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.
Walking the Dog
Johnny Rivers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, back, dressed in black
Silver buttons all down her back
High hose, gypsy toes
She broke the needle and she can sew.
Walking the dog, oh, walking the dog
I'll show you how to walk the dog.
I asked her mother for fifteen cents
I see you ever been jumped the fence
I jumped so high, hit the skies
Didn't get back 'til a quarter to five.
Walking the dog, yeah, walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog.
Tell me, Mary, what's your twelve ?
How do your garden grow ?
What with silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row ?
Walking the dog, oh, walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog.
I asked her mother for fifteen cents
I see you ever been jumped the fence
I jumped so high, hit the skies
Didn't get back 'til a quarter to five.
Walking the dog, oh, walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog.
I'm just-a walking
……….
The lyrics to Johnny Rivers's "Walking the Dog" tell the story of a girl named Thomas or "Baby" and her unique style. The first four lines describe her appearance: she is wearing black, has silver buttons down the back of her clothing, high stockings, and "gypsy toes." The line "she broke the needle and she can sew" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the girl's resilience or flexibility. She can adapt to difficult situations and still be capable of taking care of business.
The song then shifts to the chorus, with Rivers singing, "Walking the dog, oh, walking the dog. If you don't know how to do it, I'll show you how to walk the dog." This is a call to action, urging listeners to follow along and learn the steps to the "dog walk" dance. The second verse begins with Rivers asking Thomas's mother for fifteen cents and asking if "you ever been jumped the fence." This line suggests that there may be a history of rebellion or mischief surrounding the girl, and that she may have a bit of a wild side.
The third verse then takes a sudden turn, with Rivers asking Thomas about her garden and referencing the classic nursery rhyme "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary." This verse could be interpreted as a playful nod to Thomas's innocence or naïveté, and a teasing reminder that even those who seem pure and innocent can still have an unexpected side. The third and final chorus is a repeat of the first, ending with Rivers repeating the line "I'm just-a walking".
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, back, dressed in black
Referring to a girl’s attire – black dress, black stockings, and black shoes.
Silver buttons all down her back
The back of her dress had silver buttons sewn on it to give it a unique charm.
High hose, gypsy toes
Describes the fashion of high socks and shoes that gave off an unconventional, bohemian vibe.
She broke the needle and she can sew.
Her needle broke while sewing, but she was skilled enough to fix it herself.
Walking the dog, oh, walking the dog
Referring to a dance move anyone can do, and he’d show you how to do it.
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog.
I’ll teach you to do the walking the dog dance move if you don’t already know how to do it.
I asked her mother for fifteen cents
Asking for some change from the girl's mother.
I see you ever been jumped the fence
Asking if she has ever snuck out of the house to meet boys.
I jumped so high, hit the skies
Didn't get back 'til a quarter to five.
He snuck out to meet the girl and returned home very late.
Tell me, Mary, what's your twelve ?
Asking what time it is.
How do your garden grow ?What with silver bells and cockle shellsAnd pretty maids all in a row ?
Asking a nursery rhyme - how is your garden doing with silver bells and cockle shells and pretty rows of flowers?
I'm just-a walking
He is just walking around.
Contributed by Madison B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@arturogonzales1800
Wou, excelente súper versión, muchas gracias por la música, muchas gracias JOHNNY RIVERS 👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍😉
@shirleydunbar6970
Johnny Rivers can sing anything and I would love it thanks for posting
@evanhodge8915
Great music from a great rocker Johnny.
@robertrincon7192
Rock and roll hall of Fame now!!
@haroldgillette7157
I swear I've played this Johnny Rivers rendition of the Rufus' song,over and over and over and ....
@arthurgamez9436
I remember the Whiskey au go go good times👍😁
@hansgrader2618
i was there in 1965 in la
@michaelappelberg6875
I’ve got the whiskey agogo albums Johnny Rivers sings to a bunch of drunk crazy people if he got any proceeds from the whiskey sales he made a fortune his music will make you want to party
@Harpplayer504
I agree,this is music, gotta love it.
@rubyred93chev
He was being paid $350 a week for being the headliner at the Whisky starting in January '64. Honestly his star was rising so fast by this point, that I'm sure his album sales and singles made him very wealthy long before his 22nd birthday!