John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an
American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock or roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was
born in Berkeley, California.
John Fogerty plays many instruments including guitar, harmonica, piano, bass, drums, banjo, electronic organ,
percussion, violin, and saxophone.
Creedence Clearwater Revival
John Fogerty singing in foreground on Creedence Clearwater Revival Chronicle cover.
John and his brother, Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford,
and Stu Cook formed the band in El Cerrito, California in the late 1950s as
Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets. The name was changed to The Golliwogs in the mid
1960s, but the band remained unpopular.
The government tried to draft Fogerty in 1966 but instead
he joined an Army reserve unit. He served at Fort Bragg, Fort Knox and Fort
Lee. Fogerty was released from the army in 1967.
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, "Suzie Q". Other hit singles of the band were "Proud Mary",
"Fortunate Son", "Up Around the Bend",
"Lodi", "Green River", "Down on the Corner", "Travelin' Band", "Lookin' Out My Back Door",
"Bad Moon Rising", "Have You Ever
Seen the Rain?" and "Who'll Stop The Rain."
Many people are unaware that Creedence performed at Woodstock in August 1969. They were the first band to be signed, but Fogerty was unhappy with
the band's performance during their set, so he wouldn't give permission for any portion of their performance to be included in
"Woodstock," the film which documented the legendary rock festival.
In 1971 Tom, upset by John's prominence, left the band. Stu and
Doug were hit with a bombshell by Fogerty later that year when he informed them that, for their
next LP, the band would adhere to a new democratic formula, and each of the members would be responsible for a third of the
record. Cook and Clifford, who had only wanted more of a voice in the business decisions, not the onus of having to write and
sing on at least six songs between them, resisted this arrangement. However, Fogerty insisted that they either accept his terms,
or he would quit the band, so they reluctantly agreed. Mardi Gras turned out to be their last, and according to many
(including John) worst, album. Fogerty officially left the band after CCR's last show in Denver, CO. They were booed off the
stage and the crowd threw objects at them. One person threw a quarter at John, which John kept in his pocket for years.
However, his influence was not forgotten with his departure. His guitar playing with
CCR would later lead Rolling
Stone to name him the 40th greatest guitarist of all time.[1]
In the early 1970s Fantasy Records recommended to the Creedence members that they
bank their royalties somewhere in the Caribbean for tax reasons, and all four members did that (as did Fantasy). But at some
point, Fantasy decided the Caribbean bank was not stable and told three Creedence members to withdraw their money. But no one
told John Fogerty and he lost millions while the others avoided the loss. Some say that Fantasy withdrew its money and when the
CCR members were about to withdraw their money, they found out that the bank stopped existing the same day Fantasy ended their
account, leaving CCR with nothing. As the group split up John was forced to fulfill the contract the group had signed, leaving
him in despair. [citation needed]
Solo recording career
John Fogerty began a solo career, originally under the name The Blue Ridge
Rangers for his 1973 debut, on which he played all of the instruments and
covered others' hits, such as "Jambalaya" (which was a Top 40 hit) and some gospel songs
like "Have Thine Own Way, Lord" and "Working On A Building". John Fogerty
was released in 1975. Sales were slim and legal problems delayed a follow-up, though it
yielded two minor hit singles, "Rockin' All Over the World" and
"Almost Saturday Night". The Georgia Satellites later combined the two songs as
"Almost Saturday Night/Rockin' All Over the World". Creedence Clearwater Revival's former music publisher (affiliated with
Fantasy Records) filed a suit against Fogerty, claiming that his new, solo compositions sounded too much like his former work as
songwriter for Creedence.
John had legal trouble with Fantasy records from the time Creedence had broken up. Fantasy decided to hold John to his
contract after Creedence disbanded. Fogerty had stated that the other members of the group were set free, but the label told him
that they would maintain ownership of his future recordings. John stated that he owed Fantasy around 46 tracks.
It was after the breakup of the band in 1972 that John became so bitter towards his bandmates and Zaentz that he decided to
stop playing Creedence material during his live shows. John didn't want anyone else making money off his work. He had cut ties
with Fantasy Records by giving up his future royalties.
After the John Fogerty album was released, John worked on an album that
would have been titled Hoodoo. Covers for the album were created and
a new single was cut. In April 1976, John released, "You got the Magic/Evil Thing" which did poorly. The album was rejected by
Asylum Records on the eve of its release.
Feeling rejection, John moved his family to a farm in Oregon and didn't release a new album for eight years. John stated that
he instructed Asylum Records to destroy the master tapes for "Hoodoo" sometime in the 1980s. John is somewhat of a perfectionist,
often destroying unreleased material. Fogerty says that he was unable to write music during this period of his life.
Creedence did reunite briefly in 1980 at Tom Fogerty's wedding. A few photos exist of the band together.
Fogerty's solo career emerged in full force with 1985'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 either.
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 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). Fogerty ultimately won his case when he proved that the two songs were wholly distinct compositions. Bringing his
guitar to the witness stand, he played excerpts from both songs, demonstrating that many songwriters (himself included) have
distinctive styles that can make different compositions sound similar to less discerning ears.
Fogerty later sued Zaentz for the cost to defend himself against the copyright
infringement lawsuit. In such copyright cases, prevailing defendants seeking recompense are generally bound to show that
the original suit was frivolous or made in bad faith. However, Fogerty v. Zaentz became precedent when the
U.S. Supreme Court overturned lower court rulings in 1993 and awarded attorneys' fees to Fogerty, without Fogerty having to show that Zaentz's original suit was
frivolous.
The follow-up album to Centerfield was Eye of the Zombie in
1986, which was less successful. John toured behind the album, but refused to play any Creedence
material. The album took on a darker mood, talking about a troubled society, terrorism, and pop stars selling out. To this day,
John refuses to play material from the Zombie album.
On February 19, 1987, Fogerty found himself jamming onstage at the Palomino
Club (North Hollywood) in Los Angeles, playing guitar alongside Bob Dylan,
George Harrison, Taj Mahal, and
Jesse Ed Davis. During the jam, Dylan leaned over to Fogerty and asked him to play "Proud
Mary." Bob told Fogerty that if he didn't sing it, everyone would think that it was a Tina
Turner song. John played the song, and a rough bootleg recording exists capturing the moment.
John decided to play the Creedence material again at a concert in Washington DC for
Vietnam Veterans that took place on July 4, 1987. Aside from the show at the Palomino, this was the first time John had broken
out the Creedence tunes since 1972. The show was aired on HBO.
John also contributed a few performances for a Buddy Holly tribute film. Fogerty played
"Rave On," "It's So Easy To Fall in Love," and "Cottonfields" with the Crickets. He also performed at a Roy Orbison tribute concert, playing a version of "Ooby Dooby."
In 1990, John traveled to Mississippi for inspiration. Fogerty visited the gravesite of
blues legend Robert Johnson. He thought about Johnson's box set, which was
selling well, and he thought about the rich lawyer who probably owns the rights to Johnson's songs. Fogerty realized that Robert
Johnson was the true spiritual owner of the songs he had written, and it didn't matter who was making money off them. Fogerty
decided to start making a new album, and perform his old Creedence material in concert.
In 1993, Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame. John Fogerty attended the ceremony, but refused to play with his former bandmates; he was still bitter about them
having sided with Fantasy Records in his disputes with the company. Bruce Springsteen,
who had inducted the group, played with Fogerty that night.
John returned with 1997's Blue Moon Swamp, which
won the Grammy for Best Rock album in 1997.
John Fogerty on Premonition cover
He had a very successful tour in 1998 in the United
States and Europe. He released a live album from that
tour titled Premonition, which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album in 1998, but lost to Sheryl Crow's 'The
Globe Sessions'.
On January 12, 1998, John Fogerty inducted Gene Vincent into the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame.
In 2004 John Fogerty released Deja Vu (All Over Again), on
DreamWorks Records which also took 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 ten songs into only 34 minutes.
In October 2004 John Fogerty appeared on the Vote
for Change tour, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. These
concerts were organized by MoveOn.org with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote for
John Kerry and against George W. Bush in that year's
presidential campaign. Fogerty's numbers were played with Bruce
Springsteen and the E Street Band.
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.
Fogerty appeared in 2004's Santa's Rockin'!, a Christmas-themed home video release
from Australian children's entertainers The Wiggles. Fogerty performed two songs with the
band: "Great Big Man in Red" and "Rockin' Santa".
On June 9 2005, Fogerty was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame alongside Bill Withers,
Steve Cropper, Robert B. Sherman,
Richard M. Sherman, Isaac Hayes and
David Porter.
In September 2005, Fogerty returned to Fantasy Records. That was made possible when
DreamWorks Records was absorbed by Geffen Records, which dropped Fogerty but continued to
distribute his earlier solo albums (coincidentally, Geffen started out as an independent label distributed by Fogerty's earlier
label Warner Bros. Records). 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 on November 1 2005. On
June 13 2006 a live DVD named The Long Road Home - In Concert was released and included live versions of his
biggest solo hits and hits of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The live concert was also issued on a double CD with the same name on
October 31 2006.
Also in September 2005, Fogerty was introduced by Bill
Clinton, former U.S. President, at the From the Big Apple to the Big
Easy Hurricane Katrina relief concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. His set included renditions of Born on the Bayou and
Proud Mary.
The summer of 2006, Fogerty toured the USA with Willie Nelson. On June 29, 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 the European
leg of the tour he also performed in Sundsvall, Sweden. 25,000
people came to see him perform at the town square.
On September 13, 2006, Fogerty had his first concert in Mexico City, at the Auditorio
Nacional, which was sold out to 10,000 fans.
On Thanksgiving Day 2006, Fogerty
performed at halftime of the Miami Dolphins/Detroit
Lions game, as well as the Denver Broncos/Kansas City Chiefs halftime later that evening. [2] [3] [4]
Fogerty completed his first new album in three years, Revival,
which was released on October 2, 2007.[1]
Fogerty has also had his songs covered by other prominent artist including Ike & Tina Turner's version of "Proud Mary" and
British band Status Quo's version of "Rockin' All Over the World", which was a huge hit all over the world (except the USA). The
cover of Fogerty's song was chosen to open Live Aid and, being a favorite of Princess Diana, was included in the Concert for
Diana.
Trivia
- The Fogerty family name is Irish, an Anglicized form of the Irish personal name
Fógartach, from fógartha, meaning 'banished, outlawed' in (Hanks & Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames
[Oxford UP, 1988], p. 187).
- He wrote the CCR hit "Who'll Stop the Rain" after Woodstock about the rain there
and the insecure feelings he had about the future of his band. In concert he always introduces the song saying that there is a
myth that he played it at Woodstock, when in fact he wrote it afterwards, about Woodstock.
- On his live album Premonition, near the end of "Bad Moon Rising"
Fogerty replaces the usual lyric "There's a bad moon on the rise" with a well-known mondegreen, "There's a bathroom on the right." He does this, as well, in his appearance on the
Public Broadcasting System's television program, Austin City Limits, pointing to his right and smiling.
- He wrote "Deja Vu (All Over Again)" to express his views about the second Iraq
War.
- Is a staunch opponent of president George W. Bush's policies. Ironically, Bush has
called "Centerfield" his favorite song, and it is reportedly one of the songs on Bush's
iPod[5]. Although not a
supporter of his, Fogerty was reportedly amused by this.
- Creedence's versions of "Suzie Q", "I Put A Spell On You" and "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" were the band's only Top 40
hits that was not written by Fogerty.
- A group of fans followed him on tour across Europe in 2006 and 2007, resulting in Fogerty nicknaming them the "Million
Milers."
Upcoming Releases Revival to release in Fall of 2007.
Discography
For Discography of Creedence Clearwater Revival see Creedence
Clearwater Revival Discography
Albums
DVD
Chart Singles
- Chart placings refer only to the USA.
References
- ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time
- ^ [http://www.nfl.com/thanksgiving NFL.com, 20 November 2006.
- ^ Website for the Kansas City/Denver Thanksgiving game halftime promoters
- ^ Thanksgiving game - Volunteers needed! KCChiefs.com, 13 November 2006.
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/11/politics/11letter.html
External links
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