Johnny Rivers began his career thinking he would only be able to find work behind the scenes as a songwriter, until the surprise success of his take on Chuck Berry’s “Memphis,” recorded live at Los Angeles’ Whisky a Go Go. The Baton Rouge native tapped more vintage rock ’n’ roll with Southern flair, like “Maybellene,” “The Midnight Special,” and “Seventh Son,” to revitalize with his familiar, pop-inflected flair. He became a fixture of the pop charts, especially after he recorded “Secret Agent Man,” the surf-rock theme to the spy series Danger Man. His biggest hit was an uncharacteristically melancholy original composition, “The Poor Side of Town,” which reached the top spot on the Hot 100. Rivers’ influence was ultimately felt behind the scenes as well: He founded Soul City Records, which signed the crossover pop group The 5th Dimension and gave legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb some of his first major credits, including “Carpet Man” and “Paper Cup.”