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Release History:

Members:

1960’s Berkeley, California was the birthplace of psychedelic music. But it was also the home of the “swamp pop” sound of the Fogerty brothers. Tom Fogerty started a band called the Blue Velvets with two high school friends, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, and recruited his younger brother John. Their songs focused on themes of good times and having fun, but they also touched on the serious subjects of the working class. They gigged regularly in the Bay area.

 

They signed with Fantasy Records in 1973, and were asked by the label to change their name to The Golliwogs – it sounded more British, and this was the heyday of post-Beatles Beatlemania. John became lead vocalist and started penning most of the band’s songs. They finally renamed themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival – a name for applicable to their American sound.

 

After John and Doug came back from Army duty, the band polished their country-rock sound. Their 1968 debut album featured the hits "Suzy Q" and "I Put a Spell on You," followed by a string of singles such as “Proud Mary,” a song that would be covered by artists as diverse as Ike and Tina Turner, Elvis Presley and even Leonard Nimoy.

 

Even though he was born and bred in the northwest, John Fogarty was brought up with the music of the American south - Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and the old Sun Records label roster. This southern mythology would demonstrate itself in Fogarty’s writing and persona, and would deeply influence the CCR sound. The band played major festivals during the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s, including a performance at Woodstock that John was very critical of. He felt the sound was faulty and the late-night performance anti-climatic (they followed a very mellow Grateful Dead set), and he never allowed the appearance to be released on either album or film.

 

Tom Fogerty, frustrated with his brother’s control issues, quit the band in 1971 to spend more time with his family. John tried to address his overbearing attitude by letting the rhythm section have more input on their 1972 release, Mardi Gras – an album that was both a critical and sales disappointment. Creedence Clearwater Revival called it quits that same year.

 

John’s next project was the bluegrass/country rock outing, the Blue Ridge Rangers. His self-titled solo album, where he played all the instruments, came out in 1975. It wasn’t until 1984 that Fogerty would release another album, the successful Centerfield. The popularity of the title single, and his first tour in fourteen years, brought him back to popularity.

 

In 1990, Tom Fogerty died of respiratory failure after a long bout with tuberculosis. Stu Cook and Doug Clifford went out on tour as Clearwater Revisited, playing the original hits, and earning the litigious wrath of John Fogarty. In 1993, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, earning them a permanent place in the annals of rock history.