CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVIAL – FROM ‘FRISCO TO THE BAYOU

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If you were a casual listener to just about any Creedence Clearwater Revival (Creedence/CCR) song, you would be forgiven for thinking they were from the deep south of the United States.

Renowned for their unique “swamp bluesy rockabilly rock,” the San Francisco born and bred band found a style that became very much their own.

Even the most casual music fan can pick a Creedence song a mile away!

They were a band that so dominated radio airplay and record sales in the years 1968 to 1972 that CCR songs have since become the soundtrack to much of that tumultuous period of US and Australian history.

In Australia, it was the anti-Vietnam war protests and anti-apartheid clashes between protesters and police during the South African Rugby tour of 1971 that were among the headlines of the time.

Those years and those events were played out with a Creedence Clearwater Revival underscore.

They had six Top 10 hits in Australia, and 10 of their songs made the Top 40.

But their compilation LPs were everywhere through the 70s and 80s. The 1972 “Creedence Gold” LP went top 10 while the “20 Golden Greats” album went number 1 in Australia in 1979.  

The seeds of CCR were sown in 1959, when guitarist John Fogherty, bass player Stu Cook, and drummer Doug Clifford teamed up at junior high school to form instrumentals covers band called “Blue Velvet”.

A change of name followed and John Fogherty’s brother, Tom joined the band on guitar.

It was a magic mix of the “bayou rock” sensibilities of many of their biggest hits, think “Proud Mary”, “Down on the Bayou”, “Bad Moon Rising” etc, and John’s singing voice that gave the band its sound.

There were some serious lyrics about serious issues, but songs like “Travellin’ Band”, “Down on the Corner”, and “Out My Back Door” never failed to make feet tap.

After completing time in conscripted military service, John Fogherty and Doug Clifford returned home and reformed the band in 1967.

Success then came fairly quickly with their cover version of a 1956 rockabilly song “Suzie Q” making waves on radio in San Francisco, before being picked up nationally in the US, launching them to stardom.

The first album was the 1968 self-titled “Creedence Clearwater Revival”. It was a hit.

Then came 1969 with three CCR LPs, and gracing the stages at both the Atlanta Pop Festival followed by one of the greatest festivals of all — Woodstock.

And the hits rolled on: “Lodi”; their cover version of “Good Golly Miss Molly”; “Green River”; “Fortunate Son”; “Who’ll Stop the Rain”— to name just some.

The US success for Creedence had been so dominant that Australian and European radio programmers were compelled to play their songs.

The listeners reacted by sending them to the top of the charts worldwide.

In 1970, Credence prepared to tour Europe, and “Up Around the Bend” and “Run Through the Jungle” were released in advance.

But following the highs come the inevitable lows, and so it was.

First, CCR became the victims of bad management, with most of their royalty’s payments lost when the bank (which was operated by a criminal syndicate) went broke.

Then, after finishing recording for the album “Pendulum”, Tom announced he was leaving the band.

The the remaining members continued, and still had plenty of chart success.

But sadly, Tom’s career faltered.

Australia welcomed Creedence in 1972 with the state capitals all getting to experience that unique sound live.

In Sydney, Randwick Racecourse hosted the California trio, with press clippings following the concert confirming that fans loved every minute.

Because the split between the band and Tom had been acrimonious in the extreme, a reunion of the 4 was never on the cards during the 1970s, but in 1980, they did get on stage for a jam at Tom’s wedding.

Various legal disputes continued from the 70s into the 80s and led to further distance and anger between the former members.

When Tom died in 1990 of blood transfusion acquired AIDS, all hope of a reunion was gone.

Will we ever see the three remaining members reunite? It appears unlikely.

Although John Fogherty has said he would be up for it, both Doug Clifford and Stu Cook have remained steadfast in their refusal, sadly.

It might be over 50 years since their peak, but constant radio airplay, and bands still covering much of the back catalogue, means CCR’s popularity never really diminishes.

Rod Bloomfield is the host of the Radio 2EL 1089 Lunchtime music show.