After more than half a century of rising to the top, and dissolving as quickly as they came, at a time when many of their period peers have fallen into oblivion of where are they now?, Creedence Clearwater Revival anthems ( CCR) continue to resonate.
There isn't a single bar, authentic dive in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin or Madison where one of John Fogerty's band's immortal titles isn't playing.
Turned into a myth, into one of those jewels of American popular culture revered in cinema (The Big Lebowski), literature (Stephen King) or by the musicians themselves (from John Lennon to Kurt Cobain or Bruce Springsteen), you just have to see what happened to Creedence in July 2021.
On that date, it had been 31 years since one of its members (Tom Fogerty) had passed away. Two others (Stu Cook and Doug Clifford) were already retired from the scene, while the fourth (John) was still shooting, when one of his creations, Have you ever seen the rain (1971), reached number one on the Billboard list. Digital Rock.
Although the seven albums they released in record time, from 1968 to 1972, always managed to be at the top, "that was the first single (single) with which the band achieved number one," says John Lingan in a recently published book. A song for everyone (a song for everyone), in which he traces the most complete history of CCR, according to the reviews.
“The only post-Beatles band to deliver one hit single after another, playing classic rock and roll without sounding archival,” Lingan recalls that Ellen Willis (1941-2006), a renowned American left-wing essayist and critic, once wrote. of pop music.
The reference to the British is not trivial. Willis witnessed that adventure that began in El Cerrito, a town in the San Francisco Bay at whose high school Stu, Doug and John became friends, all three with a high interest in blues and R
"If that sounds familiar, like a somewhat similar story about the Liverpool guys, it's no coincidence," notes Elizabeth Nelson in The Wall Street Journal, reviewing Lingan's work.
“Given their astonishing prolific brilliance, their runaway success on the charts, it would not be remotely outrageous to say that CCR is the American Beatles,” he adds.
More connections are made. The four from El Cerrito were stunned on February 9, 1964 to see the Beatles make their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. Their music was sophisticated and vibrant, "not just dance fodder," Lingan explains of the impression it made on them. They decided that was the formula. No piano, two guitars, bass and drums. And they renamed themselves The Visions.
The group evolved. John took the reins in the musical direction and in the composition. Tom, despite being older and more experienced, accepted the supporting role. Fantasy Records decided to go with them later that year, but gave them a name they hated: The Golliwogs. Something like a doll with bright colors, a black face and curly hair. They were even forced to wear a ridiculous hat at concerts.
They were on their way to fame, though Tom managed the finances, handing each of them $20 a week. Until they signed a new contract. The three pioneers were 22 years old. Thanks to that power, and the success of their recordings, the band felt strong enough to claim another name. There were proposals (Whiskey Rebellion,...), but John imposed his criteria. He was inspired by an advertisement for Olimpia beer in which it was repeated that the secret was water. Creedence Clearwater Revival could mean anything anyone wanted and marked a rebirth.
It was 1968 and they released a self-titled album CCR. It contained their own creations, such as Porteville (re-recorded) or others who made their own, such as Suzie Q. That was the great takeoff to success. In 1969 they released another three LPs (Bayou Country, Green River and Willy and the Poor Boys) that placed them on the altar of glory. The three works are considered among the best in the history of rock and roll. The Creedences were different not only artistically. They rejected hard drugs and hallucinogens and made it a rule not to drink alcohol before performances.
Despite this policy, CCR was the product of a turbulent time (racial strife, free love, and free speech on campus) and became synonymous with opposition to the Vietnam War. Although Tom and Stu escaped, John and Doug were put on the draft lists and participated in boot camps. Lacking university degrees or other circumstances to be excluded, the two hung the threat of being sent to the conflict in Southeast Asia.
John's radicalization continued in Cosmo's Factory, his 1970 full-length.
Falsely, Lingan argues, they were accused of being more of a commercial product than a genuine countercultural creation.
Despite the success, and without the fans having a clue, the inner life of the group was clouded by the imposition of John as the sole song writer, band leader, lead singer, producer and, finally, business manager, which led to him signing terrible contracts with Fantasy that required decades of litigation.
He established such control that he prohibited doing encores. He announced it to his classmates at the conclusion of a concert in Minneapolis. Doug confronted him, they almost came to blows. Stu and Tom's silence made Clifford see that he had lost.
However, that iron hand, which prevented improvisations, made Tom say goodbye after recording Pendulum. The brothers fell out. John did not attend Tom's deathbed, who died of AIDS in 1990 after receiving a blood transfusion.
There were more concerts in trio formation. And they still put out their seventh studio album (Mardi Gras, 1972). It was the obituary of the Creedence and the beginning of the legend.
