| ||
Wednesday, July 20, 2005 | ||
What do you think of this story? Bad Links? | Rivers flows into FayettevilleRock-n-Roll Hits Center Stage
Fayetteville will be rocking with Johnny Rivers July 23 at the Villages Amphitheater. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring their picnics and coolers to enjoy a night under the stars. Rivers has seen his music grow and change over several decades, while always retaining his personal musical touch. In 1964, when the British Invasion was in progress and American rockers were tough to find on the U.S. pop charts, Johnny Rivers was one of the first to regain a foothold; his first Top 10 record came right in the midst of Beatlemania. His formula was much the same as the British style vintage American rock n' roll and R&B played with a verve and simplicity that gave his music a contemporary edge. Over the next four years, his funky, go-go rock gave him a steady stream of Top 10 records. According to the Johnny Rivers Web site, John Henry Ramistella aka Johnny Rivers was born November 7, 1942, in New York City. The Ramistellas moved to Baton Rouge, La., when Johnny was about five, where an uncle, head of the Louisiana State University art department, got John's dad work painting houses and antiquing furniture. John's first musical inspiration was his father. "My dad and uncle used to get together and play these old Italian folk songs on mandolin and guitar." As Rivers started playing, he listened to R&B on the late-night radio, megawatt stations like WLAC in Nashville. However, R&B was a way of life in Baton Rouge. "When I went to Baton Rouge Junior High, Fats Domino, Jimmy Reed and guys like that used to play at our dances," Rivers says. Johnny formed his own band The Spades in 1956. "We played all Fats' tunes... Little Richard, Larry Williams, Bobby Bland," Rivers says. "We became the hot little band around Baton Rouge. Then Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis hit so I took on a little touch of rockabilly." Johnny and The Spades toured Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. His first recording, "Hey Little Girl," was released by the Natchez, Mississippi-based Suede label, and sold well on The Spades' touring circuit. In 1957, John met Alan Freed on a school trip to New York City. "It was like a scene out of an Alan Freed movie," Rivers says. He was at WINS in Columbus Circle. "I stood in front of the radio station. It was freezing cold and he came up with Jack Hooke who was his manager. I said 'My name's Johnny Ramistella. I'm from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and I have a band. I play and write and I'd like you to hear my music.' Alan gave me his card and said 'We have an office down at the Brill Building on Broadway. Why don't you come down tomorrow afternoon?' I went down and Jack Hooke was there and I played four or five songs." Freed also gave Johnny a new name. "I was sitting around with Jack and Alan and they were gettin' ready to release the record,’Baby Come Back.’" John remembers. "Alan (said) 'Your name... you need to come up with something a little more musical.' We were talkin' about where I grew up on the Mississippi River and somehow Rivers came out of that, That was the first time I used that name." "Baby Come Back" was released in March 1958. His New York contacts also led to releases like "Your First And Last Love" on the Dee Dee label, issued that August, and "You're The One" on the Guyden label, released in March 1959. None were hits. Around 1960, as Johnny alternated between Nashville and Baton Rouge, Merle Kilgore, then a deejay at KWKH in Shreveport, got him a spot on the Louisiana Hayride. He also introduced him to Shreveport guitar legend James Burton, home on vacation from working with Ricky Nelson in California. Burton took a tape of Johnny's song "I'll Make Believe" back to California. Within a month, he called to tell Johnny that Rick would record it. The song wound up on Nelson's 1960 Imperial LP “More Songs By Ricky.” Rivers flew to L.A., met Rick and the band, and relocated to L.A. around 1961. "I was thinking of producing records," he says. "I was starting to give up on the artist idea. I'd kicked around for so long I was starting to look in other areas. Then I met a producer named Nick Venet and wound up doing some stuff for Capitol." Rivers returned to the stage in 1963, almost by accident. He was a regular customer at Bill Gazzari's club on La Cienega Blvd. in L.A. for some time. "It was a little Italian restaurant that usually stayed open until four in the morning. When the clubs closed at two, everyone that was still hungry would go get some good food. He had a jazz trio there." Rivers says. One night Johnny found Gazzari forlorn because his house band was leaving. He begged Rivers, 'Please come in and play your stuff until I find another jazz group."' To everyone's surprise, huge crowds gathered to hear Johnny and Eddie Rubin, a jazz drummer, play rock and R&B hits. Gazzari's profits soared, and when Rivers was ready to leave, Gazzari offered him more money and let him hire a bassist. Joe Osborn, just starting to become an L.A. studio legend, joined Rivers and Rubin. Rivers also met two men at Gazzari's who would play major roles in his career: Lou Adler, who became his producer, and Elmer Valentine, who was opening an L.A. version of the Paris Whisky A Go-Go club on the Sunset Strip. Valentine offered Rivers a year's contract to appear at the new club. On January 15, 1964, he opened. Three days later 'The Beatles' "I Want To Hold Your Hand" entered the charts. "The Whisky was a smash from opening night," Rivers says. I brought my following from Gazzari's." Rivers and his famous red Gibson ES-335 guitar symbolized the Strip's new youth-oriented atmosphere. He was soon stacking up the hits with classics like“Secret Agent Man,”“Poor Side of Town,” and “Summer Rain.” Ever the tunesmith, Johnny Rivers will perform at The Villages Amphitheater in Fayetteville this Saturday. The gates open at 7 p.m., the opening act begins at 8 p.m. and Johnny will be rocking at 9 p.m. Lawn seats are still available for $25 in advance by calling Main Street at 770-461-6029. | | |
Copyright 2004-Fayette Publishing, Inc. |