Front:
*23
Rines
Back:
Johnny Rivers skyrocketed to national fame in
1964 in a seemingly-rapid-fire fashion of
singles and LP hits.
As show biz paradoxes have a way of being,
Johnny, despite his accelerated journey to star-
dom, is no "overnight success." Born in Baton
Rouge 22 years ago, he studied music constantly
and soon gained a large local following. Though
he is now living in Hollywood, Baton Rouge is
still his hometown. Johnny is the complete
musician, being a songwriter, guitar player,
arranger in addition to being a fine performer.
He has written innumerable hits including "I'll
Make Believe" which Ricky Nelson scored big in
1958.
Steeped in the classical blues tradition, Johnny
got his first musical inspiration from such
greats as Fats Domino, B. B. King, Ray Charles,
etc.
Courtesy of Billboard
