Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Riversis an Italian-American rock 'n' roll singer, songwriter, legendary guitarist, and record producer. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, among them "Memphis", "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town", "Baby I Need Your Lovin'", and "Summer Rain"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth7 November 1942
CountryUnited States of America
He was signing everyone else up, ... He just didn't think I could sell any records.
The web site and the Internet are a whole new ball game.
Performing live, that's the ultimate thing. That's where it starts and that's where it ends. It's all about playing music.
After that initial success, every chance we got we'd hire that remote recording truck and just record stuff at the Whisky because it was so inexpensive.
The first time I went to New York, I met Alan Freed.
I accepted an offer to do a concert for the reopening of the Mall of Memphis.
I didn't get to talk to him, I just kept looking at him. Elvis had all this greasy hair and pimples on his face; he played a mean guitar and sang like no one else. I thought he was the coolest guy I'd ever seen. I wanted to be just like him.
A lot of young artists don't realize that it is a business. But the acts who survive over the years are the ones who take care of the business end of performing. Mick Jagger does it, so does Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan. They know how to sell and promote themselves and their music. They understand the financial end of this business.
I was working at this club in downtown L.A. from four to eight at night, just Eddie Rubin, the drummer, and I.
I've got a Fender Concert amp from the '60s, the one Joe Osborn used. He played his bass through it.
I think my favorite album was probably Realization.
We were the hot young band around there, ... I still have newspaper articles and stuff like that.
When I came back to California in the early '60s I was hanging out with Jimmy Bowen, Phil Spector, and I wanted to be a record producer and work with other artists.
What I really remember is that people camped out everywhere, and the fact everybody expected it might turn into a big nightmare with all sorts of hassles because back in those days everybody was smoking pot and taking acid.