Tuesday, May 28, 2002 1:39:22 AM
Rock 'n' Roll Artists A-Z...Re: Creedence Clearwater Revival
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~petkasi/ccr-jcf/
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/4242/
http://www.mattsmusicpage.com/ncreede.htm
http://www.rockmagic.net/guitar-tabs/creedence-clearwater-revival/
History
Pre-Creedence Years (1959-1967)
Based partly on the highlights of the book Rocking All Over The World by Peter Koers. For the complete Creedence Clearwater Revival biography, we encourage you to obtain the book.
Though generally bracketed with the post-psychedelic wave of San Franciscan groups, Creedence Clearwater Revival boasted one of the region's longest pedigrees. Formed in El Cerrito, a suburb in San Francisco Bay Area, this accomplished quartet of
John Fogerty (b. 28 May 1945, Berkeley, California, USA; vocals, lead guitar),
Tom Fogerty (b. 9 November 1941, Berkeley, California, USA, d. 6 September 1990; rhythm guitar, vocals),
Stu Cook (b. 25 April 1945, Oakland, California, USA and
Doug Clifford (b. 24 April 1945, Palo Alto, California, USA; drums)
began performing together in 1959 while attending Portola junior high-school. Initially known as Blue Velvets, the group started as a trio with Fogerty on guitar, Clifford on drums and Cook on piano. John's older brother Tom was added in November 1959 and the original cast of later Creedence Clearwater Revival was born.
Under the new name Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets, the quartet changed into a vocal band, became a popular attraction in El Cerrito and as such completed three singles for a local independent outlet of Orchestra. The second 45RPM, "Have You Ever Been Lonely"/"Bonita", was a local hit.
The group developed its unique sounds by listening to records of such Delta bluesmen as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, plus such early rock artists as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry. Young John Fogerty was also inspired by Duane Eddy, Ray Charles, and Booker T & the MGs.
By his mid-teens, John Fogerty could play guitar, dobro, piano, organ, tenor saxophone, harmonica, drums, and several other instruements. He also had a good voice from the start of the group and contributed original compositions throughout the band's career. Similarly, Tom taught himself to play almost as many instruments as his brother, but his main instrument remained rhythm guitar.
The Golliwogs
In 1963, John Fogerty became a packing and shipping clerk at Berkeley located Fantasy Records. Next year the group auditioned for Fantasy as an instrumental band. Fantasy's Weiss brothers signed them but encouraged their UK style beat music rather than their instrumentals.
Weiss printed the name for their debut single as the Golliwogs to make them sound British. The band disliked but accepted the name as a precondition to their recording deal. The foursome was never happy with the appellation, nor the blond wigs they were sometimes required to wear.
Tom Fogerty dominated early releases, but in late 1965 and early 1966 his younger brother decided to took over the vocals. By 1967, John Fogerty was wresting control of the group.
The series of the singles released by Golliwogs included Beatles-influenced "Don't Tell Me No Lies", "Where You Been", "You Can't Be True", "Brown Eyed Girl" (biggest Golliwogs seller, selling 10,000 copies around Northern California), "Fight Fire" and "Walking On The Water". All were released between November 1964 and November 1967.
The one and only album of the Golliwogs, a compilation of their A and B sides, was released a decade later in 1975. Musically, the Golliwogs recordings were heavily influenced by several British Invasion bands, particularly the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Kinks.
In 1966 John and Doug were drafted into the army. After both members back from service in 1967, they cut "Porterville" that made some inroads with the audience, but didn't make charts, althought they had developed a defined, original sound.
During the year, Fantasy was bought by one of its employees, Saul Zaentz. Looking over his company's catalogue, he was impressed by the Golliwog's recordings. This resulted in discussions that led the group turning fully professional in December 1967 and in doing so became known as Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968-1972)
The late 60's and early 70's saw the rise of complex progressive rock, proto heavy metal and gum pop. Creedence Clearwater Revival was out of these mainstreams. They cut a series of classic three-minute songs featuring singer-songwriter John Fogerty's growling vocals. Their music was economical, straightforward rock and roll. They were the most successful and exhilarating band in the United States during that era.
After adapting the new name Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Fogerty brothers, Cook, and Clifford spent weeks rehearsing their new, tougher sound. In June 1968 Fantasy launched their first album "Creedence Clearwater Revival", and a single, "Suzy Q (Parts 1 & 2)", based on a decade old rock standard by Dale Hawkins.
Despite criticism from various sources, most notably from Rolling Stone magazine, the album earned a gold record status by the end of the year. The pseudo psychedelic rock and roll LP has well stood the test of time, and today it's regarded as one of the most promising debut LPs in the history of rock. The single peaked on the 11th position in the US.
The recordings helped bring engagements in more prestigious rock venues, for instance in the summer of 1968 at Bill Graham's Fillmore West. Extended versions of their early songs peppered their gigs on these early days.
Creedence's second single, Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You", made the charts briefly, and disappeared. Then came the beginning of the year 1969 and their second album, "Bayou Country," with a single "Proud Mary"/"Born On The Bayou". The album introduced the mixture of Southern US creole styles, rhythm & blues and rockabilly with tight and economical touch defining the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival during their late 60's-early 70's hey-day. The single about a Mississippi river boat was their international breakthrough, making number 2 in the US and 8 in the UK. With his writing of "Proud Mary", John Fogerty became one of rock's foremost composers and lyricists.
The achievement of "Proud Mary" was followed by three 1969 gold-record hits: "Bad Moon Rising"/"Lodi", "Green River"/"Commotion" and "Down On The Corner"/"Fortunate Son". In fall, they released their third album "Green River" and right after that the fourth one, "Willy & The Poorboys". The latter album marked an expansion of John Fogerty's themes from material with a Missisippi Delta flavor to social commentary on such topics as nuclear holocaust ("Effigy"), and political and military pressures ("Fortunate Son").
In 1969 Rolling Stone named Creedence the Best American Band and Billboard reported they were the Top Singles Artists of 1969. The band could easily fill the largest available auditoriums for concert after concert. In August, they performed on the 2nd highest bill at the Woodstock rock festival.
CCR started 1970 with another gold single, "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop The Rain". In April, the next gold 45 "Up Around The Bend" came out. The spring also saw their first European tour.
After returning home, their fifth album "Cosmo's Factory" moved to stores in July 1970. The LP was an immediate success, both in artistic and commercial terms. It went to the #1 position in several countries, including USA, UK and Finland.
Creedence closed out 1970 with the release of another best-selling album, albeit a critical failure, "Pendulum". By the beginning of 1971, Creedence was beginning to run out of new worlds to conquer and a certain restlessness set in among the members. Even as the single "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"/"Hey Tonight" moved toward becoming the group's eighth gold-record, rumours said that changes were impending.
Besides doing lead vocals and lead guitar, John Fogerty wrote all of their own songs and arranged and produced each cut before the "Mardi Gras" album. He also managed the band. Rest of the group demanded more voice in artistic and financial issues. With several gold records on their credit and a successful musical formula in his hands, Fogerty didn't believe the new division of labour would be advantageous for the band and declined.
In February 1971, Tom Fogerty announced his departure from the band to work as a solo artist. The remaining group continued to work as a trio. The first single of reorganized CCR, "Sweet Hitchhiker" came out in July. The band's major tour of the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan began in July and met with a reasonably good reception.
On their seventh and last studio album, "Mardi Gras", Stu Cook and Doug Clifford wrote two thirds of the album's songs. In October 1972, Creedence Clearwater Revival was officially disbanded.
After the break-up, John Fogerty ended up to legal and contractual disputes with his label, Fantasy Records. In mid-70's he managed to work out a deal allowing him a release from his contract with the label. Perhaps due to legal disputes, John Fogerty has released only five studio albums during his solo career.
Tom Fogerty continued his solo career without major commercial success. He died of AIDS on September 6th, 1990.
The rhythm section of the group, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, followed pursuits independently and together in Don Harrison Band, Southern Pacific, and Sir Douglas Quintet. In 1995, they comprised a band called Creedence Clearwater Revisited. With three additional musicians, they tour the world and perform the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The post-disband performances of Creedence Clearwater Revival have been extremely rare. They all gathered together in the recording sessions of the "Zephyr National" album of Tom Fogerty in 1974. They also did two on-off performances together in Tom Fogerty's wedding in 1979 and their high school party in 1983. A decade later, Creedence Clearwater Revival was nominated in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. However, John Fogerty didn't play with his former bandmates in the festivities. In this light, the reunion of the band in the near future seems unlikely.
John Fogerty Solo Career (1972-)
After the disband of Creedence Clearwater Revival in October 1972 and the dispute with his label, Fantasy, soon after, John Fogerty became embroiled in legal battles that he said severely restricted his ability to continue his songwriting and performing career. During 1975-1984, and 1986-1996 as well, he did not have a new album in circulation, and the audience speculated whether John Fogerty has retired the music business for good.
In 1972, Fogerty began a solo project in which he recorded all the instruments and vocals under the pseudonym Blue Ridge Rangers. The material comprised country and gospel. It provided two hit singles in 1973: remakes of Hank Williams' country "Jambalaya" and Otis Williams and the Charms' doowop "Hearts of Stone".
Before the year was out, Fogerty had become upset about many aspects of his affiliation with Fantasy. He charged that the company hadn't promoted his solo album properly and had other objections about matters such as distribution and royalties. He demanded a release from his contract, but Fantasy had the rights for eight more albums from him. He refused to record new material and things remained unsolved until David Geffen and Asylum Records worked out a reported $1 million deal with Fantasy allowing Fogerty to record on Asylum with Fantasy retaining overseas rights while Asylum had US and Canadian rights. That did not void other legal battles, including one Fogerty and his old band mates eventually filed against their accounting firm, claiming it had not properly protected their investments.
Fogerty then went back into the studios and turned out a new solo album, "John Fogerty", that was a critically acclaimed work but a commercial failure. Among its tracks were such classic songs as "Rockin' All Over The World" and "Almost Saturday Night". However, the psychological trauma of continued legal skirmishing caught up with Fogerty and his efforts to assemble new material for a follow-up album were so far below his standards that Asylum cautioned against releasing them. The prospective third album, "Hoodoo", was never issued. Fogerty decided it would be best to wait until his legal problems were resolved before trying to pick up his career full-tilt again.
It turned to be a long wait, a hiatus that took almost a decade. In 1984, Fogerty began working up tracks for his comeback album, issued by Warner Brothers at the beginning of 1985. Titled "Centerfield", the comeback album proved a sensation with both critics and record buyers. It provided a hit single "The Old Man Down The Road," while the album itself became a #1 chart hit in the US.
The album also included hard-driving rocker "Mr. Greed" and experimental "Zantz Kan't Danz" which seemed to be personal attacks against Saul Zaentz, head of Fantasy Records. Zaentz responded with a $142 million lawsuit claiming he had been slandered in "Centerfield" and in the statements Fogerty had made in interviews. Fantasy also filed another suit claiming it was entitled to profits from the single "The Old Man Down The Road," stating the piece plagiarised a song Fogerty wrote for Creedence, "Run Through The Jungle". In 1995 Fogerty emerged not guilty.
In September 1986, Fogerty launched a second Warner Brothers album, "Eye Of The Zombie", which failed to scale the heights of its predecessor. He also committed his first US tour in 14 years, but refused to include any Creedence songs in the set list.
After mid-80's, Fogerty maintained a lower profile. The highlight of the era was his performance on the concert for Vietnam veterans in 1987, in which he did Creedence songs on stage for the first time since 1972.
Fogerty returned in 1997 with a release of his fifth solo album, the Grammy winning and critically acclaimed "Blue Moon Swamp". It was followed by a tour in USA and Scandinavia, several appearances in the media and finally a live album, "Premonition".
Tom Fogerty Solo Career
In Novemeber 1970, Tom Fogerty fed up with the dominant role of his younger brother in Creedence Clearwater Revival and left for a solo career. He initially participated in an informal group which included guitarist Jerry Garcia and organist Merle Saunders, before completing four moderately succesfull albums.
His first solo effort, "Tom Fogerty", peaked at #78 in the US, and the third one, "Zephyr National", is generally regarded as his best collection. Released in 1974, the album features the last time when all the CCR members play together in the studio.
Tom Fogerty then formed a new band, Ruby, around Randy Oda (guitar/keyboards), Anthony Davis (bass) and Bobby Cochran (drums). The group recorded three albums, the last of which was preceded by Tom's final solo set, "Deal It Out". Fogerty moved to Flagstaff, Arizona during the mid 80's. He died of AIDS in September 1990.
Post-Creedence Careers of Stu Cook & Doug Clifford
Original bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford played in various bands since the disband of Creedence Clearwater Revival but without major commercial success. Their main projects included Sir Douglas Quintet, and Don Harrison Band in the 70's. and Cook played in Southern Pacific in late 80's. In 1972, Clifford released his one and only solo album, "Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford".
In 1995, Cook and Clifford comprised a band named Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Added by three other musicians, they have performed Creedence songs and committed succesful world tours. John Fogerty wasn't involved with the band. In 1998, they released their first album, "Recollection", which was recorded live in late 1997.
The Blue Velvets (1958 - 1959)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano - b. May 28, 1945, Berkeley, California.
Stu Cook - bass - b. April 25, 1945, Oakland, California.
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums - b. April 24, 1945, Palo Alto, California.
Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets (1959 - 1964)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Tom Fogerty - guitar - b. November 9, 1941, Berkeley, California; d. September 6, 1990, Scottsdale, Arizona - formerly with Spider Webb and the Insects.
Stu Cook - bass
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums
Name changed to The Golliwogs.
The Golliwogs (1964 - 1967)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Tom Fogerty - guitar
Stu Cook - bass
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums
Name changed to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revival I (1968 - 1971)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Tom Fogerty - guitar
Stu Cook - bass
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums
Albums:
"Creedence Clearwater Revival" (1968) - Singles: "Porterville"/"Call It Pretending", "Suzie Q (Part One)"/"Suzie Q (Part Two)", "I Put a Spell on You"/"Walk On The Water"
"Bayou Country" (1969) - Singles: "Proud Mary"/"Born on the Bayou"
"Green River" (1969) - Singles: "Green River"/"Commotion", "Bad Moon Rising"/"Lodi"
"Willie and the Poor Boys" (1969) - Singles: "Down on the Corner"/"Fortunate Son"
"Cosmo's Factory" (1970) - Singles: "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop the Rain", "Up Around the Bend"/"Run Through the Jungle", "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long As I Can See the Light"
"Pendulum" (1970) - Single: "Have You Ever Seen the Rain"/"Hey Tonight"
"The Concert" (aka, "Live at Albert Hall") (1980) - recorded in 1970.
Tom Fogerty leaves due to internal squabble and pursues solo career.
Creedence Clearwater Revival II (1971 - October 1972)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Stu Cook - bass/vocals
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums/vocals
Albums:
"Mardi Gras" (1972) - Singles: "Someday Never Comes"/"Tearin' Up The Country", "Sweet Hitch-Hiker"/"Door To Door"
"Live in Europe" (1973)
"Live in Germany" (1998)
Group disbands. John Fogerty goes solo. Doug "Cosmo" Clifford later joins The Sir Douglas Quintet. Stu Cook joins Southern Pacific.
Creedence Clearwater Revisited (1995 - ? ) (reformed)
Stu Cook - bass/vocals
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums/vocals
John Tristao - vocals
Elliot Easton - guitar - formerly with The Cars.
Album:
"Recollection" (live) (2-CDs) (1998)
Compilations:
"Creedence Gold" (1972)
"More Creedence Gold" (1973)
"Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits" (1976)
"Chronicle, Vol. 2: 20 Great CCR Classics" (1988)
"Ultimate Collection" (2-CDs) (1999)
"At The Movies" (2000)
Complete List of CCR's CD's
http://www.cdnow.com/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/discography.html/ArtistID=CREEDENCE+CLEARWATER+REVIVAL/fr...
Tom Fogerty solo:
"Tom Fogerty" (1972)
"Excalibur" (1973)
"Zephyr National" (1974)
"Myopia" (1975)
"Deal It Out" (1981)
"The Very Best Of Tom Fogerty" (1999)
Tom Fogerty with Ruby:
"Ruby" (1976)
"Rock and Roll Madness" (1977)
"Precious Gems" (1985)
Sidekicks (Tom Fogerty with Randy Oda):
"Rainbow Carousel" (1991)
"Sidekicks" (1993)
]
Breaking Clay Makes My Day!
http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~petkasi/ccr-jcf/
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/4242/
http://www.mattsmusicpage.com/ncreede.htm
http://www.rockmagic.net/guitar-tabs/creedence-clearwater-revival/
History
Pre-Creedence Years (1959-1967)
Based partly on the highlights of the book Rocking All Over The World by Peter Koers. For the complete Creedence Clearwater Revival biography, we encourage you to obtain the book.
Though generally bracketed with the post-psychedelic wave of San Franciscan groups, Creedence Clearwater Revival boasted one of the region's longest pedigrees. Formed in El Cerrito, a suburb in San Francisco Bay Area, this accomplished quartet of
John Fogerty (b. 28 May 1945, Berkeley, California, USA; vocals, lead guitar),
Tom Fogerty (b. 9 November 1941, Berkeley, California, USA, d. 6 September 1990; rhythm guitar, vocals),
Stu Cook (b. 25 April 1945, Oakland, California, USA and
Doug Clifford (b. 24 April 1945, Palo Alto, California, USA; drums)
began performing together in 1959 while attending Portola junior high-school. Initially known as Blue Velvets, the group started as a trio with Fogerty on guitar, Clifford on drums and Cook on piano. John's older brother Tom was added in November 1959 and the original cast of later Creedence Clearwater Revival was born.
Under the new name Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets, the quartet changed into a vocal band, became a popular attraction in El Cerrito and as such completed three singles for a local independent outlet of Orchestra. The second 45RPM, "Have You Ever Been Lonely"/"Bonita", was a local hit.
The group developed its unique sounds by listening to records of such Delta bluesmen as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, plus such early rock artists as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Chuck Berry. Young John Fogerty was also inspired by Duane Eddy, Ray Charles, and Booker T & the MGs.
By his mid-teens, John Fogerty could play guitar, dobro, piano, organ, tenor saxophone, harmonica, drums, and several other instruements. He also had a good voice from the start of the group and contributed original compositions throughout the band's career. Similarly, Tom taught himself to play almost as many instruments as his brother, but his main instrument remained rhythm guitar.
The Golliwogs
In 1963, John Fogerty became a packing and shipping clerk at Berkeley located Fantasy Records. Next year the group auditioned for Fantasy as an instrumental band. Fantasy's Weiss brothers signed them but encouraged their UK style beat music rather than their instrumentals.
Weiss printed the name for their debut single as the Golliwogs to make them sound British. The band disliked but accepted the name as a precondition to their recording deal. The foursome was never happy with the appellation, nor the blond wigs they were sometimes required to wear.
Tom Fogerty dominated early releases, but in late 1965 and early 1966 his younger brother decided to took over the vocals. By 1967, John Fogerty was wresting control of the group.
The series of the singles released by Golliwogs included Beatles-influenced "Don't Tell Me No Lies", "Where You Been", "You Can't Be True", "Brown Eyed Girl" (biggest Golliwogs seller, selling 10,000 copies around Northern California), "Fight Fire" and "Walking On The Water". All were released between November 1964 and November 1967.
The one and only album of the Golliwogs, a compilation of their A and B sides, was released a decade later in 1975. Musically, the Golliwogs recordings were heavily influenced by several British Invasion bands, particularly the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and the Kinks.
In 1966 John and Doug were drafted into the army. After both members back from service in 1967, they cut "Porterville" that made some inroads with the audience, but didn't make charts, althought they had developed a defined, original sound.
During the year, Fantasy was bought by one of its employees, Saul Zaentz. Looking over his company's catalogue, he was impressed by the Golliwog's recordings. This resulted in discussions that led the group turning fully professional in December 1967 and in doing so became known as Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968-1972)
The late 60's and early 70's saw the rise of complex progressive rock, proto heavy metal and gum pop. Creedence Clearwater Revival was out of these mainstreams. They cut a series of classic three-minute songs featuring singer-songwriter John Fogerty's growling vocals. Their music was economical, straightforward rock and roll. They were the most successful and exhilarating band in the United States during that era.
After adapting the new name Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Fogerty brothers, Cook, and Clifford spent weeks rehearsing their new, tougher sound. In June 1968 Fantasy launched their first album "Creedence Clearwater Revival", and a single, "Suzy Q (Parts 1 & 2)", based on a decade old rock standard by Dale Hawkins.
Despite criticism from various sources, most notably from Rolling Stone magazine, the album earned a gold record status by the end of the year. The pseudo psychedelic rock and roll LP has well stood the test of time, and today it's regarded as one of the most promising debut LPs in the history of rock. The single peaked on the 11th position in the US.
The recordings helped bring engagements in more prestigious rock venues, for instance in the summer of 1968 at Bill Graham's Fillmore West. Extended versions of their early songs peppered their gigs on these early days.
Creedence's second single, Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You", made the charts briefly, and disappeared. Then came the beginning of the year 1969 and their second album, "Bayou Country," with a single "Proud Mary"/"Born On The Bayou". The album introduced the mixture of Southern US creole styles, rhythm & blues and rockabilly with tight and economical touch defining the music of Creedence Clearwater Revival during their late 60's-early 70's hey-day. The single about a Mississippi river boat was their international breakthrough, making number 2 in the US and 8 in the UK. With his writing of "Proud Mary", John Fogerty became one of rock's foremost composers and lyricists.
The achievement of "Proud Mary" was followed by three 1969 gold-record hits: "Bad Moon Rising"/"Lodi", "Green River"/"Commotion" and "Down On The Corner"/"Fortunate Son". In fall, they released their third album "Green River" and right after that the fourth one, "Willy & The Poorboys". The latter album marked an expansion of John Fogerty's themes from material with a Missisippi Delta flavor to social commentary on such topics as nuclear holocaust ("Effigy"), and political and military pressures ("Fortunate Son").
In 1969 Rolling Stone named Creedence the Best American Band and Billboard reported they were the Top Singles Artists of 1969. The band could easily fill the largest available auditoriums for concert after concert. In August, they performed on the 2nd highest bill at the Woodstock rock festival.
CCR started 1970 with another gold single, "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop The Rain". In April, the next gold 45 "Up Around The Bend" came out. The spring also saw their first European tour.
After returning home, their fifth album "Cosmo's Factory" moved to stores in July 1970. The LP was an immediate success, both in artistic and commercial terms. It went to the #1 position in several countries, including USA, UK and Finland.
Creedence closed out 1970 with the release of another best-selling album, albeit a critical failure, "Pendulum". By the beginning of 1971, Creedence was beginning to run out of new worlds to conquer and a certain restlessness set in among the members. Even as the single "Have You Ever Seen The Rain"/"Hey Tonight" moved toward becoming the group's eighth gold-record, rumours said that changes were impending.
Besides doing lead vocals and lead guitar, John Fogerty wrote all of their own songs and arranged and produced each cut before the "Mardi Gras" album. He also managed the band. Rest of the group demanded more voice in artistic and financial issues. With several gold records on their credit and a successful musical formula in his hands, Fogerty didn't believe the new division of labour would be advantageous for the band and declined.
In February 1971, Tom Fogerty announced his departure from the band to work as a solo artist. The remaining group continued to work as a trio. The first single of reorganized CCR, "Sweet Hitchhiker" came out in July. The band's major tour of the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan began in July and met with a reasonably good reception.
On their seventh and last studio album, "Mardi Gras", Stu Cook and Doug Clifford wrote two thirds of the album's songs. In October 1972, Creedence Clearwater Revival was officially disbanded.
After the break-up, John Fogerty ended up to legal and contractual disputes with his label, Fantasy Records. In mid-70's he managed to work out a deal allowing him a release from his contract with the label. Perhaps due to legal disputes, John Fogerty has released only five studio albums during his solo career.
Tom Fogerty continued his solo career without major commercial success. He died of AIDS on September 6th, 1990.
The rhythm section of the group, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, followed pursuits independently and together in Don Harrison Band, Southern Pacific, and Sir Douglas Quintet. In 1995, they comprised a band called Creedence Clearwater Revisited. With three additional musicians, they tour the world and perform the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The post-disband performances of Creedence Clearwater Revival have been extremely rare. They all gathered together in the recording sessions of the "Zephyr National" album of Tom Fogerty in 1974. They also did two on-off performances together in Tom Fogerty's wedding in 1979 and their high school party in 1983. A decade later, Creedence Clearwater Revival was nominated in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. However, John Fogerty didn't play with his former bandmates in the festivities. In this light, the reunion of the band in the near future seems unlikely.
John Fogerty Solo Career (1972-)
After the disband of Creedence Clearwater Revival in October 1972 and the dispute with his label, Fantasy, soon after, John Fogerty became embroiled in legal battles that he said severely restricted his ability to continue his songwriting and performing career. During 1975-1984, and 1986-1996 as well, he did not have a new album in circulation, and the audience speculated whether John Fogerty has retired the music business for good.
In 1972, Fogerty began a solo project in which he recorded all the instruments and vocals under the pseudonym Blue Ridge Rangers. The material comprised country and gospel. It provided two hit singles in 1973: remakes of Hank Williams' country "Jambalaya" and Otis Williams and the Charms' doowop "Hearts of Stone".
Before the year was out, Fogerty had become upset about many aspects of his affiliation with Fantasy. He charged that the company hadn't promoted his solo album properly and had other objections about matters such as distribution and royalties. He demanded a release from his contract, but Fantasy had the rights for eight more albums from him. He refused to record new material and things remained unsolved until David Geffen and Asylum Records worked out a reported $1 million deal with Fantasy allowing Fogerty to record on Asylum with Fantasy retaining overseas rights while Asylum had US and Canadian rights. That did not void other legal battles, including one Fogerty and his old band mates eventually filed against their accounting firm, claiming it had not properly protected their investments.
Fogerty then went back into the studios and turned out a new solo album, "John Fogerty", that was a critically acclaimed work but a commercial failure. Among its tracks were such classic songs as "Rockin' All Over The World" and "Almost Saturday Night". However, the psychological trauma of continued legal skirmishing caught up with Fogerty and his efforts to assemble new material for a follow-up album were so far below his standards that Asylum cautioned against releasing them. The prospective third album, "Hoodoo", was never issued. Fogerty decided it would be best to wait until his legal problems were resolved before trying to pick up his career full-tilt again.
It turned to be a long wait, a hiatus that took almost a decade. In 1984, Fogerty began working up tracks for his comeback album, issued by Warner Brothers at the beginning of 1985. Titled "Centerfield", the comeback album proved a sensation with both critics and record buyers. It provided a hit single "The Old Man Down The Road," while the album itself became a #1 chart hit in the US.
The album also included hard-driving rocker "Mr. Greed" and experimental "Zantz Kan't Danz" which seemed to be personal attacks against Saul Zaentz, head of Fantasy Records. Zaentz responded with a $142 million lawsuit claiming he had been slandered in "Centerfield" and in the statements Fogerty had made in interviews. Fantasy also filed another suit claiming it was entitled to profits from the single "The Old Man Down The Road," stating the piece plagiarised a song Fogerty wrote for Creedence, "Run Through The Jungle". In 1995 Fogerty emerged not guilty.
In September 1986, Fogerty launched a second Warner Brothers album, "Eye Of The Zombie", which failed to scale the heights of its predecessor. He also committed his first US tour in 14 years, but refused to include any Creedence songs in the set list.
After mid-80's, Fogerty maintained a lower profile. The highlight of the era was his performance on the concert for Vietnam veterans in 1987, in which he did Creedence songs on stage for the first time since 1972.
Fogerty returned in 1997 with a release of his fifth solo album, the Grammy winning and critically acclaimed "Blue Moon Swamp". It was followed by a tour in USA and Scandinavia, several appearances in the media and finally a live album, "Premonition".
Tom Fogerty Solo Career
In Novemeber 1970, Tom Fogerty fed up with the dominant role of his younger brother in Creedence Clearwater Revival and left for a solo career. He initially participated in an informal group which included guitarist Jerry Garcia and organist Merle Saunders, before completing four moderately succesfull albums.
His first solo effort, "Tom Fogerty", peaked at #78 in the US, and the third one, "Zephyr National", is generally regarded as his best collection. Released in 1974, the album features the last time when all the CCR members play together in the studio.
Tom Fogerty then formed a new band, Ruby, around Randy Oda (guitar/keyboards), Anthony Davis (bass) and Bobby Cochran (drums). The group recorded three albums, the last of which was preceded by Tom's final solo set, "Deal It Out". Fogerty moved to Flagstaff, Arizona during the mid 80's. He died of AIDS in September 1990.
Post-Creedence Careers of Stu Cook & Doug Clifford
Original bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford played in various bands since the disband of Creedence Clearwater Revival but without major commercial success. Their main projects included Sir Douglas Quintet, and Don Harrison Band in the 70's. and Cook played in Southern Pacific in late 80's. In 1972, Clifford released his one and only solo album, "Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford".
In 1995, Cook and Clifford comprised a band named Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Added by three other musicians, they have performed Creedence songs and committed succesful world tours. John Fogerty wasn't involved with the band. In 1998, they released their first album, "Recollection", which was recorded live in late 1997.
The Blue Velvets (1958 - 1959)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano - b. May 28, 1945, Berkeley, California.
Stu Cook - bass - b. April 25, 1945, Oakland, California.
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums - b. April 24, 1945, Palo Alto, California.
Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets (1959 - 1964)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Tom Fogerty - guitar - b. November 9, 1941, Berkeley, California; d. September 6, 1990, Scottsdale, Arizona - formerly with Spider Webb and the Insects.
Stu Cook - bass
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums
Name changed to The Golliwogs.
The Golliwogs (1964 - 1967)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Tom Fogerty - guitar
Stu Cook - bass
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums
Name changed to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Creedence Clearwater Revival I (1968 - 1971)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Tom Fogerty - guitar
Stu Cook - bass
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums
Albums:
"Creedence Clearwater Revival" (1968) - Singles: "Porterville"/"Call It Pretending", "Suzie Q (Part One)"/"Suzie Q (Part Two)", "I Put a Spell on You"/"Walk On The Water"
"Bayou Country" (1969) - Singles: "Proud Mary"/"Born on the Bayou"
"Green River" (1969) - Singles: "Green River"/"Commotion", "Bad Moon Rising"/"Lodi"
"Willie and the Poor Boys" (1969) - Singles: "Down on the Corner"/"Fortunate Son"
"Cosmo's Factory" (1970) - Singles: "Travelin' Band"/"Who'll Stop the Rain", "Up Around the Bend"/"Run Through the Jungle", "Lookin' Out My Back Door"/"Long As I Can See the Light"
"Pendulum" (1970) - Single: "Have You Ever Seen the Rain"/"Hey Tonight"
"The Concert" (aka, "Live at Albert Hall") (1980) - recorded in 1970.
Tom Fogerty leaves due to internal squabble and pursues solo career.
Creedence Clearwater Revival II (1971 - October 1972)
John Fogerty - guitar/vocals/harmonica/sax/piano
Stu Cook - bass/vocals
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums/vocals
Albums:
"Mardi Gras" (1972) - Singles: "Someday Never Comes"/"Tearin' Up The Country", "Sweet Hitch-Hiker"/"Door To Door"
"Live in Europe" (1973)
"Live in Germany" (1998)
Group disbands. John Fogerty goes solo. Doug "Cosmo" Clifford later joins The Sir Douglas Quintet. Stu Cook joins Southern Pacific.
Creedence Clearwater Revisited (1995 - ? ) (reformed)
Stu Cook - bass/vocals
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford - drums/vocals
John Tristao - vocals
Elliot Easton - guitar - formerly with The Cars.
Album:
"Recollection" (live) (2-CDs) (1998)
Compilations:
"Creedence Gold" (1972)
"More Creedence Gold" (1973)
"Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits" (1976)
"Chronicle, Vol. 2: 20 Great CCR Classics" (1988)
"Ultimate Collection" (2-CDs) (1999)
"At The Movies" (2000)
Complete List of CCR's CD's
http://www.cdnow.com/pagename=/RP/CDN/FIND/discography.html/ArtistID=CREEDENCE+CLEARWATER+REVIVAL/fr...
Tom Fogerty solo:
"Tom Fogerty" (1972)
"Excalibur" (1973)
"Zephyr National" (1974)
"Myopia" (1975)
"Deal It Out" (1981)
"The Very Best Of Tom Fogerty" (1999)
Tom Fogerty with Ruby:
"Ruby" (1976)
"Rock and Roll Madness" (1977)
"Precious Gems" (1985)
Sidekicks (Tom Fogerty with Randy Oda):
"Rainbow Carousel" (1991)
"Sidekicks" (1993)
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