Creedence Clearwater Revival (music group)

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) was an American rock band active from 1967 to 1972. Founded principally by singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Fogerty, the band played a blend of rock, blues, country, and pop. Over its relatively short life, CCR made seven albums and created numerous hit songs, such as "Bad Moon Rising," "Fortunate Son," and "Born on the Bayou." After the band broke up, Fogerty went on to enjoy a successful solo career.

History of the Band

The history of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) dates back to 1959, when teenaged guitarist John Fogerty formed an instrumental rock and roll cover band with bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford in El Cerrito, California, near San Francisco. Calling themselves the Blue Velvets, the trio played the music of their contemporary musical idols. These included the rock instrumental band the Ventures, rock guitarist Duane Eddy, and rock drummer Sandy Nelson.

Meanwhile, Fogerty's older brother Tom had been playing rhythm guitar in a rock band of his own, without much commercial success. Searching for a fresh opportunity, Tom joined his brother in the Blue Velvets, becoming its lead singer and guitarist, and the quartet began writing and performing their own songs around the San Francisco Bay area. The band eventually signed a recording deal with the small record label Orchestra Records, releasing three singles between October 1961 and June 1962. These did not receive much attention.

In 1964, however, on the strength of a demo recording the group had made, CCR landed a recording contract with the much larger Fantasy Records. This label possessed the power of a national audience, and by midyear, the group had released its first single with Fantasy, "Don't Tell Me No Lies."

Unbeknownst to the band, however, the label had changed the group's name on the single to the Golliwogs. Fantasy's executives argued that this name sounded more British and would therefore attract more attention in these prime years of the British Invasion, which saw numerous British rock bands become highly popular in the United States. However, the Golliwogs garnered little more public attention than the Blue Velvets had, and by 1967 the band had begun an unofficial hiatus, as Clifford joined the Coast Guard and Fogerty was drafted into the Army Reserves.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Emerges

Fogerty and Clifford returned home in 1967, and Fogerty immediately set about revitalizing the band. He changed its name from the Golliwogs to Creedence Clearwater Revival and took over for his brother as lead singer and guitarist and became the band's primary songwriter. Under a new public identity, the quartet recorded a cover of the Dale Hawkins rock song "Susie Q." The band eventually released this as a single from its first official album with Fantasy Records, the self-titled Creedence Clearwater Revival, in 1968. The song became a massive hit for the band, and CCR's success quickly rose from that point.

Fogerty then began writing songs faster than ever before, and in 1969 CCR released its next three albums. Its sophomore effort, Bayou Country, made the group one of the most popular rock bands in the United States. The album's two most celebrated songs were "Proud Mary" and "Born on the Bayou." These tracks quickly became top forty radio hits, earning the band even more national attention.

In August 1969, seven months after the January release of Bayou Country, CCR released Green River. Another instant hit for the band, this album produced the popular radio singles "Bad Moon Rising," "Green River," and "Lodi." Much of the press the band was now receiving was directed toward Fogerty, who had been writing nearly every song on each album. He was praised as a visionary, an important member of a rising generation of songwriters.

CCR's rapid rise to stardom by this point in 1969 had earned the band an invitation to play at the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, New York, in mid-August of that year. This notable appearance greatly increased CCR's stature among audiences. The band finished 1969 with the release of its fourth album, Willy and the Poor Boys, which produced two more hit singles, "Down on the Corner" and "Fortunate Son."

In 1970, CCR released its fifth album, Cosmo's Factory, which some in the media claimed was the band's greatest effort to date. It generated numerous well-received singles, such as "Travelin' Band," "Up Around the Bend," "Run Through the Jungle," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Despite this great critical and commercial success, however, internal discord had already begun driving the four musicians, particularly the Fogerty brothers, apart. The early 1970s would ultimately see the band's demise.

Decline and Breakup

By 1970, Fogerty's central role as singer and songwriter for CCR had embittered his brother Tom. Once Fogerty had succeeded with his early songs, he commandeered the band's artistic direction, allowing no one else to write or sing new songs. In December 1970, CCR released Pendulum, which sold extremely well and produced the singles "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" and "Hey Tonight." One month later, in January 1971, Tom left the band, angry over his brother's domineering ways.

It would not be until 1972 that CCR—now a trio of Fogerty, Cook, and Clifford—would release what became its final album, Mardi Gras. Tom's departure had left Fogerty jaded, and on this album he relented from his controlling habits and allowed Cook and Clifford to write, sing, and produce the songs. The result, however, was largely a failure. Though the songs "Someday Never Comes" and "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" became moderately received singles, the album as a whole was derided as a creative debacle and sold poorly.

Recognizing the band's position, Fogerty disbanded Creedence Clearwater Revival in October 1972. Fantasy Records later released several additional albums of CCR material, including a live concert recorded in 1970 in Oakland, California. Fogerty later began a solo music career, while his brother Tom died of AIDS complications in 1990 at age forty-eight.

Bibliography

"Creedence Clearwater Revival Biography." Rock and Rock Hall of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. https://rockhall.com/inductees/creedence-clearwater-revival/bio/

"Creedence Clearwater Revival Biography." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/creedence-clearwater-revival/biography

"Creedence Clearwater Revival Discography." AllMusic. All Media Network, LLC. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/creedence-clearwater-revival-mn0000131627/discography

Lifton, Dave. "The History of Tom Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival." Ultimate Classic Rock. Ultimate Classic Rock. 6 Sept. 2015. Web. 18 Dec. 2015. http://ultimateclassicrock.com/tom-fogerty-history/