Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California, in 1959. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bassist Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967. The band's most prolific and successful period, between 1969 and 1971, produced 14 consecutive top-10 singles (many of which were double A-sides) and five consecutive top-10 albums in the United States, two of which—Green River (1969) and Cosmo's Factory (1970)—topped the Billboard 200 chart. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in upstate New York and was the first major act signed to appear there.

CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom had quit the band the previous year and John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in lawsuits among the former bandmates. John's disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz led to more court cases and John refused to perform with the two other surviving members of the band—Tom had died in 1990—at Creedence's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though the band has never publicly reunited, John continues to perform CCR songs as part of his solo act, while Cook and Clifford performed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited from 1995 to 2020.

CCR's music remains popular and is a staple of U.S. classic rock radio airplay. The compilation album Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, originally released in 1976, is still on the Billboard 200 and reached the 750-week mark in June 2025. It has been certified 12-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for at least 12 million copies sold in the U.S.

History

Early career: The Blue Velvets (1959–1964)

John Fogerty, Doug Clifford, and Stu Cook met at Portola Junior High School in El Cerrito, California. Calling themselves the Blue Velvets, the trio predominantly played instrumental covers of acts such as The Ventures and Duane Eddy, coupled with a selection of "jukebox standards" that Fogerty sang on. The Blue Velvets backed John's older brother Tom at recordings and performances before he joined the band, at which point the band was renamed Tommy Fogerty & The Blue Velvets. The band had also released three singles, the second of which was picked up by Casey Kasem, who worked at KEWB, Oakland. In 1964 they signed with Fantasy Records, an independent jazz label in San Francisco. The band was attracted to the label after hearing Vince Guaraldi's instrumental "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", which the label had released to national success.

Vision and the Golliwogs (1964–1967)

For the band's first release, Fantasy co-owner Max Weiss renamed the group the Golliwogs (after the children's book character Golliwog). Prior to the Golliwog name, Weiss had renamed them Vision. The band members' roles changed during this period; Cook switched from piano to bass guitar and Tom Fogerty from lead vocals to rhythm guitar; John became the band's lead vocalist and primary songwriter. In Tom's words: "I could sing, but John had a sound!" For their work with this band, Tom took on the name "Rann Wild" and John became "Toby Green". Both sides of each of the group's first six singles (issued between 1964 and 1966) were credited to the writing team of Wild/Green.

In 1966, John Fogerty and Doug Clifford were drafted into the U.S. armed forces; Fogerty joined the U.S. Army Reserve, while Clifford joined the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve. Speaking of his experience in the US Army, Fogerty has said: "I would become delirious and go into a trance. And I started narrating this story to myself, which was the song 'Porterville'." John Fogerty eventually took control of the group by singing lead vocals and blossoming into a multi-instrumentalist who played keyboards, harmonica, and saxophone in addition to lead guitar. By 1967, he was producing the group's recordings, although without credit. The group's final single, "Porterville", failed to chart (like every other Golliwogs recording), but the exact same recording was shortly thereafter issued as a track by Creedence Clearwater Revival on that group's first album.

Name change to Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968–1969)

In 1967 Saul Zaentz bought Fantasy Records and offered the band a chance to record an album. Having hated the name "the Golliwogs" from day one, the band decided on their own name, Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), which they took in January 1968. According to interviews with the band members 20 years later, the name's elements came from three sources: Tom Fogerty's friend Credence Newball, whose name they changed to form the word Creedence (as in creed); a television commercial for Olympia Brewing Company ("clear water"); and the four members' renewed commitment to their band. Rejected contenders for the band's name included "Muddy Rabbit", "Gossamer Wump", and "Creedence Nuball and the Ruby"; the last was the starting point, though, from which the band derived its final name. Cook described the name as "weirder than Buffalo Springfield or Jefferson Airplane". It was the band's second single, its first to reach the top 40 (number 11), and its only top-40 hit not written by John Fogerty. Two other singles were released from their May 1968 debut self-titled album, a cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You" (number 58) and "Porterville" (released on the Scorpio label with writing credited to "T. Spicebush Swallowtail"), written during Fogerty's time in the Army Reserve.

Peak success: 1969–1970

thumb|CCR in concert in [[Inglewood, California, December 1969]]

After their breakthrough, CCR began touring and started work on their second album, Bayou Country (released January 1969), at RCA Studios in Los Angeles. A number-seven platinum hit, the record was their first in a string of hit albums and singles that continued uninterruptedly for two years. The single "Proud Mary", backed with "Born on the Bayou", reached number two on the national Billboard chart. The former eventually became the group's most covered song, with some 100 versions by other artists to date, including the number-four 1971 hit by Ike & Tina Turner, two years to the week after the original peaked. John cites this song as being the result of high spirits on gaining his discharge from the Army Reserve. The band's third album, Green River, which followed in August 1969, was their first album to top the Billboard 200, and went gold, along with the single "Green River", which also reached number two on the Billboard charts. The B-side of "Green River", "Commotion", peaked at number 30, and the band's emphasis on covers of old favorites continued with "Night Time Is the Right Time".

CCR continued to tour constantly, with performances in July 1969 at the Atlanta Pop Festival and in August 1969 at the Woodstock Festival. At Woodstock, the band took the stage in the early morning, hours after their scheduled start-time. They followed the Grateful Dead, who John said had put the audience to sleep. As he scanned the audience he saw a "Dante scene, just bodies from hell, all intertwined and asleep, covered with mud". In addition to the low-energy crowd, the band also experienced issues with their equipment and lighting, resulting in John vetoing their inclusion in the Woodstock film or soundtrack. Cook, however, praised their set, saying, "The performances are classic CCR and I'm still amazed by the number of people who don't even know we were one of the headliners at Woodstock '69."

On January 13, 2023, Fogerty announced on Twitter that he now owned the rights to the CCR global catalog after a 50-year legal battle. Fogerty bought a majority stake in the rights to the band's catalogue from Concord Records, which has owned the rights since 2004.

Legacy

Rolling Stone ranked CCR 82nd on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

In 2003, Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list included Green River at number 95, Cosmo's Factory at number 265, and Willy and the Poor Boys at number 392. The following year, on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, Rolling Stone included "Fortunate Son" at number 99, "Proud Mary" at number 155, "Who'll Stop the Rain" at number 188, and "Bad Moon Rising" at number 355.

"Fortunate Son" was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important" in 2013.

"Fortunate Son", "Proud Mary", and Cosmo's Factory have all been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. "Proud Mary" is ranked at number 39 on VH1's "100 Greatest Rock Songs" list. "Bad Moon Rising" is ranked at number 363 on NME's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.

Members

  • Doug Clifford – drums, percussion, backing and occasional lead vocals (1959–1972, 1974, 1980, 1983)
  • Stu Cook – bass guitar, backing and occasional lead vocals, keyboards, rhythm and lead guitar (1959–1972, 1974, 1980, 1983)
  • John Fogerty – lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica, saxophone (1959–1972, 1974, 1980, 1983)
  • Tom Fogerty – rhythm guitar, backing and lead vocals (1959–1971, 1974, 1980; died 1990)

Discography

Creedence Clearwater Revival discography

  • Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968)
  • Bayou Country (1969)
  • Green River (1969)
  • Willy and the Poor Boys (1969)
  • Cosmo's Factory (1970)
  • Pendulum (1970)
  • Mardi Gras (1972)

The Blue Velvets discography

{| class="wikitable"

|+ style="text-align: left;" | Singles

! Title !! Writer(s) !! Catalog ref. !! Recorded !! Location !! Released !! Vocals !! Producer

|-

| "Come on Baby" || Tom Fogerty || OA-6177

| Fall 1961 || Orchestra Studios, Oakland, California || October 1961 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Oh My Love" || Tom Fogerty || OA-6177

| Fall 1961 || Orchestra Studios, Oakland, California || October 1961 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Have You Ever Been Lonely" || John Fogerty || OA-611010

| Late 1961 || Orchestra Studios, Oakland, California || Early 1962 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Bonita" || John and Tom Fogerty || OA-611010

| Late 1961 || Orchestra Studios, Oakland, California || Early 1962 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Yes You Did" || Tom Fogerty || OA-6252 201

| 1962 || Orchestra Studios, Oakland, California || June 1962 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Now You're Not Mine" || John Fogerty || OA-6252 201

| 1962 || Orchestra Studios, Oakland, California || June 1962 || Tom Fogerty ||

|}

The Golliwogs discography

{| class="wikitable"

! Title !! Writer(s) !! Catalog ref. !! Recorded !! Studio !! Released !! Vocals !! Notes

|-

| "Don't Tell Me No Lies" || John and Tom Fogerty || Fantasy 590

| Mid 1964 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || November 1964 || John and Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Little Girl (Does Your Momma Know)" || John and Tom Fogerty || Fantasy 590

| Mid 1964 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || November 1964 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Where You Been" || John and Tom Fogerty || Fantasy 597

| January 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || April 1965 || Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "You Came Walking" || John and Tom Fogerty || Fantasy 597

| January 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || April 1965 || John and Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "You Can't Be True" || John and Tom Fogerty || Fantasy 599

| April 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || July 1965 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "You Got Nothin' on Me" || John and Tom Fogerty || Fantasy 599

| April 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || July 1965 || John and Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "I Only Met You Just an Hour Ago" || John and Tom Fogerty ||

| April 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John and Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Brown-Eyed Girl" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 404

| August 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || November 1965 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "You Better Be Careful" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 404

| August 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || November 1965 || John Fogerty with Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "Gonna Hang Around" || John and Tom Fogerty ||

| November 1965 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Fight Fire" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 405

| February 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || March 1966 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Fragile Child" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 405

| February 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || March 1966 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Try Try Try" || John and Tom Fogerty ||

| February 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John and Tom Fogerty ||

|-

| "She Was Mine" || John and Tom Fogerty ||

| Early 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Instrumental No. 1" || John and Tom Fogerty ||

| Early 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || ||

|-

| "Action USA" || || radio promotional spot

| June 1966 || || || ||

|-

| "Little Tina" || John and Tom Fogerty ||

| Mid 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Walking on the Water" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 408

| August 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || September 1966 || John Fogerty || re-recorded as "Walk on the Water" for Creedence Clearwater Revival

|-

| "You Better Get It Before It Gets You" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 408

| August 1966 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || September 1966 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Tell Me" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 410, cancelled

| May 1967 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "You Can't Be True" || John and Tom Fogerty || Scorpio 410, cancelled

| May 1967 || Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California || 2001 || John Fogerty ||

|-

| "Porterville" || John Fogerty || Scorpio 412

| October 1967 || Coast Recorders, San Francisco, California || November 1967 || John Fogerty || produced by John Fogerty, later released on Creedence Clearwater Revival

|-

| "Call it Pretending" || John Fogerty || Scorpio 412

| October 1967 || Coast Recorders, San Francisco, California || November 1967 || John Fogerty || produced by John Fogerty

|}

See also

  • John Fogerty discography
  • Tom Fogerty discography

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Creedence Clearwater Revisited official site
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Ed Sullivan Show
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival at WorldMusicDatabase
  • Pop Chronicles Interviews No. 41 - John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival
  • Creedence Clearwater Revival - The History