JOHN FOGERTY

By Eric Dankers from Belgium

(Note: I copied and pasted this text from Eric's site "Swamp River Days" just in case it went down.)

1945 -John Cameron Fogerty is born on May 28 in Berkeley California.
1959- John Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford found The Blue Velvets. Yet the same year, Tom Fogerty joins in and becomes the singer of the group. His younger brother plays the lead guitar and Doug hits the drums. At first Stu plays the piano, later on he'll switch over to bass guitar. A first single Come on Baby/Oh My Love appears in 1961.
1964 - When Fantasy Records releases the single Don't Tell Me no Lies, it's name is listed as The Golliwogs. Don’t Tell Me no Lies and Brown Eyed Girl become local hits in the Bay Area of San Francisco. Over the succeeding three years, the group records some more singles, none of which create a stir.
1967 - Under the influence of Saul Zaentz, the new head of Fantasy, and much more a businessman than his predecessor, the decision is made to start with a clean slate. Tom's friend Creedence Nuball and a commercial about Clearwater beer give shape to a new name which will write history in the world of rock music : Creedence Clearwater Revival !  The band comes out with a new sense of musical direction and purpose. It is John Fogerty who, as the singer / songwriter, will define the famous Creedence sound.
1968 - The first album Creedence Clearwater Revival appears in June. The extended version of Dale Hawkins' Suzie Q reaches the top 10 on the national hit charts. I Put a Spell on You, another track from the same album, will hit the charts twice through the years.
1969 - Proud Mary, the new single taken from the second LP Bayou Country, launches the group for a worldwide success career. A third album Green River is released in autumn with a golden record award for the title song and Bad Moon Rising.

Of course CCR takes part of the famous Woodstock Music and Art Fair in Bethel NY. They do their gig in the middle of the night, under infernal circumstances and conquering several technical problems. Fogerty finds that the band’s performance isn’t good enough and he refuses to release the material for the movie and the soundtrack of the festival. During the next period of time, John Fogerty just knocks off one giant hit after the other such as Down on the Corner and Fortunate Son from the fourth album Willy and the Poorboys.
 
1970 - With Cosmo's Factory, the band probably releases its most successful album ever. It's a collection of rock classics from which Travelin' Band, Up Around the Bend, Who'll Stop the Rain and Lookin' out My Back Door scale the hit lists.
 
Creedence is proclaimed the most popular rock band in several pop-polls. A first European tour brings the guys to London where they do a few legendary concerts in the Royal Albert Hall.
 
The sixth LP Pendulum still contains the strong Have You Ever Seen the Rain and Hey Tonight but it's more and more clear that the relations within the group are getting strained. History tells that Tom, Stu and Doug no longer agree with their status as a backing band for John.
 
1971 -In February the announcement comes that Tom Fogerty abandons Creedence, holding out the prospect of a solo career. The others decide to continue as a trio. Sweet Hitch-Hiker still reaches the higher regions of the charts, a next album however isn't to be expect soon.  As part of a world tour, they come to Antwerp (Belgium) for a sold out concert at the local sports arena (where I had the time of my life among 12 000 enthusiast spectators).

1972 - A single Blue Ridge Mountain Blues / Have Thine Own Way Lord is released. It is signed by a group called Blue Ridge Rangers. BRR is a one-man-band in which John plays all the instruments. In spite of a good version of Hank Williams' Jambalaya, the interest for this country project is rather moderate.

1972 -Arnold Zwaenepoel from Brussels founds a CCR-fanclub for Belgium which periodically publishes a newsletter called Bayou Revival.  The new album Mardi Gras finally comes out in April. It shows obviously the nearby split of the group. Stu Cook as well as Doug Clifford perform their self-written songs. Someday Never Comes is the last single that gets a shy quotation in the hit lists. It is the only single release from CCR that doesn't get a golden record award.
 
October 16. Fantasy Records announces the official end of Creedence Clearwater Revival. At that time each of the band members is already occupied with solo-projects.
  1973 -The album Blue Ridge Rangers doesn't contain any Fogerty songs and only Hearts of Stone slightly reminds of Creedence. The next two singles You don't owe Me and Coming Down the Road will never appear on a second BRR-album.  Later this year, John comes into serious conflict with Fantasy Records. The contract that was signed by the inexperienced CCR-boys at the beginning of their career, has obligations in it that John can no longer agree with. The rupture between both sides is inevitable and the juridical tug of war will strongly influence Fogerty's further career.

1975 - Together with the record company Asylum, John extorts a compromise through which he can get to work again. He swears not to play any Creedence songs ever again. The single Rockin' all over the World, successfully covered by Status Quo later on, just as the album John Fogerty, is treated with mixed feelings by the public. For some it is nothing but a straight flop, for others the album gets a real cult status through the years.
1976 -As a precursor of the next LP Hoodoo, the single You Got the Magic / Evil Thing has been released. Hoodoo however will never see daylight because John is not satisfied with the result of his work. The bootleg recording of this album is a much wanted collector's item for the fans.  Completely dejected and took up by the worries with Fantasy, John retires from the music world. Like an hermit he works in his own recording studio on his ultimate masterpiece.
1981 -Peter Koers founds the worldwide CCR- John Fogerty fanclub. Through the years, the membership fluctuates between 100 and 500. Although the fanclub has never been officially recognized, it is almost the only source of information for the fans.
1985 - With Centerfield, John Fogerty successfully walks into the music world again. The opening track of this album, The Old Man Down the Road, is a swamp song that recalls memories from the best Creedence days, and it appears promptly in the hit charts.
The last track, Zanz Kan't Danz (referring to Saul Zaentz of Fantasy Records), gets John involved in a lawsuit with the record company once more. Hilarity everywhere when he is accused of plagiarizing himself. His new work is said to resemble his old Creedence work too much, on which Fantasy is still in control.
1986- The single Eye of the Zombie sets the trend for the LP with the same name. Fogerty delivers a gloomy piece of work about violence and dark forces. He takes part at a few benefit concerts where he plays Creedence songs again, for the first time since years. Besides this sporadic appearances, John puts himself in a cloud of silence for more than a decade.

 
1993 - Creedence Clearwater Revival is inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Only the greatest names in rock music are promoted for this honourable award. The chance of a unique reunion is not been taken because John refuses to perform with his former band mates.
1997 - All at once this silence comes to an end when Hot Rod Heart, Blue Boy and Rambunctious Boy rumble through the sound boxes. These and other little jewels appear on Blue Moon Swamp, probably the best solo album John Fogerty has ever made so far. With this potential baggage, completed by a grasp from the Creedence stuff, he can go on world tour without any shame.
1998 - February 25th. At the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, Blue Moon Swamp has been voted best rock album of the year. At last, John gets the recognition he deserves. The day before, He also achieves a lifetime award from Gibson guitars.
May 29th. Premonition, John's live-CD sparkles in the racks of the music shops. The CD contains one new song (Premonition) and a mix of songs from his various solo albums as well as some of the best Creedence hits. A video and a DVD are available a few weeks later.
Octobre 1st. John gets a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's another sign of recognition for the lifetime career of the man.
2000 - June/July. John performs as the supporting act on Tina Turner’s Twenty Four Seven Millennium Tour in Europe this summer. Band members are: Kenny Aronoff on drums, Rick Vito and Tom Bulkovic on guitar and Dave Santos on bass. In August Big Mon is the name of a CD, dedicated to the legendary Bill Monroe. Ricky Skaggs is the animator of this project. John Fogerty contributes with a "rollin" version of Blue Moon of Kentucky.

2001 -Fantasy Records releases a 6-CD CCR Box Set. Besides CCR's 7 studio albums and 2 live albums, the set contains 4 tracks by The blue Velvets, 12 tracks originally released as singles + 8 more making their first appearance on record, by the Golliwogs. Also included are some rare promotional spots and an essay by Ben Fong-Torres.
2002 - February. Evangeline Made is the name of a compilation, dedicated to Cajun music. John contributes with Doug Kershaw's Diggy Liggy Lo.
2003 -February. John Fogerty participates on the Salute to the Blues concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall. The event features blues legends such as B.B. King, Solomon Burke, Natalie Cole, Robert Cray, Aerosmith, Bonnie raitt, Buddy Guy en Dr. John.
2004 - September. Déjà Vu (All Over Again) : John's first studio album in 7 years calls up mixed emotions. Some people are disappointed because it doesn't sound like Creedence, while others find it the best record he ever made. In his lyrics, John profiles himself as a real family man. The album hits number 1 on the Scandinvian charts for several weeks.

October. John supports the democratic candidate for presidentship. He participates on the Vote For Change Tour, with Bruce Springsteen, REM, John Mellencamp, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and many others. His outing sows dissension between the American fans.

November. John tours in the States, promoting his new album. He presents a tremendous mix of CCR songs and solo work. Some old CCR songs that he never did solo, are back on the setlist (Bootleg, Keep on chooglin', Sweet Hitch-hiker, Tombstone Shadow, ...)

2005 - Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  Tours in double-header act with John Mellencamp as the opening act.  Many reviews suggest that his opening performance steals the show from the headliner.