John Fogerty

John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. He was born in Berkeley, California. John Fogerty plays many instruments including Guitar, Harmonica, Slide Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums, Banjo, Organ, Percussion, Drum Machine,Trumpet, Pedal Steel Guitar, Trombone, Dobro, Mandolin, Double Bass, Squeeze Box, Clarinet, Synthesizers, Keyboards, Accordion, Vibraphone, 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. After signing with the jazz label Fantasy in 1965, they became The Golliwogs and released a few singles that were largely ignored.

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. As with many bands in which a single person writes and sings all or most of the bands songs (e.g. Talking Heads, The Police) there was a growing resentment by Stu and Doug of the unequal distribution of power and wealth in the group (John would have earned far more than the others from his share of writer, as well as performer royalties). As the writer of the songs and leader of the band, John felt that his musical opinions should count for more than those of the others, leading to additional resentments ^[1]. These internal rifts, and Tom's feeling that he was being taken for granted, caused him to leave the group in 1971. To address the increasing complaints of Stu and Doug to have a greater role in the band, John called their bluff and demanded that each of them contribute to the writing and production of the record as equal partners. Cook and Clifford, who claimed only to want 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) their 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.^[2] In the early 1970s Fantasy Records recommended to the Creedence members that they bank their royalties 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.

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.

First comeback

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. Fantasy, Inc. 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's older brother and former CCR bandmate Tom Fogerty died of AIDS (specifically from a tuberculosis infection) at the age of 48, having contracted HIV from blood transfusions for back ailments. John Fogerty has mentioned that the darkest moments in his life were when his brother took the record company's side in their royalties dispute, and when his brother passed away while they were not speaking. John also traveled to Mississippi in 1990 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 after years of bad blood and lawsuits, he refused to play with his former band mates when asked to do so for the show; as he was still bitter about them having sided with Fantasy Records in his disputes with the company. Bruce Springsteen, who inducted the group, played with Fogerty that night.

Second comeback

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. ^{[3] [4] [5]} Fogerty completed his first new album in three years, Revival, which was released on October 2, 2007.[1]. Revival was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album of 2007. Fogerty has also had his songs covered by other prominent artists 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.

Discography

For Discography of Creedence Clearwater Revival see Creedence Clearwater Revival Discography

Albums

• 1973: The Blue Ridge Rangers (#47 US Billboard 200)
• 1975: John Fogerty
• 1976: Hoodoo - Unreleased
• 1985: Centerfield (#1 US Billboard 200, #7 Top Country Albums)
• 1986: Eye of the Zombie (#26 US Billboard 200)
• 1997: Blue Moon Swamp (#37 US Billboard 200)
• 1998: Premonition - Live Album (#29 US Billboard 200)
• 2004: Deja Vu (All Over Again) (#23 US Billboard 200)
• 2005: The Long Road Home - Compilation of Solo and CCR recordings (#13 US Billboard 200, #32 UK Albums Chart)
• 2006: The Long Road Home - In Concert - Live Album
• 2007: The Best of the Songs of John Fogerty - Budget compilation of Solo and CCR recordings
• 2007: Revival (#14 US Billboard 200)

DVD

• 1998: Premonition
• 2006: The Long Road Home - In Concert

Singles

• Chart placings refer only to the USA.

References

1. ^ (January 1998) "Blue Moon Rising: The John Fogerty Interview (Cover Story)". Audio Magazine.
2. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5937559/the_100_greatest_guitarists_of_all_time
3. ^ NFL.com, 20 November 2006.
4. ^ Website for the Kansas City/Denver Thanksgiving game halftime promoters
5. ^ Thanksgiving game - Volunteers needed! KCChiefs.com, 13 November 2006.

External links

• Official website
• Vintage Guitar Magazine Interview - Aug. ’97
• Vintage Guitar Magazine Interview - Feb. ’06
• Guitar World Interview - July '97
• Daily Vault review of John Fogerty's "The Long Road Home - In Concert"
• John Fogerty and rarities pictures
• John Fogerty at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• John Fogerty Page