The Rivieras
| The Rivieras | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Playmates (1962-1963) Wildcat (2000-2010) |
| Origin | South Bend, Indiana, United States |
| Genres | Rock and roll, surf rock, garage rock |
| Years active | 1962–1966, 2000-2010 |
| Labels | Riviera, Columbia, Vogue Schallplatten |
| Website | http://rivieras.tripod.com/ |
| Past members | Marty Fortson (deceased) Paul Dennert Doug Gean Otto Nuss Joe Pennell (deceased) Jim Boal Willie Gaut Bill Dobslaw Terry McCoy Stanley "Chip" Baginski Jeff McKew |
| Let's Have A Party | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Studio album by The Rivieras | |
| Released | 1964 |
| Label | U.S.A. 102 |
| Campus Party | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Studio album by The Rivieras | |
| Released | 1965 |
| Label | Riviera |
The Rivieras were an American rock and roll group, who formed in the early 1960s in South Bend, Indiana, United States. They are best known for their hit "California Sun", written by Henry Glover. Despite their background as land-locked Midwesterners, they popularized their own variety of surf music, with a unique organ-lead sound. The band was also notable for being one of the last American rock and roll bands to top the charts before the British Invasion. After various line-up changes, the band folded in 1966. Since then, there have been various reunions.
The Rivieras were made up of teenagers from South Bend Central High School. (This group should not be confused with the Coed Records East Coast rhythm & blues group of the same name who had hits in the late 50s and the early 60s.) Originally called the Playmates, they were forced to change their names as there was already a group playing under that name. They decided to rename themselves after the Buick Riviera.
The Rivieras were one of the many groups in America that became part of the "frat rock" movement in the early 1960s. The group had their greatest hit in 1964 with "California Sun", which reached No. 5 on the main US pop music chart. In fact, "California Sun" was one of the last pure American rock-and-roll songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart before the "British Invasion", reaching its peak chart position the same week as the Beatles topped the chart with "I Want to Hold Your Hand".
In addition to their one hit, the Rivieras scored three more songs in 1964 that dipped into the Billboard Hot 100: "Let's Have a Party" (#99), "Little Donna" (#93) and "Rockin' Robin" (#96). Also that year, their debut album, Let's Have a Party, peaked at No. 115 on the Billboard 200.
...
Wikipedia