Creedence, Clearwater,
Revival
This is a direct excerpt from UNCLE JOE'S RECORD GUIDE - AMERICANS, Volume One, Copyright (c) 1989 by J. Benson Unlimited. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
A classic American success story: after 10 years in the bush leagues, Creedence became an overnight success.
Signed to a small San Francisco record label in 1964 as the Golliwogs (a name chosen by the record company), John and Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford found little success with seven single releases. In late 1967, after John and Doug fulfilled their military obligations, the quartet got back together and renamed themselves Creedence Clearwater Revival. After months of practice, they worked up a gutsy new sound and cut a demo of Dale Hawkin's "Suzie Q." They amazingly got the tape played on San Francisco's hippest "underground" radio station, and achieved great acceptance. Encouraged, they proceeded to record a complete album, which went gold six months later as CCR was about to become the biggest rock & roll band in America.
Creedence went against the late sixties musical trend of psychedelia, folk-rock and the tendency to record "albums." Always singles-oriented, CCR consistently produced raw blasts of rock & roll without any pretense. John Fogerty's increasingly insightful lyrics mostly concerned class politics, country life and the joys of playing in a band.
CCR dominated Top 40 radio for two years straight, putting together a string of seven major hits (but no chart toppers) while recording together as a band for only four-and-a-half years. At one point, the band achieved nine Top 10 singles in a row. Amazingly, they also enjoyed critical acclaim.
Creedence Clearwater Revival is still considered to be one of the finest examples of American rock & roll.
Creedence Clearwater Revival Birth Dates
Stu Cook - 4/25/45
John Fogerty - 5/28/45
Tom Fogerty - 11/9/41
Doug 'Cosmo' Clifford, Uncle Joe, Stu Cook and Creedence Clearwater Revisited at the L.A. County Fair, Sept. 1998.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bayou Country
2nd LP, released 1/69. Released a short six months after their debut effort, this was the first Creedence album to be credited as being produced and arranged by group leader John Fogerty. Demonstrating the full development of the band's signature "swamp rock sound," these songs had a lean, raw sound that ran contrary to the prevailing blues jams and psychedelia of the late sixties. Guitar playing brothers John and Tom Fogerty, bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford were all approaching their performance peak during these quick recording sessions. Using only one cover song this time, the band stretched two of their six original songs into extended arrangements with in-studio jams. This was the last time for the next two years that Creedence would record an album all at once.
While CCR's debut album had taken the music world by storm, it was the breakthrough commercial success of their "Proud Mary" single from this album that launched Creedence as the most popular band in America in 1969. By the year's end, they received many awards including Rolling Stone Magazine's Best American Band Of The Year and Billboard Magazine's Top Singles Artist Award. Charting at #7, Bayou Country became CCR's first million-selling Top 10 release.
** Special Note: Although the band's sound was being hailed as "swamp rock," none of the members had ever been near a bayou, or even the Mississippi river. Their sound was a byproduct of John Fogerty's love for old rock & roll, blues and country music.
