Happy Birthday Johnny, Joni and Nick!

Born on this date, November 7:

Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella) — 1942, NYC. Best known for “Secret Agent Man,” we dug up this cover of Al Wilson’s “The Snake” with some groovy go-go dancers in the background.

Joni Mitchell (born Roberta Joan Anderson) — 1943, Alberta Canada. Arguably one of the greatest songwriters ever, Mitchell played a huge part in the folk rock movement of the ’60s. Enjoy two performances of “Woodstock”, a song she wrote in 1969 from what she had heard from then-boyfriend, Graham Nash, about the festival. (She had not been there herself.)

Nick Gilder — 1951, London, England. Memories (for me) of high school in Florida. Enjoy this 1978 video of “Hot Child in the City” from Top of the Pops 2, with all sorts of “Pop-Up Video”-style trivia.