John Fogerty
Encyclopedia
John Cameron Fogerty is an American
rock
singer, songwriter
, and guitarist
, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock
band Creedence Clearwater Revival
(CCR) and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists at #40 and the list of 100 Greatest Singers at #72. The songs "Proud Mary" and "Born on the Bayou" also rank amongst the Greatest Pop songs ("Proud Mary," #41) and Guitar songs ("Born on the Bayou," #53).
and is the younger brother of the late Tom Fogerty
. He attended El Cerrito High School
along with the other members of CCR
and took guitar lessons from Berkeley Folk Festival creator/producer Barry Olivier
.
pioneers, especially Little Richard
and Bo Diddley
, John and his brother Tom Fogerty
joined Doug Clifford
and Stu Cook
in the late 1950s to form the band Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets in El Cerrito, California
. After signing with the jazz label Fantasy in 1965, they became The Golliwogs
and released a few singles that were largely ignored.
in 1966, but instead he joined an Army Reserve
unit. He served at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox and Fort Lee. Fogerty was discharged from the Army in July 1967. In the same year, the band changed its name to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
By 1968, things started to pick up for the band. The band released its first album, the self-titled "Creedence Clearwater Revival
", and also had their first hit single, "Susie Q
". Many other hit singles and albums followed beginning with "Proud Mary" and the parent album Bayou Country
.
John Fogerty, as writer of the songs for the band (as well as lead singer and lead guitarist), felt that his musical opinions should count for more than those of the others, leading to resentments within the band. These internal rifts, and Tom's feeling that he was being taken for granted, caused Tom to leave the group in January 1971. The two other group members, Stu and Doug, wanted a greater role in the band's future. Fogerty, in an attempt to keep things together, insisted bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford share equal songwriting and vocal time on the band's final album, Mardi Gras
, released in April 1972, which included the band's last 2 singles, the 1971 hit "Sweet Hitch-Hiker", and "Someday Never Comes", which barely made it into the Billboard Top 20. Cook and Clifford told Fogerty that the fans would not accept "Mardi Gras" as a CCR LP, but he said, "My voice is a unique instrument, and I will not lend it to your songs." He gave them an ultimatum: either they would do it or he would quit immediately. They accepted his ultimatum, but the album received poor reviews. It was a commercial success, however, peaking at #12 and achieving gold record status. It generated weaker sales compared to their previous albums. The group disbanded shortly afterwards.
Their only reunion with all four original members would be at Tom Fogerty's wedding in 1980. John, Doug and Stu played a 45 minute set at their 20th class reunion in 1983, and John and Doug would reunite again for a brief set at their 25th class reunion in 1988.
for his 1973 LP debut. Fogerty played all of the instruments on covers
of others' country music
hits, such as "Jambalaya
" (which was a Top 20 hit). After performing country & western tunes he released a rock & roll single in late 1973, also as The Blue Ridge Rangers. The two John Fogerty penned songs were "You Don't Owe Me" and "Back In The Hills" (Fantasy F-710).
In early 1974 John Fogerty released two rock & roll tunes on a 7"-single. The two songs were the vocal "Comin' Down The Road" b/w the instrumental "Ricochet". His second solo album John Fogerty
was released in 1975. Sales were slim and legal problems delayed a followup, though it yielded "Rockin' All Over the World
", a top 40 hit for Fogerty in North America. Two years later, in 1977, British boogie rockers Status Quo recorded their version of Rockin' All Over the World
, which became a huge hit and made the song world-famous, not least by opening 1985's Live Aid
with the song that had become one of their best-known anthems.
Fogerty finished an album called Hoodoo
in 1976. A single, "You Got The Magic" b/w "Evil Thing", preceded the album's release, but it performed poorly. The album, for which covers had already been printed, was rejected by Asylum Records
a couple weeks before its scheduled release, and Fogerty agreed that it wasn't up to his usual high standards. Fogerty told Asylum Records to destroy the master tapes for Hoodoo sometime in the 1980s. Fogerty is something of a perfectionist, often destroying unreleased material, but "bootleg" editions are known to exist of this material. Fogerty says that he was unable to write music during this period of his life.
's Centerfield
, his first album for Warner Bros. Records
(which took over co-ownership of Asylum's contract with Fogerty). Centerfield went to the top of the charts and included a top-ten hit in "The Old Man Down The Road
." The title track is frequently played on classic rock radio and at baseball games to this day. But that album was not without its legal snags.
Two songs on the album, "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr. Greed", were believed to be attacks on Fogerty's former boss at Fantasy Records
, Saul Zaentz
. "Zanz Kant Danz" was about a pig who can't dance but would "steal your money". When Zaentz responded with a lawsuit, Fogerty issued a revised version of "Zanz Kant Danz" (changing the lead character's name to Vanz). Another lawsuit (Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty) claimed that "The Old Man Down The Road" shared the same chorus as "Run Through the Jungle
" (a song from Fogerty's days with Creedence to which Fantasy Records had owned the publishing rights). Fogerty ultimately won his case when he proved that the two songs were wholly distinct compositions. Fogerty then countersued
for attorney fees (Fogerty v. Fantasy
) and won the case in the U.S. Supreme Court.
On May 31, 1985 Fogerty filmed a one-hour music and interview special for Showtime called "John Fogerty's All-Stars". The set list consisted of R&B tunes from the 1960s as well as material from the "Centerfield" LP and was recorded in front of an audience of Warners Brothers Music employees. The band included Albert Lee, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, Steve Douglas
and Prairie Prince amongst others.
The followup album to Centerfield was Eye of the Zombie
in 1986, which was less successful. Fogerty toured behind the album, but he refused to play any Creedence material. The album took on a darker mood, talking about a troubled society, terrorism, and pop stars selling out. For years, he refused to play material from the Zombie album. However, "Change In The Weather" was included in the set list for his 2009 tour, and was even re-recorded for his current solo release, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
. Fogerty played Creedence material again at a concert in Washington, D.C., for Vietnam veterans that took place on July 4, 1987. The show was aired on HBO. Aside from a guest appearance at the Palomino and performance at the 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, this was the first time Fogerty had performed any Creedence Clearwater Revival songs for a large audience since 1972. On May 29, 1989, he played a set of CCR material at Oakland Coliseum for the "Concert Against AIDS". His backing band were Jerry Garcia
and Bob Weir
on guitars, Randy Jackson
on bass, and Steve Jordan
on drums.
In 1990 Tom Fogerty
died of AIDS
(specifically from a tuberculosis
infection) at the age of 48, having contracted HIV
from blood transfusions for back ailments. John Fogerty has mentioned that the darkest moments in his life were when his brother took the record company's side in their royalties dispute, and the fact that when his brother died, the two of them were not speaking to each other.
Fogerty traveled to Mississippi in 1990 for inspiration and visited the gravesite of blues legend Robert Johnson. According to him, there he realized that Robert Johnson was the true spiritual owner of his own songs, no matter what businessman owned the rights to them, and thus Fogerty decided to start making a new album and to perform his old Creedence material regularly in concert. It was at this time visiting the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church cemetery that Fogerty met Skip Henderson, a New Jersey vintage guitar dealer who had formed a nonprofit corporation The Mt. Zion Memorial Fund
to honor Johnson with a memorial marker. Fogerty subsequently funded headstones for Charlie Patton
, James Son Thomas
, Mississippi Joe Callicott
, Eugene Powell, Lonnie Pitchford
and helped with financial arrangements for numerous others.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1993. John Fogerty refused to perform with his former band mates and fellow inductees Stu Cook and Doug Clifford during the musical portion of the induction ceremony. In place of the surviving members of CCR, Fogerty recruited session musicians on drums and bass and was also joined by Bruce Springsteen
and Robbie Robertson
in performing three songs: "Who'll Stop the Rain
", "Born on the Bayou
" and "Green River
". During the induction speech, Springsteen said,
"As a songwriter, only a few did as much in three minutes [as John Fogerty]. He was an Old Testament, shaggy-haired prophet, a fatalist. Funny too. He was severe, he was precise, he said what he had to say and he got out of there."
. The layoff between Zombie and Swamp had been longer than his mid-'70s-mid-'80s break. The album was much more successful than his previous effort and won the Grammy for best rock album in 1997. A live album of the equally successful tour was released to similar acclaim and good sales.
On October 1, 1998, Fogerty was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
. His star is located at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.
It seemed as though Fogerty was back, but again he drifted out of the mainstream, only returning after another break in 2004. Deja Vu (All Over Again)
was Fogerty’s next release. His new record contract was with DreamWorks Records
, which had taken over distribution of Fogerty's Warner Bros. catalog. Rolling Stone
wrote: "The title track is Fogerty's indictment of the Iraq war as another Vietnam
, a senseless squandering of American lives and power". On the album, Fogerty squeezed 10 songs into only 34 minutes.
The sale of Fantasy Records to Concord Records
in 2004 ended the 30+-year estrangement between Fogerty and his former label as the new owners took steps to restore royalty
rights Fogerty gave up in order to be released from his contract with Fantasy in the mid 1970s. In September 2005, Fogerty returned to Fantasy Records. That was made possible when DreamWorks Records' non-country music unit was absorbed by Geffen Records
, which dropped Fogerty but continued to distribute his earlier solo albums. The first album released under the new Fantasy contract was The Long Road Home
, a compilation CD combining his Creedence hits with solo material which was issued in November 2005. A live CD and DVD
concert was released the following year.
Fogerty’s touring schedule increased in the period after Deja Vu (All Over Again). In October 2004, Fogerty appeared on the Vote for Change
tour, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. He also appeared in a Christmas special video produced by the Australian children's group The Wiggles
.Centerfield was also played at the 2008 Republican National Convention when John McCain introduced Sarah Palin as his running mate. Fogerty's numbers were played with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
. Fogerty toured with John Mellencamp
in the summer of 2005 and with Willie Nelson
in the summer of 2006. On June 29, 2006 he played his first headlining British concert since 1972, at the Hammersmith Apollo
theater in London, as part of the European leg of the tour. During that leg he also performed in Sundsvall, Sweden, where 25,000 people came to see him perform at the town square. On Thanksgiving Day of 2006, Fogerty performed at halftime at the Miami Dolphins
/Detroit Lions
game as well as at the Denver Broncos
/Kansas City Chiefs
halftime later that evening.
Alongside Bill Withers
, the Sherman Brothers
, Steve Cropper
and Isaac Hayes
and David Porter
, Fogerty was named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame
in 2005.
Fogerty features on Jerry Lee Lewis's album "Last Man Standing" issued 26 September 2006, duetting on a recording of "Travelin' Band". He also participated in the live set follow-up "Last Man Standing - Live", joining Lewis for a duet of "CC Rider", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" (also featuring Kris Kristofferson), and concluding with a performance of "Good Golly Miss Molly", with Lewis backing him on piano.
, which was released on October 2, 2007. Heavily promoted by the label, Revival
debuted at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200
chart with sales about 65,000 copies in its first week. Revival was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album of 2008 but lost to the Foo Fighters
.
On February 10, 2008, he appeared with Jerry Lee Lewis
and Little Richard on the Grammy Award
's Show. Along with these rock icons and his regular touring band, he played his ultra-rare 1973 single "Comin' Down The Road" leading into Lewis and Richard's performances of "Great Balls Of Fire," and "Good Golly Miss Molly," respectively.
On March 16, 2008, Fogerty kicked off an Australian tour. On March 22 in Point Nepean, Australia, surprise guest Keith Urban
joined Fogerty on stage, performing two songs: "Broken Down Cowboy," off Fogerty's newest album Revival, and "Cotton Fields," from CCR's album Willy & the Poor Boys.
Fogerty's current touring band includes Dave Santos on bass, Kenny Aronoff
on drums, Matt Nolen on keyboards, guitar & mandolin, Hunter Perrin on guitars Billy Burnette
(of Fleetwood Mac
fame) on guitars, and Dan Hochhalter on fiddle, mandolin, and guitars.
On June 24, 2008, Fogerty made a return to the Royal Albert Hall
, a venue he last played with CCR in 1971. It was the last concert on his 2008 European Tour. This concert was filmed (causing staging problems that annoyed some fans) and was released in 2009.
On April 16, 2009, Fogerty performed his hit "Centerfield," from center field, at the opening day festivities of the new Yankee Stadium
.
On August 31, 2009, Fogerty released a sequel to his 1973 solo debut The Blue Ridge Rangers, called The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. The album includes a duet with Bruce Springsteen
on the 1960 Everly Brothers classic "When Will I Be Loved?." In addition, Don Henley
and Timothy B. Schmit
of The Eagles sing with Fogerty on a cover of Rick Nelson's 1972 classic "Garden Party."
The original announcement of this album was on December 10, 2008, where Billboard.com article announced that besides the Royal Albert Hall DVD, Fogerty was working on recording a new album of mostly country covers, called "The Return of the Blue Ridge Rangers". The album, titled The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
, was the first issued on Fogerty's own label Fortunate Son Records, which is distributed by the Verve Forecast Records
unit of Universal Music Group
(UMG).
UMG also handles the Fogerty/CCR Fantasy catalogue.
On October 29, 2009, Fogerty appeared at Madison Square Garden for the first night of the celebratory 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts. Bruce Springsteen, with the E Street Band, called Fogerty out to play three songs with them. "Fortunate Son" was their first song, followed by "Proud Mary" and finally the duo tried their take on Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman." The show aired as a four-hour special on HBO on November 29, 2009.
On November 3, 2009, Fogerty released the Royal Albert Hall DVD entitled Comin' Down The Road
, named after his 1973 single, which he performed at this concert. Fogerty was also nominated for a Grammy Award
at the 2010 Grammys
. He was nominated for the Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance Grammy for the song "Change In The Weather," which he recorded for The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
.
On July 25, 2010, Fogerty appeared at the induction ceremonies for the Baseball Hall of Fame
in Cooperstown, New York. He performed his 1985 single, "Centerfield", and donated his baseball bat shaped-guitar to the Hall that day.
For his songwriting achievements, Fogerty was honored as a BMI
Icon at the 58th annual BMI Pop Awards on May 18, 2010. BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”
Fogerty performed at the Night of the Proms
concert on October 30, 2010. He performed several of his classic Creedence Clearwater Revival
songs including the song "Long as I Can See The Light" from the Cosmo's Factory
album which he had not notably performed live in his solo career prior to this. He was accompanied by the II Novecento Orchestra.
Fogerty has a new album that he's set to start recording in 2011, but he refuses to reveal many details about the project. "Because of the special nature of it, the release of it will be driven by how soon we accomplish everything we're trying to accomplish -- without giving any more of it away," Fogerty told the Canadian Press in July 2011. "I will be having some other artists guest with me so that makes it -- it's not all under my control, let's put it that way. I hope to have a lot of really high-calibre players and we should have lot of fun with the material but I really can't say much more about it right now."
November 17, 2011 John Fogerty performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. On November 17th and 18th, Fogerty performed two Creedence Clearwater Revival
albums, Cosmo's Factory
and Green River
(respectively), in their entirety at the Beacon Theater in New York City (he also played Cosmo's Factory in Atlantic City on November 20th). He was also featured on the CBS coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing several prerecorded songs.
with a small five watt amplifier which he bought at Sears with $80 he had earned from his paper route
. During the mid-sixties with the Golliwogs, Fogerty played a Fender Mustang
that he later traded for a Rickenbacker 325
which he modified with a Bigsby vibrato and Gibson rear pickup
. During the early days of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty used a Gibson ES-175
which was later stolen and subsequently replaced by a Gibson Les Paul
. During the latter Creedence era Fogerty used at least two Les Pauls, one with a Bigsby vibrato and one with a standard tailpiece. For amplifiers Fogerty used a Kustom K-200-A4.
During his solo career Fogerty continued to use Gibson guitars such as a Les Paul Junior
and Les Paul Goldtop reissue as well as various Fender guitars, including a Fender Telecaster
modified with Stratocaster middle pickup and humbucker
in the bridge position and a Fender Stratocaster
fitted with two Fender Telecaster Deluxe
humbuckers. He played a five-ply Washburn (unknown model) at the San Francisco "Concert Against AIDS" on May 29, 1989. He also used Mesa Boogie
, Seymour Duncan
and Marshall
amplifiers.
Lately Fogerty has taken a big arsenal of guitars with him on tour including many of the abovementioned guitars, four PRS
guitars in various finishes, two Taylor
acoustic guitars, three Ernie Ball
guitars, a 1956 Les Paul Gold Top with P-90
pickups and a Maton BB1200
. For amplification Fogerty uses Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier
heads into Ampeg
cabinets, a 2x15 cabinet for his clean sounds and Cornford MK100 head with a 4x12 Wizard cabinet for his distorted and lead sounds.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock
Roots rock
Roots rock is a term now used to describe rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid sub-genres from the later 1960s including country rock and Southern rock, which have been seen as responses to the...
band Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
(CCR) and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists at #40 and the list of 100 Greatest Singers at #72. The songs "Proud Mary" and "Born on the Bayou" also rank amongst the Greatest Pop songs ("Proud Mary," #41) and Guitar songs ("Born on the Bayou," #53).
Early life
Fogerty was born in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
and is the younger brother of the late Tom Fogerty
Tom Fogerty
Thomas Richard "Tom" Fogerty was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist in Creedence Clearwater Revival and the elder brother of John Fogerty, lead singer and lead guitarist in that band....
. He attended El Cerrito High School
El Cerrito High School
El Cerrito High School is a public school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. It is located at 540 Ashbury Avenue, El Cerrito, California 94530.-Overview:The original main school building was built in the late 1930s as a WPA project...
along with the other members of CCR
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
and took guitar lessons from Berkeley Folk Festival creator/producer Barry Olivier
Barry Olivier
Barry Olivier is a professional guitar teacher, and creator/producer of the Berkeley Folk Music Festivals from 1958 to 1970.- Early life :...
.
The Golliwogs (1959 to 1966)
Inspired by Rock and rollRock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
pioneers, especially Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
and Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
, John and his brother Tom Fogerty
Tom Fogerty
Thomas Richard "Tom" Fogerty was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist in Creedence Clearwater Revival and the elder brother of John Fogerty, lead singer and lead guitarist in that band....
joined Doug Clifford
Doug Clifford
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford played drums in the American rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival...
and Stu Cook
Stu Cook
Stuart Alden Cook is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work in the rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival....
in the late 1950s to form the band Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets in El Cerrito, California
El Cerrito, Contra Costa County, California
-Transportation:The city's primary transportation infrastructure consists of the El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte BART stations along with several local bus lines, operated by AC Transit, providing access to the surrounding area and the nearby cities of Albany, Berkeley and Richmond...
. After signing with the jazz label Fantasy in 1965, they became The Golliwogs
The Golliwogs
The Golliwogs were an American rock band that eventually became Creedence Clearwater Revival.The band started out, in 1959, as an instrumental trio called The Blue Velvets. The original line up was John Fogerty , Stu Cook , and Doug Clifford...
and released a few singles that were largely ignored.
Creedence Clearwater Revival (1967 to 1972)
Fogerty was almost draftedConscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
in 1966, but instead he joined an Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
unit. He served at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox and Fort Lee. Fogerty was discharged from the Army in July 1967. In the same year, the band changed its name to Creedence Clearwater Revival.
By 1968, things started to pick up for the band. The band released its first album, the self-titled "Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival (album)
Creedence Clearwater Revival is the first album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1968.The reissue liner notes state that while "Susie Q" proved to be a hit, the band had played for years as the Golliwogs in the early 1960s, releasing numerous singles before...
", and also had their first hit single, "Susie Q
Susie Q (song)
"Susie Q" is a song by Louisiana-born singer and guitarist Dale Hawkins . He wrote the song himself, but when it was released, Stan Lewis, the owner of Jewel/Paula Records, and Eleanor Broadwater, the wife of Nashville DJ Gene Nobles, were also credited as co-writers to give them shares of the...
". Many other hit singles and albums followed beginning with "Proud Mary" and the parent album Bayou Country
Bayou Country
Bayou Country is the second studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in January 1969, and was the first of three albums CCR released in that year .- Original album :...
.
John Fogerty, as writer of the songs for the band (as well as lead singer and lead guitarist), felt that his musical opinions should count for more than those of the others, leading to resentments within the band. These internal rifts, and Tom's feeling that he was being taken for granted, caused Tom to leave the group in January 1971. The two other group members, Stu and Doug, wanted a greater role in the band's future. Fogerty, in an attempt to keep things together, insisted bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford share equal songwriting and vocal time on the band's final album, Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras (album)
Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1972. The group broke up after this album was released. The album was re-released in remastered format as a Japan exclusive in January 2011...
, released in April 1972, which included the band's last 2 singles, the 1971 hit "Sweet Hitch-Hiker", and "Someday Never Comes", which barely made it into the Billboard Top 20. Cook and Clifford told Fogerty that the fans would not accept "Mardi Gras" as a CCR LP, but he said, "My voice is a unique instrument, and I will not lend it to your songs." He gave them an ultimatum: either they would do it or he would quit immediately. They accepted his ultimatum, but the album received poor reviews. It was a commercial success, however, peaking at #12 and achieving gold record status. It generated weaker sales compared to their previous albums. The group disbanded shortly afterwards.
Their only reunion with all four original members would be at Tom Fogerty's wedding in 1980. John, Doug and Stu played a 45 minute set at their 20th class reunion in 1983, and John and Doug would reunite again for a brief set at their 25th class reunion in 1988.
Going solo (1973 to 1984)
John Fogerty began a solo career, originally under the name The Blue Ridge RangersThe Blue Ridge Rangers
The Blue Ridge Rangers is the first solo album by John Fogerty, the former lead singer and lead guitarist of Creedence Clearwater Revival....
for his 1973 LP debut. Fogerty played all of the instruments on covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of others' country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
hits, such as "Jambalaya
Jambalaya (On the Bayou)
"Jambalaya " is the title of a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952...
" (which was a Top 20 hit). After performing country & western tunes he released a rock & roll single in late 1973, also as The Blue Ridge Rangers. The two John Fogerty penned songs were "You Don't Owe Me" and "Back In The Hills" (Fantasy F-710).
In early 1974 John Fogerty released two rock & roll tunes on a 7"-single. The two songs were the vocal "Comin' Down The Road" b/w the instrumental "Ricochet". His second solo album John Fogerty
John Fogerty (album)
John Fogerty is the second solo album by former Creedence Clearwater Revival vocalist/guitarist John Fogerty, released in 1975. It was released by Asylum Records in the United States and Fantasy Records internationally....
was released in 1975. Sales were slim and legal problems delayed a followup, though it yielded "Rockin' All Over the World
Rockin' All Over the World (song)
"Rockin' All Over the World" is a rock song by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It made its debut on Fogerty's second solo album in 1975. Status Quo recorded their own, heavier arrangement of Fogerty's song for their 1977 album Rockin' All Over the World...
", a top 40 hit for Fogerty in North America. Two years later, in 1977, British boogie rockers Status Quo recorded their version of Rockin' All Over the World
Rockin' All Over the World (song)
"Rockin' All Over the World" is a rock song by John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival. It made its debut on Fogerty's second solo album in 1975. Status Quo recorded their own, heavier arrangement of Fogerty's song for their 1977 album Rockin' All Over the World...
, which became a huge hit and made the song world-famous, not least by opening 1985's Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
with the song that had become one of their best-known anthems.
Fogerty finished an album called Hoodoo
Hoodoo (John Fogerty album)
Hoodoo, John Fogerty's third solo album, was recorded in the late spring of 1976 but never released. After the John Fogerty solo album, Fogerty wasted no time in recording more material for a new album to be followed with a tour, which would be very low-key, with a small group of musicians...
in 1976. A single, "You Got The Magic" b/w "Evil Thing", preceded the album's release, but it performed poorly. The album, for which covers had already been printed, was rejected by Asylum Records
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
a couple weeks before its scheduled release, and Fogerty agreed that it wasn't up to his usual high standards. Fogerty told Asylum Records to destroy the master tapes for Hoodoo sometime in the 1980s. Fogerty is something of a perfectionist, often destroying unreleased material, but "bootleg" editions are known to exist of this material. Fogerty says that he was unable to write music during this period of his life.
First comeback (1985 to 1996)
Fogerty's solo career re-emerged in full force with 19851985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
's Centerfield
Centerfield
Centerfield is an album by musician John Fogerty, released in 1985. It was his most popular post-Creedence album, containing the hit singles "The Old Man Down the Road", "Rock and Roll Girls" and the title track "Centerfield". Fogerty played all the instruments on this album himself, thanks to...
, his first album for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
(which took over co-ownership of Asylum's contract with Fogerty). Centerfield went to the top of the charts and included a top-ten hit in "The Old Man Down The Road
The Old Man Down the Road
"The Old Man Down the Road" is a popular song written and recorded by John Fogerty. It was released in 1985 and became a top 10 hit single, peaking at #10 on the US singles chart, and spending three weeks at the #1 spot on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. It was lifted from Fogerty's comeback...
." The title track is frequently played on classic rock radio and at baseball games to this day. But that album was not without its legal snags.
Two songs on the album, "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr. Greed", were believed to be attacks on Fogerty's former boss at Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records
Fantasy Records is a United States-based record label that was founded by Max and Sol Weiss in 1949 in San Francisco, California. They had previously operated a record-pressing plant called Circle Record Company before forming the Fantasy label...
, Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz
Saul Zaentz is an American film producer and former record company executive. He has won the Academy Award for Best Picture three times and in 1996 was awarded the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award....
. "Zanz Kant Danz" was about a pig who can't dance but would "steal your money". When Zaentz responded with a lawsuit, Fogerty issued a revised version of "Zanz Kant Danz" (changing the lead character's name to Vanz). Another lawsuit (Fantasy, Inc. v. Fogerty) claimed that "The Old Man Down The Road" shared the same chorus as "Run Through the Jungle
Run Through the Jungle
"Run Through the Jungle" is a 1970 rock song recorded by the North American band Creedence Clearwater Revival.-History:The song was written by the Creedence's lead singer, guitarist and songwriter, John Fogerty. It was included on their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory, the group's fifth album...
" (a song from Fogerty's days with Creedence to which Fantasy Records had owned the publishing rights). Fogerty ultimately won his case when he proved that the two songs were wholly distinct compositions. Fogerty then countersued
Counterclaim
In civil procedure, a party's claim is a counterclaim if the defending party has previously made a claim against the claiming party.Examples of counterclaims include:...
for attorney fees (Fogerty v. Fantasy
Fogerty v. Fantasy
Fogerty v. Fantasy, Inc., , was a U.S. Supreme Court case that elaborated the standards that should factor into a district court's decision to award attorney's fees in copyright litigation...
) and won the case in the U.S. Supreme Court.
On May 31, 1985 Fogerty filmed a one-hour music and interview special for Showtime called "John Fogerty's All-Stars". The set list consisted of R&B tunes from the 1960s as well as material from the "Centerfield" LP and was recorded in front of an audience of Warners Brothers Music employees. The band included Albert Lee, Booker T. Jones, Duck Dunn, Steve Douglas
Steve Douglas (saxophonist)
Steven Douglas Kreisman , better known as Steve Douglas, was an American saxophonist, flautist and clarinetist. Douglas is best known as a Los Angeles session musician, a member of The Wrecking Crew, who worked with Phil Spector, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys...
and Prairie Prince amongst others.
The followup album to Centerfield was Eye of the Zombie
Eye of the Zombie
Eye of the Zombie is a 1986 album by American singer/songwriter John Fogerty. It was his first album with a backing band, and it includes the Creedence-inspired track "Change in the Weather" as well as "Wasn't That a Woman" and "Soda Pop," his first forays into 60s-70s Motown-sounding funk and R&B...
in 1986, which was less successful. Fogerty toured behind the album, but he refused to play any Creedence material. The album took on a darker mood, talking about a troubled society, terrorism, and pop stars selling out. For years, he refused to play material from the Zombie album. However, "Change In The Weather" was included in the set list for his 2009 tour, and was even re-recorded for his current solo release, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
- Tracks not included :There were 15 songs recorded from a long list of songs that Fogerty, Burnett and Waronker put together. Fogerty did not release the specific titles, but a Merle Haggard song was revealed to be among the three unreleased tunes.- Production :...
. Fogerty played Creedence material again at a concert in Washington, D.C., for Vietnam veterans that took place on July 4, 1987. The show was aired on HBO. Aside from a guest appearance at the Palomino and performance at the 1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, this was the first time Fogerty had performed any Creedence Clearwater Revival songs for a large audience since 1972. On May 29, 1989, he played a set of CCR material at Oakland Coliseum for the "Concert Against AIDS". His backing band were Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
and Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
on guitars, Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
on bass, and Steve Jordan
Steve Jordan (musician)
Steve Jordan is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, musical director and Grammy Award-winning artist, who has made a name for himself as a producer from the Bronx in New York City. A graduate of the Fiorello H...
on drums.
In 1990 Tom Fogerty
Tom Fogerty
Thomas Richard "Tom" Fogerty was an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist in Creedence Clearwater Revival and the elder brother of John Fogerty, lead singer and lead guitarist in that band....
died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
(specifically from a tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
infection) at the age of 48, having contracted HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
from blood transfusions for back ailments. John Fogerty has mentioned that the darkest moments in his life were when his brother took the record company's side in their royalties dispute, and the fact that when his brother died, the two of them were not speaking to each other.
Fogerty traveled to Mississippi in 1990 for inspiration and visited the gravesite of blues legend Robert Johnson. According to him, there he realized that Robert Johnson was the true spiritual owner of his own songs, no matter what businessman owned the rights to them, and thus Fogerty decided to start making a new album and to perform his old Creedence material regularly in concert. It was at this time visiting the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church cemetery that Fogerty met Skip Henderson, a New Jersey vintage guitar dealer who had formed a nonprofit corporation The Mt. Zion Memorial Fund
Mt. Zion Memorial Fund
The Mt. Zion Memorial Fund is a Mississippi non-profit corporation formed in 1989 and named after the 101 year old Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Morgan City, Mississippi...
to honor Johnson with a memorial marker. Fogerty subsequently funded headstones for Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton
Charlie Patton , better known as Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician. He is considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", and is credited with creating an enduring body of American music and personally inspiring just about every Delta blues man...
, James Son Thomas
James Thomas (blues musician)
James "Son" Thomas was an American Delta blues musician, gravedigger and sculptor from Leland, Mississippi.-Life and career:...
, Mississippi Joe Callicott
Mississippi Joe Callicott
Mississippi' Joe Callicott , was a United States Delta blues singer and guitarist....
, Eugene Powell, Lonnie Pitchford
Lonnie Pitchford
Lonnie Pitchford was an American blues musician and instrument maker from Lexington, Mississippi. He was notable in that he was one of only a handful of young African American musicians from Mississippi who had learned and was continuing the Delta blues and country blues traditions of the older...
and helped with financial arrangements for numerous others.
Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1993. John Fogerty refused to perform with his former band mates and fellow inductees Stu Cook and Doug Clifford during the musical portion of the induction ceremony. In place of the surviving members of CCR, Fogerty recruited session musicians on drums and bass and was also joined by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson
Robbie Robertson, OC; is a Canadian singer-songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known for his membership as the guitarist and primary songwriter within The Band. He was ranked 59th in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time...
in performing three songs: "Who'll Stop the Rain
Who'll Stop the Rain (song)
"Who'll Stop the Rain" is a song written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival for their 1970 album Cosmo's Factory...
", "Born on the Bayou
Born on the Bayou
"Born on the Bayou" is the first track on Creedence Clearwater Revival's second album, Bayou Country. It was released as the B-side of the single "Proud Mary" and reached #2 on the Billboard Charts.As the songwriter, John Fogerty, commented:...
" and "Green River
Green River (song)
"Green River" is a song by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. The song was written by John Fogerty and was released as a single in July 1969, one month before the album of the same name was released .- Background :...
". During the induction speech, Springsteen said,
"As a songwriter, only a few did as much in three minutes [as John Fogerty]. He was an Old Testament, shaggy-haired prophet, a fatalist. Funny too. He was severe, he was precise, he said what he had to say and he got out of there."
Second comeback (1997 to 2006)
Fogerty returned to the commercial music industry in 1997 with Blue Moon SwampBlue Moon Swamp
Blue Moon Swamp is a 1997 album by American singer/songwriter John Fogerty featuring his newly written and published Southern rock/swamp rock music. Guest musicians for vocal backing, the Lonesome River Band, were invited to join in on "Southern Streamline" and "Rambunctious Boy"...
. The layoff between Zombie and Swamp had been longer than his mid-'70s-mid-'80s break. The album was much more successful than his previous effort and won the Grammy for best rock album in 1997. A live album of the equally successful tour was released to similar acclaim and good sales.
On October 1, 1998, Fogerty was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
. His star is located at 7000 Hollywood Blvd.
It seemed as though Fogerty was back, but again he drifted out of the mainstream, only returning after another break in 2004. Deja Vu (All Over Again)
Deja Vu (All Over Again)
Deja Vu is a 2004 album by John Fogerty. It was released after the lapse of 7 years from previous studio album Blue Moon Swamp...
was Fogerty’s next release. His new record contract was with DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
, which had taken over distribution of Fogerty's Warner Bros. catalog. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote: "The title track is Fogerty's indictment of the Iraq war as another Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, a senseless squandering of American lives and power". On the album, Fogerty squeezed 10 songs into only 34 minutes.
The sale of Fantasy Records to Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
in 2004 ended the 30+-year estrangement between Fogerty and his former label as the new owners took steps to restore royalty
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
rights Fogerty gave up in order to be released from his contract with Fantasy in the mid 1970s. In September 2005, Fogerty returned to Fantasy Records. That was made possible when DreamWorks Records' non-country music unit was absorbed by Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
, which dropped Fogerty but continued to distribute his earlier solo albums. The first album released under the new Fantasy contract was The Long Road Home
The Long Road Home
The Long Road Home is a 2005 compilation album. It combines John Fogerty's work with Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as his solo hits....
, a compilation CD combining his Creedence hits with solo material which was issued in November 2005. A live CD and DVD
The Long Road Home - In Concert
The Long Road Home – In Concert is a DVD and double live album by American singer-songwriter John Fogerty released by Fantasy Records in 2006 . The DVD was released on June 13 with the live album following on October 31...
concert was released the following year.
Fogerty’s touring schedule increased in the period after Deja Vu (All Over Again). In October 2004, Fogerty appeared on the Vote for Change
Vote for Change
The Vote for Change tour was a politically-motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. The tour was presented by MoveOn.org to benefit America Coming Together. The tour was held in swing states and was designed to encourage people to register and vote...
tour, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. He also appeared in a Christmas special video produced by the Australian children's group The Wiggles
The Wiggles
The Wiggles are a children's group formed in Sydney, Australia in 1991. Their original members were Anthony Field, Phillip Wilcher, Murray Cook, Greg Page, and Jeff Fatt. Wilcher left the group after their first album...
.Centerfield was also played at the 2008 Republican National Convention when John McCain introduced Sarah Palin as his running mate. Fogerty's numbers were played with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. Fogerty toured with John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
in the summer of 2005 and with Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
in the summer of 2006. On June 29, 2006 he played his first headlining British concert since 1972, at the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
theater in London, as part of the European leg of the tour. During that leg he also performed in Sundsvall, Sweden, where 25,000 people came to see him perform at the town square. On Thanksgiving Day of 2006, Fogerty performed at halftime at the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
/Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
game as well as at the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
/Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
halftime later that evening.
Alongside Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
, the Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
, Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
and Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
and David Porter
David Porter (musician)
David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s...
, Fogerty was named to the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...
in 2005.
Fogerty features on Jerry Lee Lewis's album "Last Man Standing" issued 26 September 2006, duetting on a recording of "Travelin' Band". He also participated in the live set follow-up "Last Man Standing - Live", joining Lewis for a duet of "CC Rider", "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" (also featuring Kris Kristofferson), and concluding with a performance of "Good Golly Miss Molly", with Lewis backing him on piano.
Events (2007 to 2008)
Fogerty completed his first new country-rock album in three years, RevivalRevival (John Fogerty album)
Revival is a 2007 studio album by American roots rock singer-songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty, and is his first new album in three years. The album is also the third album since rejoining Fantasy Records...
, which was released on October 2, 2007. Heavily promoted by the label, Revival
Revival (John Fogerty album)
Revival is a 2007 studio album by American roots rock singer-songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty, and is his first new album in three years. The album is also the third album since rejoining Fantasy Records...
debuted at number 14 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart with sales about 65,000 copies in its first week. Revival was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album of 2008 but lost to the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
.
On February 10, 2008, he appeared with Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
and Little Richard on the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
's Show. Along with these rock icons and his regular touring band, he played his ultra-rare 1973 single "Comin' Down The Road" leading into Lewis and Richard's performances of "Great Balls Of Fire," and "Good Golly Miss Molly," respectively.
On March 16, 2008, Fogerty kicked off an Australian tour. On March 22 in Point Nepean, Australia, surprise guest Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
joined Fogerty on stage, performing two songs: "Broken Down Cowboy," off Fogerty's newest album Revival, and "Cotton Fields," from CCR's album Willy & the Poor Boys.
Fogerty's current touring band includes Dave Santos on bass, Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
on drums, Matt Nolen on keyboards, guitar & mandolin, Hunter Perrin on guitars Billy Burnette
Billy Burnette
William Beau "Billy" Burnette III is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter who was part of the band Fleetwood Mac from 1987 to 1995. Burnette also had a brief career in acting.-Family background:...
(of Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
fame) on guitars, and Dan Hochhalter on fiddle, mandolin, and guitars.
On June 24, 2008, Fogerty made a return to the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, a venue he last played with CCR in 1971. It was the last concert on his 2008 European Tour. This concert was filmed (causing staging problems that annoyed some fans) and was released in 2009.
On April 16, 2009, Fogerty performed his hit "Centerfield," from center field, at the opening day festivities of the new Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
.
Recent events (2009 to present)
On July 2, 3 and 4, 2009, Fogerty performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, which was completely sold out for these shows. Although the night was billed as Fogerty with the LA Philharmonic, the LA Philharmonic began the night with music by American composers, and Fogerty and his band came on after intermission and played all of his greatest hits. Fogerty and his band played only three songs with the orchestra.On August 31, 2009, Fogerty released a sequel to his 1973 solo debut The Blue Ridge Rangers, called The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. The album includes a duet with Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
on the 1960 Everly Brothers classic "When Will I Be Loved?." In addition, Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
and Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy B. Schmit
Timothy Bruce Schmit is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his work as bass guitar player and singer for Poco and the Eagles. Schmit has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist.-Early career:Raised in Sacramento, Schmit began playing in the folk music group...
of The Eagles sing with Fogerty on a cover of Rick Nelson's 1972 classic "Garden Party."
The original announcement of this album was on December 10, 2008, where Billboard.com article announced that besides the Royal Albert Hall DVD, Fogerty was working on recording a new album of mostly country covers, called "The Return of the Blue Ridge Rangers". The album, titled The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
- Tracks not included :There were 15 songs recorded from a long list of songs that Fogerty, Burnett and Waronker put together. Fogerty did not release the specific titles, but a Merle Haggard song was revealed to be among the three unreleased tunes.- Production :...
, was the first issued on Fogerty's own label Fortunate Son Records, which is distributed by the Verve Forecast Records
Verve Forecast Records
Verve Forecast Records is a record label specializing in cutting-edge material which was founded in 1967 by Verve Records and since been revived twice....
unit of Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
(UMG).
UMG also handles the Fogerty/CCR Fantasy catalogue.
On October 29, 2009, Fogerty appeared at Madison Square Garden for the first night of the celebratory 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts. Bruce Springsteen, with the E Street Band, called Fogerty out to play three songs with them. "Fortunate Son" was their first song, followed by "Proud Mary" and finally the duo tried their take on Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman." The show aired as a four-hour special on HBO on November 29, 2009.
On November 3, 2009, Fogerty released the Royal Albert Hall DVD entitled Comin' Down The Road
Comin' Down the Road
Comin' Down The Road is a DVD release from John Fogerty released on November 3, 2009. The DVD features songs from Fogerty's show at Royal Albert Hall during his 2008 tour.-Track listing:*All tracks written by Fogerty unless noted.#Comin' Down the Road...
, named after his 1973 single, which he performed at this concert. Fogerty was also nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
at the 2010 Grammys
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
. He was nominated for the Best Rock Solo Vocal Performance Grammy for the song "Change In The Weather," which he recorded for The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again
- Tracks not included :There were 15 songs recorded from a long list of songs that Fogerty, Burnett and Waronker put together. Fogerty did not release the specific titles, but a Merle Haggard song was revealed to be among the three unreleased tunes.- Production :...
.
On July 25, 2010, Fogerty appeared at the induction ceremonies for the Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
in Cooperstown, New York. He performed his 1985 single, "Centerfield", and donated his baseball bat shaped-guitar to the Hall that day.
For his songwriting achievements, Fogerty was honored as a BMI
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
Icon at the 58th annual BMI Pop Awards on May 18, 2010. BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”
Fogerty performed at the Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held yearly in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark and Poland. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg...
concert on October 30, 2010. He performed several of his classic Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
songs including the song "Long as I Can See The Light" from the Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970 and released as Fantasy 8402, the same month as the single release of "Lookin' out My Back Door" b/w "Long As I Can See the Light" .The name of the album comes from...
album which he had not notably performed live in his solo career prior to this. He was accompanied by the II Novecento Orchestra.
Fogerty has a new album that he's set to start recording in 2011, but he refuses to reveal many details about the project. "Because of the special nature of it, the release of it will be driven by how soon we accomplish everything we're trying to accomplish -- without giving any more of it away," Fogerty told the Canadian Press in July 2011. "I will be having some other artists guest with me so that makes it -- it's not all under my control, let's put it that way. I hope to have a lot of really high-calibre players and we should have lot of fun with the material but I really can't say much more about it right now."
November 17, 2011 John Fogerty performed on the Late Show with David Letterman. On November 17th and 18th, Fogerty performed two Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....
albums, Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory
Cosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970 and released as Fantasy 8402, the same month as the single release of "Lookin' out My Back Door" b/w "Long As I Can See the Light" .The name of the album comes from...
and Green River
Green River
-Canada:*Green River , a tributary of the Lillooet River*Green River -United States:* Green River , a tributary of the Rock River* Green River , a tributary of the Ohio River...
(respectively), in their entirety at the Beacon Theater in New York City (he also played Cosmo's Factory in Atlantic City on November 20th). He was also featured on the CBS coverage of the Thanksgiving Day Parade, performing several prerecorded songs.
Musical equipment
Fogerty's first electric guitar was a SilvertoneSilvertone (instruments)
Silvertone was the brand name used by Sears, Roebuck and Company for its line of sound equipment from 1915 to 1972. A hand-cranked phonograph was introduced under the Silvertone brand by Sears in 1915...
with a small five watt amplifier which he bought at Sears with $80 he had earned from his paper route
Paperboy
A paperboy is the general name for a person employed by a newspaper, They are often used around the office to run low end errands. They make copies and distribute them. Paperboys traditionally were and are still often portrayed on television and movies as preteen boys, often on a bicycle...
. During the mid-sixties with the Golliwogs, Fogerty played a Fender Mustang
Fender Mustang
The Fender Mustang is an electric guitar by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, introduced in 1964 as the basis of a major redesign of Fender's student models then consisting of the Musicmaster and Duo-Sonic. It was produced until 1982 and reissued in 1990.In the 1960s, it was used in Surf...
that he later traded for a Rickenbacker 325
Rickenbacker 325
-Overview:The Rickenbacker 325 was the first of the Capri series of hollow body guitars released in 1958 by Rickenbacker. It was designed by Roger Rossmeisl, a guitar craftsman from a family of German instrument makers. Production models were 20-3/4" short scale, dot fretboard inlays, and a small ...
which he modified with a Bigsby vibrato and Gibson rear pickup
PAF (pickup)
P.A.F. or just PAF is the world's first humbucker guitar pickup, invented by Seth Lover in 1955 as an engineer for Gibson and began use in mass production guitars in 1956 or 1957. However Rickenbacker and Gretsch had developed humbucking pickups also...
. During the early days of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty used a Gibson ES-175
Gibson ES-175
The Gibson ES-175 is an electric guitar manufactured by the Gibson Guitar Corporation, currently still in production. It is a 24 3/4" scale full hollow body guitar with a trapeze tailpiece and Tune-O-Matic bridge...
which was later stolen and subsequently replaced by a Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
. During the latter Creedence era Fogerty used at least two Les Pauls, one with a Bigsby vibrato and one with a standard tailpiece. For amplifiers Fogerty used a Kustom K-200-A4.
During his solo career Fogerty continued to use Gibson guitars such as a Les Paul Junior
Gibson Les Paul Junior
The Gibson Les Paul Jr. is a solid body electric guitar introduced in 1954 as an affordable, entry level Les Paul. It was first released with a single cut body style however models with a double cut body style were later introduced in 1958.-History:...
and Les Paul Goldtop reissue as well as various Fender guitars, including a Fender Telecaster
Fender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
modified with Stratocaster middle pickup and humbucker
Humbucker
A humbucker is a type of electric guitar pickup, first patented by Seth Lover and the Gibson company, that uses two coils, both generating string signal. Humbuckers have higher output than a single coil pickup since both coils are connected in series...
in the bridge position and a Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
fitted with two Fender Telecaster Deluxe
Fender Telecaster Deluxe
The Fender Telecaster Deluxe is a solid-body electric guitar originally produced from 1972 to 1981, and since re-issued by Fender in 2004 as the '72 Telecaster Deluxe.-History:...
humbuckers. He played a five-ply Washburn (unknown model) at the San Francisco "Concert Against AIDS" on May 29, 1989. He also used Mesa Boogie
Mesa Boogie
Mesa/Boogie is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969....
, Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan
Seymour Duncan is a company that is best known for manufacturing of guitar pickups, and currently has a line of effects pedals. The company was founded in 1976 by guitarist and luthier Seymour W. Duncan and his then-wife Cathy Carter Duncan in Goleta, California, USA...
and Marshall
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company, founded by drummer Jim Marshall, that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, brands personal headphones/earphones , and, after acquiring Natal Drums, drums and bongos. Marshall amplifiers, and specifically their guitar amplifiers, are among the most...
amplifiers.
Lately Fogerty has taken a big arsenal of guitars with him on tour including many of the abovementioned guitars, four PRS
Paul Reed Smith
Paul Reed Smith , is a luthier and the founder and owner of PRS Guitars.Smith is originally from Bowie, Maryland. He made his first guitar while at St. Mary's College of Maryland, and continued to build guitars after he finished college, making them one at a time, one a month...
guitars in various finishes, two Taylor
Taylor Guitars
Taylor Guitars is an El Cajon, California‐based luthier, specializing in acoustic guitars, as well as semi-hollow and solidbody electric guitars. It was established in 1974 by Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug.- History :...
acoustic guitars, three Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball
Ernie Ball was an American entrepreneur, musician, and innovator, widely acclaimed as a revolutionary in the development of guitar-related products. He began as a club and local television musician and small business entrepreneur, building an international business in guitars and accessories that...
guitars, a 1956 Les Paul Gold Top with P-90
P-90
The P-90 is a single coil electric guitar pickup produced by Gibson since 1946. Having a more complex architecture and larger dimensions than Fender's single coils, it is occasionally mistaken for a humbucker.- History :...
pickups and a Maton BB1200
Maton
Maton is an Australian manufacturer of guitars and other fretted musical instruments.Maton was founded in 1946 as the Maton Musical Instruments Company by Bill May and his brother Reg...
. For amplification Fogerty uses Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier
Mesa Boogie
Mesa/Boogie is a company in Petaluma, California that makes amplifiers for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969....
heads into Ampeg
Ampeg
Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
cabinets, a 2x15 cabinet for his clean sounds and Cornford MK100 head with a 4x12 Wizard cabinet for his distorted and lead sounds.
With Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Creedence Clearwater RevivalCreedence Clearwater Revival (album)Creedence Clearwater Revival is the first album by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1968.The reissue liner notes state that while "Susie Q" proved to be a hit, the band had played for years as the Golliwogs in the early 1960s, releasing numerous singles before...
(1968) - Bayou CountryBayou CountryBayou Country is the second studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in January 1969, and was the first of three albums CCR released in that year .- Original album :...
(1969) - Green RiverGreen River (album)Green River is the third studio album by American rock and roll band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in August 1969 after their second release Bayou Country which was released in January of the same year . In 2003, the album was ranked number 95 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500...
(1969) - Willy and the Poor BoysWilly and the Poor BoysWilly and the Poor Boys is the fourth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in November 1969, and was the last of three studio albums that the band released in that year ....
(1969) - Cosmo's FactoryCosmo's FactoryCosmo's Factory is the fifth studio album by American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released by Fantasy Records in July 1970 and released as Fantasy 8402, the same month as the single release of "Lookin' out My Back Door" b/w "Long As I Can See the Light" .The name of the album comes from...
(1970) - Pendulum (1970)
- Mardi GrasMardi Gras (album)Mardi Gras is the seventh and final studio album by American band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released in 1972. The group broke up after this album was released. The album was re-released in remastered format as a Japan exclusive in January 2011...
(1972)
As a solo artist
- The Blue Ridge RangersThe Blue Ridge RangersThe Blue Ridge Rangers is the first solo album by John Fogerty, the former lead singer and lead guitarist of Creedence Clearwater Revival....
(1973) - John FogertyJohn Fogerty (album)John Fogerty is the second solo album by former Creedence Clearwater Revival vocalist/guitarist John Fogerty, released in 1975. It was released by Asylum Records in the United States and Fantasy Records internationally....
(1975) - CenterfieldCenterfieldCenterfield is an album by musician John Fogerty, released in 1985. It was his most popular post-Creedence album, containing the hit singles "The Old Man Down the Road", "Rock and Roll Girls" and the title track "Centerfield". Fogerty played all the instruments on this album himself, thanks to...
(1985) - Eye of the ZombieEye of the ZombieEye of the Zombie is a 1986 album by American singer/songwriter John Fogerty. It was his first album with a backing band, and it includes the Creedence-inspired track "Change in the Weather" as well as "Wasn't That a Woman" and "Soda Pop," his first forays into 60s-70s Motown-sounding funk and R&B...
(1986) - Blue Moon SwampBlue Moon SwampBlue Moon Swamp is a 1997 album by American singer/songwriter John Fogerty featuring his newly written and published Southern rock/swamp rock music. Guest musicians for vocal backing, the Lonesome River Band, were invited to join in on "Southern Streamline" and "Rambunctious Boy"...
(1997) - PremonitionPremonition (John Fogerty album)Premonition is a 1998 live CD and DVD by John Fogerty. He performs both songs by his earlier band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, as well as songs composed during his period as a solo artist. It was recorded with a live audience at Warner Bros. Studios, Stage 15 on December 12 & 13th, 1997...
(live album) (1998) - Deja Vu (All Over Again)Deja Vu (All Over Again)Deja Vu is a 2004 album by John Fogerty. It was released after the lapse of 7 years from previous studio album Blue Moon Swamp...
(2004) - RevivalRevival (John Fogerty album)Revival is a 2007 studio album by American roots rock singer-songwriter/guitarist John Fogerty, and is his first new album in three years. The album is also the third album since rejoining Fantasy Records...
(2007) - The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides AgainThe Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again- Tracks not included :There were 15 songs recorded from a long list of songs that Fogerty, Burnett and Waronker put together. Fogerty did not release the specific titles, but a Merle Haggard song was revealed to be among the three unreleased tunes.- Production :...
(2009)