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Johnny Rivers and That Secret Agent Man

    Hey, everyone. In any generation, the number of truly outstanding entertainers can be counted on the fingers of one hand. For instance, how many people can boast of ten or twelve really great songs? You know, top forty or top ten songs. For this reason and more, I think Johnny Rivers has never gotten his due. If you don't know his music head over to I-Tunes and grab some. I believe the dude was from California but he sounded like he was from the deep south. (Sounds like Credence Clearwater Revival in that regard)
     A few years ago, my wife and I drove to Cherokee, North Carolina and saw Johnny in concert. He was appearing at a Casino there, Harrah's, I believe. His warm-up band was an Elvis imitator who specialized in the young Elvis, pre-sequined suits. I don't remember the guy's name, which probably speaks well of his impersonation. At any rate, he was quite good. I think his name was Travis something.
    When Johnny Rivers came on I was having a huge time. He played Slow Dancing, Memphis, Maybeline, Tracks of My Tears, The Seventh Son, Poor Side of Town, Midnight Special, Mountain of Love, Baby I Need Your Lovin'  and my personal favorite, Rockin Pneumonia and the Boogie-Woogie Flu.
    But there was this guy that was sitting in front of us that was really funny. He had his wife with him. I know he was drunk and his wife must have been because she didn't seem too embarrassed. This guy kept trying to get Johnny to play Secret Agent Man. It's a great song and I like it. At one time it was the theme song for a TV show about spies. I'd watch the show just to hear the song. It has some terrific guitar riffs in it.
This drunk guy kept hollering at Johnny between songs.
    "Come on, man. Play Secret Agent Man! Hey, you lead a life of danger!" He had this pleading, plaintive voice. My wife and I, along with most of the audience, was laughing out loud at this guy. He was a lot of fun.
    It didn't bother Johnny, but he didn't play the song. He finished the concert and came back out for the encore. I'm sitting there thinking, "He'll play the song for the drunk." He played two or three songs and the drunk's whining.
    "Secret Agent Man, you lead a life of danger." Sure enough, the last song of the night is Secret Agent Man. It was a fun night and that guy had a really good wife. She didn't get embarrassed at all. And hey, Johnny, wherever you are, we love you, baby.
    From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
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