I don’t know if this has been mentioned in this space, but Johnny Rivers has to be included in any “cover versions” thread. The guy took several songs that had previously been hits and made his own recordings, most of which were bigger hits by him than by the original artist. “Maybelline”, “Memphis”, “Baby I Need Your Lovin”, “The Tracks of My Tears” - all huge hits for him. He failed to top the success of the song’s originator when he covered some little-known tune called “Help Me, Rhonda”...
Great choice! Big fan of Johnny Rivers, and was fortunate enough to see him play live in Boston, summer of either '98 or '99. Not getting into whether Johnny's covers were "better" than the originals, but quite a few others alongside the ones you mentioned did eclipse the originals in terms of sales and visibility, where people know or knew Johnny's cover more than the original. Off the top of my head, "Seventh Son", "Rockin Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" (GREAT piano licks on that one, I believe it was Larry Knechtel?), and "Swayin To The Music (Slow Dancin) in the later 70's. And of course "Mountain Of Love", Harold Dorman's old hit which Johnny made top 10 in '64. Someone may have addressed this, but I wonder if the Beach Boys Party! cover of that song was influenced more by Johnny's cover hit in '64 than Dorman's original.
Great records. And Johnny basically got the Whiskey A Go Go off the ground, I think he was the first resident artist there who packed that place every night when it was starting out, hence the live album that was big too. Lot of those with Joe Osborn playing bass after his gig with Ricky Nelson, they were friends in Louisiana I think.
I was not familiar with Harold Dorman's original when I head it on a compilation. What a mess.
Harold Dorfman or whatever, has No groove at all on that record.
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