Supplied note - not independently verified
Cover of a 1959 Chuck Berry song, recorded live at the Whisky a Go Go.
View background statusJohnny Rivers
8 catalog entries, grouped by year.
About Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers grew up in Baton Rouge, where rhythm and blues and rockabilly informed his early bands. After songwriting and recording work in New York and Nashville, he developed a Los Angeles club act with drummer Eddie Rubin. Performances at the Whisky a Go Go, recorded with producer Lou Adler, brought that live sound to records in 1964, preceding a broader repertoire that included ballads.
Artist background sources
Johnny Rivers - official biography
Baton Rouge upbringing, early R&B/rockabilly work, songwriting travels, Eddie Rubin partnership, Whisky a Go Go recordings with Lou Adler and later ballads. No disputed birth-date material from other pages is used. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
1964
1965
Supplied note - not independently verified
A cover of Willie Dixon's blues song.
View background status1966
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Johnny RiversRelease: 1966Source checked
Screenshot additions: 1970s listResearched recording background
Johnny Rivers recorded Jimmy Webb's By the Time I Get to Phoenix for his 1966 album Changes. Rivers recalled hearing the song on a tape of Webb's work and then meeting the writer to record it. He published the song...
Read background and sourcesResearched recording background
Poor Side of Town marked Johnny Rivers' move toward an orchestrated ballad sound. Rivers recalled recording his vocal with Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn and Hal Blaine before Marty Paich's strings were added. The song...
Read background and sourcesResearched recording background
Secret Agent Man developed from the theme used for the American presentation of the television series Danger Man. Johnny Rivers recalled that P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri first supplied a shorter theme. Additional...
Read background and sources1967
Supplied note - not independently verified
A cover of the Four Tops' hit about desperate love
View background status1973
Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu
Johnny RiversRelease: 1972Source checked | Recent carryover
Source year-end #78Artist background available
Johnny Rivers grew up in Baton Rouge, where rhythm and blues and rockabilly informed his early bands. After songwriting and recording work in New York and Nashville, he developed a Los Angeles club act with drummer...
View background status1977
Supplied note - not independently verified
The romance of slow dancing
View background statusALL 66 ANNUAL COLLECTIONS
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1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.