John Fogerty Revives Creedence in Clearwater’s Coachman Park

John Fogerty is a rock & roll pioneer! A founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967, the band played Woodstock and the Ed Sullivan show in 1969.  They had a slew of hits that included “Proud Mary,” “Down on the Corner” and “Fortunate Son.”  At one point, CCR outsold The Beatles!  Many more hits that became classics came down the line.  CCR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and the song “Proud Mary” made famous by Creedence is in the Grammy Hall of Fame. John was individually inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2005.

In January 2023, after almost 50 years, John finally gained the CCR catalog publishing rights returned to him! This tour is all about honoring the CCR catalog, and John brought it to The Sound on Saturday night! Opening with 1969’s “Bad Moon Rising,” and the hits just kept coming with “Up Around the Bend” and “Green River.”  John told the story of his 1969 Rickenbacker 325 guitar that he played with CCR on so many of the songs and at Woodstock! In the 70’s after CCR broke up, he gave the guitar away. A few years ago, his wife tracked it down and gave it to him for Christmas.  After over 40 years, he is playing it at shows.

Paying tribute to the history of CCR, John rocked “Fight Fire” by The Golliwogs, the name of the band in the mid-60’s, before they changed it to Creedence.  John also honored his wife, Julie with photos of their wedding and life on the big screen along with his lovely ballad, “Joy Of My Life.”  This writer was patiently waiting for my favorite CCR tune, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” and it was worth the wait! Seems that everyone wanted to hear it and it became a big sing-along. A table was rolled out on stage with champagne and a party hat. John made a toast to getting his song catalog back and toasted the audience for the years of support. 

The Vietnam anti-war anthem “Fortunate Son” brought people to their feet. For the encore, Fogerty brought out his “Slugger” baseball bat shaped guitar for his 1985 hit “Centerfield” as historic baseball clips played on the screen. Closing out the show was the iconic “Proud Mary.”  The band included Tyler and Shane Fogerty, John’s sons who opened the show with their band “Hearty Har.’  A talented hard- rock band that is much needed in today’s music scene. The Fogerty tour is a musical family affair!

Check out John Fogerty  for all tour info and Hearty Har to hear new music.

Photos from Vicky Sullivan & John Fogerty Facebook Page