Ladies and gentlemen, here's Johnny Rivers
By
KEN HOFFMAN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
BACK in the '50s and '60s, everybody — from the Beatles to Paul Anka to Count Basie to the Rolling Stones
and Jan and Dean — recorded Chuck Berry's classic rocker Memphis, Tennessee.
Long distance information, give me Memphis, Tennessee
Help me find the party trying to get in touch with me
She could not leave her number, but I know who placed the call
'Cause my uncle took the message and he wrote it on the wall
Everybody recorded it, but it was Johnny Rivers who had the monster smash in 1964 — his first of 17 hit
singles.
"All the rock 'n' roll bands loved playing Memphis because it had a nice
funky beat. I actually remember jamming on Memphis with Elvis Presley in his home in Bel-Air, Calif., before
either one of us recorded it," said Rivers, who will perform Saturday night at the Stafford Centre. [2/18/2006] ...
Rivers said he played Memphis
three times a night during his legendary stint at the Whisky A Go Go night club in Los Angeles in the early '60s.
Memphis was included on his first hit album, Live at the Whisky A Go Go, and both raced up the
Billboard charts.
"That whole period, starting in 1964, was like a skyrocket. I was the first performer to play the Whisky.
In fact, the owners decided to open the club only after I agreed to play there. I was the first guy to bring real funky rock 'n' roll
and blues to the Sunset Strip.
"Prior to that, it was Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys in Los Angeles. Nobody was playing down-home songs
like Memphis. That opened the door, and the Whisky became a showcase for Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield,
Dobie Gray, the Doors, Three Dog Night and endless others."
Live at the Whisky A Go Go contained 11 hard rockers. Imperial Records decided to
make Memphis the first single.
"You never know what's going to be a hit," Rivers said. "Nobody has a crystal ball. I knew Memphis
always got a big reaction when we did it live. I actually did a more rock 'n' roll version than Chuck Berry did."
Memphis began a startling string of hits for Rivers, one of the most underrated hitmakers in rock history. He says audiences today, especially young
people, constantly think, "He did that one, too?" as he performs Mountain
of Love, Midnight Special, Seventh Son, Secret Agent Man, Poor Side of Town,
Baby I Need Your Lovin', The Tracks of My Tears, Summer Rain, Rockin' Pneumonia —
Boogie Woogie Flu and Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancin').
"Young people hear my songs on classic
rock stations, and they remember their parents playing my records.
One of the things that helped get young people to my gigs was Secret
Agent Man being in the Austin Powers movie.
Plus, last year, Wal-Mart used Secret Agent
Man in a TV commercial."
Rivers' latest project is putting the
finishing touches on his autobiography.
"It was fun writing it," he said.
"I sat down and handwrote in a
spiral-bound notebook. I wrote my story like I was writing a letter
to a friend. Doing it slowly helped me remember a lot of great
stories," he said.
