Johnny Rivers was born John Ramistella in Brooklyn, New York on November 7, 1942, but was raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Legendary DJ Alan Freed named him Johnny Rivers in 1958.
To say Johnny was persistent would be an understatement. He recorded for no less than 12 different labels between 1958 to 1964, without having one record hit the national charts. However, things sure changed when he was signed to Imperial Records in 1964. It was then that his career took off with cover versions that he recorded at the Whiskey A GoGo nite club on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, including Memphis, Maybelline, Seventh Son, Secret Agent Man, and others. He even started his own label, Soul City Records, in Los Angeles in 1966, eventually signing the Fifth Dimension.
Between 1964 and 1978, he appeared on the Billboard chart a total of 29 times and attained 9 Top Ten hits along with 2 Gold Records.
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Johnny Rivers with two of his hit songs: Under Your Spell Again and Secret Agent Man. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.
To say Johnny was persistent would be an understatement. He recorded for no less than 12 different labels between 1958 to 1964, without having one record hit the national charts. However, things sure changed when he was signed to Imperial Records in 1964. It was then that his career took off with cover versions that he recorded at the Whiskey A GoGo nite club on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, including Memphis, Maybelline, Seventh Son, Secret Agent Man, and others. He even started his own label, Soul City Records, in Los Angeles in 1966, eventually signing the Fifth Dimension.
Between 1964 and 1978, he appeared on the Billboard chart a total of 29 times and attained 9 Top Ten hits along with 2 Gold Records.
This week on Treasure Island Oldies, Voice Your Choice spotlights Johnny Rivers with two of his hit songs: Under Your Spell Again and Secret Agent Man. Which song would you like to hear? Cast your vote at the Voice Your Choice page. We'll play the winner in the 3rd hour of next week's show.
