From:   "Dik de Heer"  
Date:  Fri Sep 13, 2002  1:19 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Johnny Restivo
 
JOHNNY RESTIVO

Born 13 September 1943, The Bronx, New York City, New York

In the late fifties, the popularity of teen idols such as Frankie Avalon
and Fabian encouraged record companies and agents to place physical
appeal above talent, the latter being a bonus rather than a necessity.
In the spring of 1959, New York music publishers Joe Csida and Charles
Grean of Burton Music, launched a talent hunt for an identikit teen idol,
a quest which ended when they chanced upon Johnny Restivo, a handsome
15 year old body builder of doubtful vocal ability. Csida and Grean took their
find to RCA where producer Lee Shapiro recorded Restivo at a split session
with another recent signing, Carole King. She cut "Short Mort", while
Restivo emoted on the aptly titled "The Shape I'm In", an Otis Blackwell
song, previously recorded by one Kenny Lee Martin on Decca. All the
musicians were seasoned New York session pros, except for the guitarist,
Carole King's friend Jerry Landis of Tom & Jerry, aka Paul Simon.
The record peaked at # 80 on the Billboard charts and was also released
in Europe, where it received a fair amount of airplay. Johnny recorded an
LP for RCA, but had no further hits. Apparently, one Top 100 hit can keep
you in showbusiness for almost 20 years. Take a look at the website
http://w1.570.telia.com/~u57009154/noti.htm
and marvel at the many countries where Restivo has been touring, only
interrupted by an Army stint in 1969-70. By 1978 he decided to call it a day
and Johnny has been concentrating on his business interests ("Rockland
Mattress") since then, now ready to retire.

"The Shape I'm In" is available on several compilations, including Vol. 6 of
The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll (Ace 650).
His debut LP has been reissued on CD by both RCA/BMG and South Bay.
The Bear Family LP "The Shape I'm In" (BFX 15171) has the same 12 songs
plus four previously unissued RCA recordings.