He was versatile enough to do folk songs, blues, covers of old-time Rock n' roll songs, and some original material, all of them in his own unique style. Rivers's greatest success came in the mid and late 1960s with a string of hit songs (including "Seventh Son," "Poor Side of Town" and "Secret Agent Man") but he has continued to record and perform to the present.
In 1960, Rivers met fellow Louisianan, James Burton, the guitar player for Ricky Nelson. Burton later recommended one of Rivers's songs to Nelson, who went on to record it. In 1961, Rivers went to Los Angeles to meet Nelson, and ended up relocating there, working as a song writer and studio musician. In 1963, Rivers's big break came when he temporarily filled in for a jazz combo at Bill Gazzari's night club; the temporary gig became long-term due to positive customer response.
In 1964, Elmer Valentine then gave Rivers a one-year contract to open his new club, Whisky a Go Go, on Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The Whisky opened three days before The Beatles released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and the British Invasion knocked almost every American artist off the top of the charts. But Rivers was so popular, producer Lou Adler decided to issue Johnny Rivers Live At The Whiskey A Go Go. The live album reached #12 on the charts and the single "Memphis" (a Chuck Berry cover) reached #2. Rivers made the successful transition from nightclub entertainer to chart-busting pop singer and had created the Go Go sound, part of a scene which included Go-Go dancers.
Into 1965, Rivers continued to record mostly live, Go Go style records including "Maybellene" (another Berry cover), which he followed "Mountain of Love", "Midnight Special", "Seventh Son" (written by Willie Dixon) e "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" (with Pete Seeger's), all of which were hits.
Rivers wanted to try something different and adopted a more idiosyncratic approach as from 1966. Characterized by his smooth, soulful voice, he produced hit portrayals as "Poor Side Of Town", which would be his biggest hit ever and his only number one record. Into another hit was "Secret Agent Man", the theme from Secret Agent television series (written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri). He also started own record company, Soul City Records, where he won a Grammy Award as the producer of the 5th Dimension, which eventually recorded "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In" and "Wedding Bell Blues", two number one hits on Rivers' label. Johnny is also credited with giving songwriter Jimmy Webb a major break when they recorded Webb's song "Up, Up, and Away". James Hendricks, one of the artists of that signed with Soul City, wrote "Summer Rain", a song that Rivers recorded and turned a hit.
Johnny Rivers continued to record more hits, including "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" and "The Tracks of My Tears" (cover of The Miracles), both top 10 in 1967. In 1968, Rivers released what many fans consider his best album, Realization, a number five album on the LP charts. The album was evocative of the psychedelic influences of the time and marked a subtle change in his musical direction, with more thoughtful types of songs, included such ballads as "Going Back to Big Sur".
In the 1970s, Rivers continued to record more songs and albums which were a success with music critics, but did not sell as well as some of his earlier hits. One of these albums, "L.A. Reggae" in 1972, reached the LP charts as a result of the top 10 "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" (a cover of Huey Smith & the Clowns). Anothers hits that time were "Blue Suede Shoes" (a cover of Carl Perkins), in 1973, which would reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Help Me Rhonda", in 1975 - a cover of The Beach Boys on which Brian Wilson helped with backup vocals. His last entry on the charts was "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)", a top ten hit in 1977.
1980's until nowadays
Rivers continued recording into the '80's, although his recording career wound down somewhat. In spite of his music hasn't reached the best seller charts for quite a while, Rivers is still touring, doing 50 to 60 shows a year, increasingly returning to the blues that inspired him initially.
In 1998], Rivers reactivated his Soul City imprint and released Last Train to Memphis, his first new studio album in 15 years.
In early 2000, Johnny recorded with Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, and Paul McCartney on a tribute album dedicated to Buddy Holly's backup band, "The Crickets".
In all, Rivers had 9 top ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and 17 in the top 40 from 1964 to 1977. In total, he has sold well over 25 million records.
Gypsy Wind
Johnny Rivers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From New Orleans down to Mexico
It reminds me of a girl I knew
And some of those crazy things we used to do
Backwoods bars where they play all night
We'd drink and dance 'til the mornin' light
When the sun came up, we'd be kissin' real slow
Oh, the moon shone down like a golden gem
On her long hair, wet from a midnight swin
She would always be wild, she would always be free
She'll always be mine in my memory
Late at night, when the warm winds blow
I sit and listen to the river flow
And it reminds me of a girl I knew
And some of those crazy things we used to do
Oh, times we laughed, times we cried
And so many times we said goodbye
She was more than a lover, more than a friend
Oh, I wonder if I'll ever see her again
When that Gypsy Wind starts to blow
From New Orleans down to Mexico
It reminds me of a girl I knew
And some of those crazy things we used to do
Oh, some of those crazy things we used to do
When that Gypsy Wind starts to blow
From New Orleans down to Mexico
It reminds me
of a time in the past where the singer connected with a free-spirited girl. The Gypsy Wind brings back memories of their adventurous times spent in backwoods bars, dancing until sunrise, and kissing under the moonlight. However, the singer is nostalgic for a time that has passed and is left wondering where those sweet times have gone. The memories of this girl are so vivid and strong that they are a part of the singer's identity and will always live on in his memory, even if he never sees her again.
Line by Line Meaning
When that Gypsy Wind starts to blow
The arrival of the Gypsy Wind from New Orleans to Mexico reminds the singer of the past and the girl he knew.
From New Orleans down to Mexico
The Gypsy Wind travels from New Orleans to Mexico, blowing memories along its path.
It reminds me of a girl I knew
The singer reminisces about a girl he knew and the moments they shared when the Gypsy Wind arrives.
And some of those crazy things we used to do
The singer recalls some of the crazy things he used to do with the girl he knew while the Gypsy Wind blows.
Backwoods bars where they play all night
The singer and the girl he knew used to visit bars that played music late into the night in rural areas.
We'd drink and dance 'til the mornin' light
The singer and the girl he knew would drink and dance all night until the morning light arrived.
When the sun came up, we'd be kissin' real slow
The singer and the girl he knew would kiss slowly as the sun rose after a night of drinking and dancing.
Makes me wonder, yeah, where did those sweet times go?
The memories of the sweet times he spent with the girl he knew made the singer wonder where those moments have gone.
Oh, the moon shone down like a golden gem
The moon shining down on the girl in the singer's memories was as radiant as a golden gem.
On her long hair, wet from a midnight swim
The girl in the singer's memories had long hair, which was wet from a midnight swim under the moonlight.
She would always be wild, she would always be free
The girl in the singer's memories was always wild and free-spirited, never conforming to societal norms.
She'll always be mine in my memory
The singer will always have the memories of the girl he knew to hold on to, even though she may not be physically present in his life.
Late at night, when the warm winds blow
When the warm winds blow at night, the singer likes to sit and reminisce on his past with the girl he knew.
I sit and listen to the river flow
When the singer thinks about the girl he knew, he likes to listen to the sound of the river flowing.
Oh, times we laughed, times we cried
The singer and the girl he knew shared moments of laughter and tears.
And so many times we said goodbye
The singer and the girl he knew said goodbye to each other countless times, each time unsure if they would see each other again.
She was more than a lover, more than a friend
The girl in the singer's memories was not just a lover or a friend but someone who held a special place in his heart.
Oh, I wonder if I'll ever see her again
The singer wonders if he will ever cross paths with the girl he knew again.
Oh, some of those crazy things we used to do
The singer recalls the crazy things he used to do with the girl he knew as the Gypsy Wind continues to blow.
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.