''Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go'' (shown as "''At Whisky-A-Go-Go''" on the original label) is a
live album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
and is the debut album from American rock and roll singer, songwriter and guitarist
Johnny Rivers
Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is a retired American musician. He achieved commercial success and popularity throughout the 1960s and 1970s as a singer and guitarist, characterized as a versatile and influential art ...
.
The album was released in February 1964, just as
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and the British music invasion was getting into full swing. Rivers was asked to open the
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...
nightclub in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
starting January 15, 1964 and during that run he recorded the album. With the help of producer
Lou Adler
Lester Louis Adler (born December 13, 1933) is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. Adler has produced and developed a number of high-profile musical artists, including The G ...
, Johnny helped introduce the "Go Go sound" to rock and roll. The album reached number 13 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, (number 12 on the Billboard 200) and became Johnny's first gold album. The album also gave Rivers his very first big hit, a cover version of
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
's 1959 hit " Memphis". Rivers's version went to number 2 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart in the summer of 1964, and stayed there for twelve weeks. It became his first gold single.
''Johnny Rivers at the Whisky à Go Go'' would be the first of five albums that Rivers would record live at the nightclub, and is not to be confused with ''Johnny Rivers Live at the Whisky à Go Go'', an entirely different album which was released in Germany.
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
) – 2:44
# "It Wouldn't Happen with Me" (Raymond Evans) – 3:30
# "
Oh Lonesome Me
"Oh Lonesome Me" is a popular song written and recorded in December 1957 by Don Gibson with Chet Atkins producing it for RCA Victor in Nashville. Released in 1958, the song topped the country chart for eight non-consecutive weeks. On what beca ...
" (
Don Gibson
Donald Eugene Gibson (April 3, 1928 – November 17, 2003) was an American songwriter and country musician. A Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Gibson wrote such country standards as " Sweet Dreams" and " I Can't Stop Loving You", and enjo ...
Lloyd Price
Lloyd Price (March 9, 1933May 3, 2021) was an American R&B and rock 'n' roll singer, known as "Mr. Personality", after his 1959 million-selling hit, "Personality (Lloyd Price song), Personality". His first recording, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", was a ...
) – 3:00
# "Whiskey a Go Go" (Johnny Rivers) – 3:57
# " Walking the Dog" (
Rufus Thomas
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Re ...
) – 3:51
# " Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (Berry) – 2:36
# "You Can Have Her (I Don't Want Her)" (Bill Cook) – 3:20
# "Multiplication" (
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performed Pop music, pop, Swing music, swing, Folk music, folk, rock and roll, and country music.
Darin started ...
) – 2:51
# "Medley: La Bamba" (Traditional; arranged by Johnny Rivers) / "
Twist and Shout
"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by The Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Broth ...
Bert Russell
Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include "Twist and Shout", "Piece ...
) – 6:22
Personnel
* Guitar: Tay Uhler, Johnny Rivers
* Bass:
Joe Osborn
Joe Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Eddie Rubin
* Piano:
Joe Sample
Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American jazz keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, whose name was shortened to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained a p ...