Johnny Rivers and the Louisiana musical influence

Always enjoy the chance to see him when he plays Jazz Fest or anywhere in the area.
Maybe it’s his Baton Rouge influence but his music always seemed to have a unique soul to it that I found especially appealing.

From Wikipedia:
“Rivers was born as John Henry Ramistella in New York City, of Italian ancestry. His family moved from New York to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Influenced by the distinctive Louisiana musical style, Rivers began playing guitar at age eight, taught by his father and uncle. While still in junior high school, he started sitting in with a band called the Rockets, led by Dick Holler, who later wrote a number of hit songs, including "Abraham, Martin and John" and the novelty song, "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron".

Ramistella formed his own band, the Spades, and made his first record at 14, while he was a student at Baton Rouge High School. Some of their music was recorded on the Suede label as early as 1956.

On a trip to New York City in 1958, Ramistella met Alan Freed, who advised him to change his name to "Johnny Rivers" after the Mississippi River, which flows through Baton Rouge.”

One of my favorites
The Poor Side of Town