Johnny Rivera was born in New York, USA of parents of Puerto Rican origin, from Ciales, Puerto Rico. He grew up in the South Bronx.

Upon completion of high school, Rivera decided to return to Puerto Rico with his family. Once there, he began singing with a local group. Inspired by his uncle Adalberto Santiago, Rivera began to show more interest in Latin music and the salsa sound.

Rivera returned to New York at the age of 20 and began working with Johnny Colon's workshop ban at the East Harlem Music School. He continued to study and improve his singing technique and before long he joined forces with Adalberto's band, which led him to record his first album, "Noche Caliente, Vol. II".

Fine-tuning his talents, Rivera was offered the opportunity to record with a young up and coming band, "Grupo Fascinacion". This led to a four yearlong association. During the years that Rivera worked with "Grupo Fascinacion", he recorded three additional albums.

Later, Rivera got the chance to join "Conjunto Clasico" as a featured singer with the band. He recorded two albums with "Clasico" before departing for a solo career.

Rivera went on to an exclusive RMM recording artist. His debut album. Ahora De Verdad was recorded in Puerto Rico and New York, produced and arranged by Sergio George. It contains the Frankie Valli hit "My Eyes Adored You" in English and the hit son "Necesito Una Amiga".

Rivera, the creator of the popular salsa versions of "Esa Chica Es Mia" and "Como Fui A Enamorarme De Ti", recorded his second album for RMM Records titled Encuentro Casual. The first single from this album titled "Te Regalare" became a smash hit upon its release.

In 1993, RMM Records launched Rivera's third album, Cuando Parara La Lluvia, which has three hit singles to its credit: "Cuando Parara La Lluvia", "Por Eso Esta Conmigo", and "Voy a Conquistar Tu Amor". This album became platinum shortly after its release, and enjoyed worldwide acclaim.

As a member of the RMM family, Rivera has participated in the two "Combinacion Perfecta" concerts produced annually by RMM Records. These first two concerts, produced at Madison Square Garden in New York City, featured Rivera singing a duet with Ray Sepulveda entitled "No Vale La Pena". This single is included in the "Combinacion Perfecta", compilation, and its popularity has contributed to the success that this live recording has become.

At the start of 1995, the RMM family and the "Combinacion Perfecta" production included Rivera in its worldwide tour. He performed for 300,000 fans in the cities of Bogota, Medellin, Cali, and Baranquilla during the tour's production in Colombia. He also participated in the prestigious MIDEM convention in Cannes, France, in addition to performing in Paris. Rivera concluded his tour in Los Angeles at the annual Radio y Musica convention. ~ Music of Puerto Rico