on the US charts between 1964 and 1977, and his catalog includes 32 albums from The Sensational Johnny Rivers in 1964 to California Rain in 2021. He shared in two Grammy wins at the tenth annual ceremony, Record of the Year and Best Contemporary Single, for "Up, Up and Away," and he entered the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009.