Creedance Clearwater Revival (CCR) formed in the early 1960's, became hugely popular in the late 1960's and broke-up in the early 1970's. The band members were: John Fogerty (lead vocalist, lead guitarist and primary lyricist), Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitarist and brother of John), Stu Cook (bassist), and Doug Clifford (drummer). Their musical genre included rock and roll, southern rock and swamp rock (an unusual mixture for a band from in the San Francisco bay area). The band sold over 26 million albums in the US alone and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. John, Stu and Doug all met in high school in El Cerrito, California. They began their musical career playing jukebox standards under the name 'The Blue Velvets'. The trio use John's older brother (by three years) to sing back-up during live gigs and recording sessions. In 1964 the band was signed by Fantasy Records, a local jazz label based in San Francisco. Max Weiss, co-owner of Fantasy Records renamed the group 'The Golliwogs' in an effort to cash in on the wave of popular British bands with similar names. 

The Golliwogs had a small setback when John and Doug were drafted for military service in 1966. Both however, managed to enlist in the Reserves, John in the Army and Doug in the US Coast Guard. In 1967, Fantasy Records was purchased by Saul Zaentz who offered the band a chance to record an album under one condition ... they had to change their name. Never having like the Golliwog name, the band was enthusiastic and came up with the name Creedence Clearwater Revival. Creedence came from the first name of Tom's best friend Credence Newbal (with one 'e'). Clearwater came from a popular commercial for Olympia Beer. Revival spoke to the four member's renewed commitment to the band. Rejected names included: Muddy Rabbit, Creedence Nuball and the Ruby, and Gossamer Wump. In 1968, John and Doug were discharged from the military and all four band members quit their day jobs to focus on the band's music and playing local clubs. Unlike many of their rock and roll peers, the four members of CCR steered clear from drugs (for the most part) throughout their career. The album 'Creedence Clearwater Revival' was released in 1968 and was a hit with critics who touted CCR was a band worthy of attention. AM radio programs took particularly attention to the song 'Suzie Q' which received lots of airplay in San Francisco and Chicago. The song caught the attention of both rock and blues fans. 'Suzie Q' was a remake of the rockabilly singer Dale Hawkins, it was the first song to crack the top 40 reaching #11 nationally. It would be the only top 40 hit not written by John Fogerty. Two other singles from the album were 'I Put a Spell on You', (which reached #58) and 'Porterville', which John wrote while in the Reserves.

DID YOU KNOW? - John Fogerty recorded countless takes of 'Down On the Corner' immediately before recording 'Fortunate Son', resulting in the later song's unique, raspy sounding vocals.

While working hard at live gigs around the country, CCR was also hard at work in the recording studio. Their second album 'Bayou Country' was released in January 1969 and became a platinum hit. The album was the first in a string of album and single releases that the band would see go to the top of the charts in the next three years. 'Bayou Country' showed a well-oiled, tight sound which the band honed during their constant playing at clubs. The single 'Proud Mary' with 'Born On the Bayou' on the flip-side went to number two on the Billboard national chart. 'Proud Mary' is one of rock and roll's most covered song with some 100 cover versions by other artists to date. Ike and Tina Turner had one of the more notable covers in 1971 and Bob Dylan named the song his favorite single of 1969. Just weeks later in March, 'Bad Moon Rising' was released as a single with 'Lodi' on the back-side. This single also reached number two on the national charts. CCR quickly released their third album 'Green River' in August of 1969. The album went gold almost immediately and the band released the single 'Green River' at the same time. The single with 'Commotion' on the flip-side went to (you guessed it), number two on the national charts.

DID YOU KNOW? - John Fogerty always carried a little notebook filled with title of songs he would like to write someday. The first entry in this notebook was 'Proud Mary'.

Creedence continued to tour heavily and played at the Atlanta Pop Festival as well as Woodstock in the summer of 1969. John felt the band's performance at Woodstock was not up to the band's standard and didn't want it in the Woodstock film or the original soundtrack (it was in neither). The band started playing their set at Woodstock at three in the morning because The Grateful Dead jammed way past their scheduled time allotment. Till this day, John is upset that the band played to a sleeping audience at one of the greatest rock shows of all time. But Woodstock didn't matter, the band was busy putting the finishing touches on their fourth album 'Willy and the Poor Boys', which was released in November 1969. The singles 'Down on the Corner' and 'Fortunate Son' climbed to number 3 and 14 respectively by the year's end. 1969 proved to be a remarkable year on the charts for the band: three top ten albums, four hit singles (three charting at number 2 and one at number three). Those singles also produced three additional charting flip-sides. In november of 1969, CCR appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and performed 'Fortunate Son' as well as 'Down on the Corner'.

DID YOU KNOW? - 'There's a Bad Moon On the Rise' is often heard as 'There's a bathroom on the right'. This is such a common misunderstanding of the lyrics that John Fogerty himself often sings the 'bathroom' lyrics himself at live performances as a joke.

As 1970 began, CCR released another double hit single, 'Travelin' Band' and 'Who'll Stop the Rain'. John said the flip side was inspired by the band's performance at Woodstock. 'Travelin' Band' was a fast song which bore enough similarities to 'Good Golly Miss Molly' to warrant a law suit from the song's publisher, the case was settled out of court. The single topped out at number 2 on the national charts. In February, the band was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. The interview in the magazine only featured John. Creedence began their first European tour in the spring of 1970. To support the tour, the band quickly released a new single 'Up Around the Bend' with 'Run Through the Jungle' on the flip-side. The single went to number 4 on the charts and got an enthusiastic response from not only the US market, but European markets as well as the rest of the world. The band returned to their San Francisco studio in June to record what many critics feel was their best album 'Cosmo's Factory'. The album contained the previously released singles 'Travelin' Band' and 'Up Around the Bend' as well as new material such as the opener 'Ramble Tamble' which spoke of life in urban America: "police on the corner, garbage on the sidewalk, actors in the White House". The album also contained yet another number 2 hit 'Lookin' Out My Back Door'. It was the CCR's fifth number 2 single. An eleven minute jam of the 1967 R&B hit 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' was also on the album. An edited, shorter version of the song was released as a single after the band's break-up. 'Cosmo's Factory' was Creedence's best seller and went straight to number 1 on the Billboard album charts and number 11 on the Billboard Soul charts.

DID YOU KNOW? - Creedence Clearwater Revival never had a #1 hit. They had five #2 hit's, (almost as many as Elvis and Madonna who had six #2 hits each). CCR has the odd distinction of having the most #2 hits on the Billboard charts without ever having a #1.

Tensions were rising during the 'Cosmo's' recording sessions. Heavy touring and recording schedules began to take their toll on the band. At this point, John had taken control of the band's creative output and business dealings. Tom, Stu and Doug wanted to have more input but John felt a democratic process would harm the band, not help it. Still the band pushed forward and released the album ' Pendulum' in December 1970. From the album came yet another hit 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?' But continued success alone couldn't relieve the strained relationship between brothers John and Tom. Tom had quit on several occasions, only to be talked into returning. During the recording of 'Pendulum', Tom left the band one more time, this time for good. A public announcement of Tom's departure was made in February 1971. The band considered replacing him but John felt no one could endure being a member of the band at this point. In the spring of 1971, John informed a stunned Stu and Doug that going forward, each band member would have to write and sing their own songs, and that he would merely play guitar for their compositions. Fogerty also informed them that if they didn't agree to his terms, he would leave the band. Stu and Doug agreed, but needless to say, tension's during the recording of their next album were at an all-time high.

DID YOU KNOW? - Many people interpret the lyrics to 'Lookin' Out My Back Door' to a drug induced hallucination, much like the Beatles 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'. The mention of a flying spoon and animal images on the lawn were thought to be references to cocaine and acid. In reality, the members of Creedence Clearwater Revival were not into the drug scene like their peers. The song, they claim was just about sitting on a porch with a child fantasizing.

The band's final album 'Mardi Gras', was released in April 1972. It received poor and sometimes brutal reviews form the critics. Rolling Stone magazine's John Landau called it "the worst album I have ever heard from a major rock band". The album also suffered weak sales. The album had only one hit song, 'Sweet Hitch-Hiker' and not surprisingly, only the songs written by Fogerty had any semblance to the classic CCR sound. 'Mardi Gras' peaked at number 12 on the charts, mostly due to the band's previous momentum. It was the band's worst showing since 1968. Despite the album's poor reviews and strained relationships, the three member band went on a two month tour. On the last tour date in Denver, the band was heckled and pelted with coins thrown at them from the audience. It was the last time CCR performed in public. Fantasy records and the band officially announced the disbanding of Creedence Clearwater Revival soon after the performance.

DID YOU KNOW? - The song 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain' was said to be written about the band's experience at Woodstock. However, the release of the song was right after Tom Fogerty's quitting the band. Many feel it's John's way of saying he should have stayed with the band through it's adversity.

The break-up of Creedence Clearwater Revival is most likely the ugliest break-up in rock's history. There have been stories of lawsuits involving creative issues, record contracts, unethical money practices ... the list goes on and on. Tom Fogerty died of AIDS contracted during a blood transfusion in 1990. Stu and Doug toured for a while as 'Creedence Clearwater Revisited'. John Fogerty filed an injunction in 1997 stating 'Creedence Clearwater Revisited' had to change their name but the courts ruled in Stu and Doug's favor. John went on to have a successful solo career with strong record sales and sold out tours. He released hit singles such as 'Centerfield' and 'The Old Man Down the Road'. John had to give up his CCR song royalties to CCR's record company because CCR didn't follow through with their contractual obligations. The record company also felt that John's solo hit 'The Old Man Down the Road' was a blatant re-write of the CCR hit 'Run Through the Jungle'. A lawsuit ensued, claiming that Fogerty basically plagiarized himself illegally. After CCR's break-up, John refused to play any of their songs until 1987 when both Bob Dylan and George Harrison joined him on stage and told him that if he didn't start playing the band's old hits, people were going to think that 'Proud Mary' was a Tina Turner song.

DID YOU KNOW? - John Fogerty's 'Centerfield' plays continuously at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Perhaps the ugliest of uglies with regards to the relationship between the band members of CCR came in 1993 when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. John Fogerty refused to perform with his surviving bandmates Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. The two were at the ceremony but John would not allow them to perform on stage with an all-star band that included Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Robertson. Even worse, Tom Fogerty's widow Tricia, had expected a Creedence reunion and brought her husband's ashes to the ceremony.