Johnnie & Joe

Johnnie Louise Richardson (June 29, 1935, Montgomery, Alabama – October 25, 1988, New York City) and Joe Rivers (March 20, 1937, Charleston, South Carolina – August 26, 2025, Suffern, New York) began singing together in 1957 and released several singles on Chess Records, which were leased from J & S Records, to whom the duo were under contract. Richardson was the daughter of the J & S label owner, Zelma "Zell" Sanders, who had been a touring member of The Hearts. Johnnie Richardson died of complications from a stroke in 1988. ==Discography==

Three of the songs hit the U.S. singles charts. "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea," written by Rex Garvin, went to #3 on the R&B chart and #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "I'll Be Spinning," written by Freddie Scott, went Top 10 R&B, both in 1957. "My Baby's Gone," a #15 R&B hit, was their last hit, although "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea" returned to the pop charts in 1960, peaking at #89 the second time around. ==References==