Welcome to Rock & Roll Flashback! I'm Jumpin' John, and in today's podcast I will discuss the career of John Ramistella, better known as Johnny Rivers!
John Henry Ramistella was born on November 7, 1942 in New York City. In 1948 his family moved from New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. John was drawn to the guitar before rock and roll became a national sensation. His first musical inspiration was his father, who played guitar and mandolin and had perfect pitch. Rhythm and blues was a way of life in Baton Rouge, and John listened to R&B on the late-night radio stations. He saw performers like Fats Domino and Jimmy Reed in person. In 1954 Elvis Presley performed at Baton Rouge High School, and John was hooked! John has said [and I quote], “I was thinking, this guy is really cool because he had the greasy hair and sideburns. It was something I'll never forget. I said, wow, that's what I want to do.” [end quote].
Johnny Rivers is a unique figure in the history of rock music. He was an American rock star of the 1960s, who came to popularity just as the Beatles and other English bands began their invasion of America. Johnny was unique as a white American singer and guitarist who made a name for himself as a straight-ahead rock & roller during the middle of that decade. Just as important behind the scenes, his recordings and their success led to the launching, directly and indirectly, of at least three record labels and a dozen other careers whose influence extended into the 1970s, 1980s, and beyond. With a repertoire including pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock ‘n’ roll, Johnny Rivers remains best known for seventeen Top 40 Billboard hits, nine singles in the Top 10, two Grammy awards, and over 30 million records sold!
All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John. It was initially recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004 with several revisions since then.
Multiple promo videos and photos for Rock and Roll Flashback Podcasts are available on the following social media sites:
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Bill and John welcome your feedback and comments, and they can be emailed to rockandrollflashback@outlook.com.
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Until next time...
Rock On!
