CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL CHRONICLE
TOMMY FOGERTY AND THE BLUE VELVETS (November 1959 - 1964)
THE GOLLIWOGS (1964 - 1967)
CCR (1967 - 1972)
Founded sometime in the year 1959 as a high school band in El Cerrito.
The founding members are John Fogerty (guitar), Doug Clifford (drums) and Stu Cook (piano).
TOMMY FOGERTY AND THE BLUE VELVETS
- Come On, Baby/Oh My Love (Orchestra 617, 1961 US)
- Have You Ever Been Loneley?/Bonita (Orchestra 1010, 1961 US)
- Yes You Did/Now You're Not Mine (Orchestra 1962 US)
1964 brings the contract with Fantasy Records.
The band's new name is: "The Golliwogs."The name-change was decided both unknown to and unwanted by the musicians.
The Golliwogs put out a series of singles.
The music is clearly Beatles-influenced sound, at least on the songs composed by Tom.
The few songs written by John, on the other hand, already give a flavor of CCR! Best example: "Brown Eyed Girl"
The lucky owners of the original can confirm this.
In November 1967, Saul Zaentz buys Fantasy Records so the four could finally get rid of the unpopular name "The Golliwogs"!
On 24 December 1967, "Creedence Clearwater Revival" was founded!
January 1968: Christmas '67 is barely over and CCR signs a new contract with Fantasy. For starters is the single "Porterville/Call It Pretending."
"Porterville" is an unchanged Golliwogs title.
In July 1968 it's finally time. The first Creedence Clearwater Revival LP is there:
"CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL"!
In August, two singles are released simultaneously:
- Suzie Q P.I/P.II
- I Put A Spell On You/Walk On The Water
By 1972, the following CCR LPs originate:
| July 1968: | CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL |
| January 1969: | BAYOU COUNTRY |
| August 1969: | GREEN RIVER |
| November 1969: | WILLY AND THE POOR BOYS |
| July 1970: | COSMOS FACTORY |
| December 1970: | PENDULUM |
| April 1972: | MARDI GRAS |
CCR records the album "Mardi Gras" as a trio, after Tom left the group in February 1971
to start a solo career.
Apparently there were some disputes at that point as to John's place as band leader.
"Mardi Gras" is released as the "democratic" album.
Stu, Doug and John don't just compose the titles on their own,
but each composer also sings his own songs.
This rational compromise has two consequences:
1. The CCR-sound, that had become typical from John's work, becomes "watered down",
2. The commercial success of the album is comparatively less.
All this contributes to the break up of CCR on 16 October 1972.
Maybe this is where the roots beneath the dispute over "Creedence Clearwater Revival Revisited" stems from.
For the fans, it is barely understandable why John Fogerty to this day refuses
to play with his old band members.
Luckily, the end of "CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL" is not the end of this music!
All four musicians have continued their work as soloists or in other bands, since then.
To this day, John Fogerty has let the unforgotten CCR-sound live!
But the other three have given the fans loads of great music.
Above all, John's brother, Tom, whose interpretation of "Rock 'n' Roll" is at least
as interesting and individual as the music from CCR!
The Creedence drummer, Doug Clifford, handed over a great solo album "COSMO"
before playing in various other bands with bass-man, Stu Cook, and recently founding
"Creedence Clearwater Revisited".
But that leaves the boundaries of "CCR - Chronicle" and is the topic of "Solo Projects"!
TOMMY FOGERTY AND THE BLUE VELVETS (November 1959 - 1964)
THE GOLLIWOGS (1964 - 1967)
CCR (1967 - 1972)
[ Back to the top ]
Translation by Rob Mann
Contribution by Niels- Achim Heinz
Copyright © The German CCR Fanpage