‘I think my relationship with my songs is way better now than in the past,’ says the man who wrote ‘Proud Mary,’ ‘Who’ll Stop The Rain,’ ‘Fortunate Son’ and ‘Bad Moon Rising.’
Former Credence Clearwater Revival lead singer/guitarist/songwriter John Fogerty, 78, does not give many interviews. For this particular one, we were told, Fogerty had received dozens of media requests, but was only granting ours.
As a longtime fan of CCR, I was pretty excited. I can remember in high school skipping down the halls with my friend, Bobby Jeschelnik, chanting, « Ain’t me, ain’t me, I’m no senator’s son/Ain’t me, ain’t me, I’m no fortunate one » (from CCR’s hit, “Fortunate Son,” included in the popular Tom Hanks film, Forrest Gump.)
For those who don’t remember the turbulent 1960s, CCR, with its cajun sound, was arguably THE American rock band. They had a string of flash hits (now classics) including “Proud Mary,” “Who’ll Stop The Rain,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” “Commotion,” “Fortunate Son,” “Down On The Corner,” “Susie Q,” “Born On The Bayou” – the list is endless. At one point, their music was outselling The Beatles’.
CCR also performed at the Woodstock Music And Art Festival in 1969, although many don’t know it because the group wasn’t in the Academy Award-winning documentary movie, or on the first album. Fogerty, a man with high standards, didn’t feel the audience response was enthusiastic enough to warrant CCR’s inclusions.
After CCR’s contentious breakup in the early 1970s for financial reasons, Fogerty left behind bandmates Doug Clifford (drums), Stu Cook (bass guitar) and his own late brother, Tom (rhythm guitar), and struck out on his own, continuing his tradition of hits including, “Centerfield,” “The Old Man Down The Road” and, “Rockin’ All Over The World,” but not before a long bout with alcohol and depression.
More recently, he released the song, “Weeping In The Promised Land,” about the COVID-19 pandemic and the state of affairs in the U.S. He also recorded a new album, Fogerty’s Factory, with his family, chock full of classic hits. Fogerty’s best-selling memoir, “Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music,” was released in 2015.
This interview has been published before in pieces, but never as a whole. Here, with light edits, is the entire chat.
Jim Clash: What was it like at your Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 1993 playing songs you wrote in front of your music peers, and with Bruce Springsteen and Robbie Robertson (The Band) backing you?
John Fogerty: It felt great. I’m very proud of the songs I’ve written and recorded. It’s a dream come true. I think my relationship with my songs is way better now than in the past. As you know, I’ve had such difficulty just breaking through all the chatter, and getting credit for what I created.
There was always a record company and, in some cases, former members of my band trying to discredit me so that they could somehow take credit themselves. The drummer in Creedence Clearwater did not write, “Proud Mary.” I wrote it. There was this competition back in the day. Nowdays the phrase is disinformation. That’s kind of what was at work years ago.
Clash: Do you remember the first time you heard, “Proud Mary” on the radio?
Fogerty: Yes, “Proud Mary” was my own first composition, in early 1969. It was a thing I had waited and dreamed about my whole life. It’s the most incredible feeling when it’s brand new like that. I still get the same feeling when I hear a new recording of mine on the radio. When someone else tells you, it’s secondhand. When you hear it yourself, you feel it down inside of your soul because that’s what you do, what you strive for. So it’s really important to me.
Clash: What’s a particular favorite of yours that you play at shows?
Fogerty: I think one of my best is, “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” I love singing that. It’s a hopeful song, the way I approach it now. I get a big kick out of that one.
Clash: You recorded with your family during the pandemic. And the music is quite good. How did that come about?
Fogerty: Aw, thanks so much. My two boys are actually in my current [touring] band, so I get to see them, perform with them. It’s a family thing. My wife, Julie, runs things for me. She doesn’t like me to call her manager, but she’s certainly the creative person in the background, helping with ideas and making things go smoothly, very hands-on.
We’ve traveled as a family ever since 1997 when I finished Blue Moon Swamp. The kids were little at that point. I had toured way back in the day with Creedence. But I’m such a family man now, and have been since I met Julie. When the album was finished and it was time to tour, I looked at her and said, “I’m not going out there without you.” She then looked at the little kids, and said she wasn’t going out there without them. We’ve all traveled together ever since.
Clash: The “Bad Moon Rising” famous line, « There’s the bad moon on the rise, » is often misquoted as, « There’s the bathroom on the right. » Your reaction?
Fogerty: People show up with signs at the concerts, you know? Some of the folks come prepared with implements to identify with many of the songs. A lot of them have « bathroom on the right” with a little arrow pointing to the right. So it always gets confusing. Do they mean my right or their right [laughs]?
When I’d sing that, I’d point to my right. But, like any good first-grade teacher knows, you have to point to the student’s right. So nowdays I actually point to my left, which is their right!
Jim Clash: Your recent song, “Weeping In The Promised Land,” is a pretty serious look at current events.
