JOHNNY RIVERS - ROCKIN' PNEUMONIA AND THE BOOGIE WOOGIE FLU - L.A. Reggae (1972) HiDef :: SOTW #30

Bergo '45 Song of the Week #30 - Devon's Pick for 1/26/14:
http://www.bergo45.com
"Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu" by Johnny Rivers off the album L.A. Reggae (1972)
United Artists Records

"This song was written and originally recorded
by that grinning goofball Huey 'Piano' Smith
(I mean that affectionately).

And Johnny Rivers did quite a few covers in his time,
basically making a career out of it. But...

...but with a final result like this,
rendered so artfully, so expertly,
you breathe new life into a song.
And you give cover artists a good name.

This is surely one of the great remakes."

Devon Beuschel

This is a weekly dive into the musical mind of Bergo '45. Each week, a new song is chosen by a different member of the band. Check out the playlist to see all of the past selections. Take a chair, grab a towel and give it a listen....


Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella; November 7, 1942) is an American rock 'n' roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. His repertoire includes pop, folk, blues, and old-time rock 'n' roll. Rivers charted during the 1960s and 1970s but remains best known for a string of hit singles between 1964 and 1968, among them "Memphis" (a Chuck Berry cover), "Mountain of Love", "The Seventh Son", "Secret Agent Man", "Poor Side of Town" (a US #1), "Baby I Need Your Lovin'" (a Motown cover), and "Summer Rain".

"Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" is a song written and originally recorded by Huey 'Piano' Smith in 1957, who scored a minor hit with the song (No. 52 Billboard).

1972 saw the song as an international hit single for Johnny Rivers with instrumental backing from L.A. sessions musicians from the Wrecking Crew. "Rockin' Pneumonia" reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 during the winter of 1973. It was only Rivers' fifth highest charting song, but spent much longer on the chart (19 weeks) than any of his two dozen hits to that date. On the U.S. Cash Box Top 100 the song peaked at number five, and in Canada it reached number three.

Rivers' cover of "Rockin' Pneumonia" became his third Gold record. His last Gold record would be five years later with the 1977 hit, "Swayin' to the Music (Slow Dancing)."


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