IT TOOK A SONG FIRST RECORDED IN THE MID-1950S TO GET THEM IN THE charts, and the musical ability of Creedence Clearwater Revival should keep them there.
The Revival’s first hit, “Susie-Q,” was originally recorded by Checker Records’ Dale Hawkins. Though “Susie-Q” put the group in the national spotlight, they had been together long before the record was released.
Formed in 1959 as a junior high school trio called the Blue Velvets, the group consisted of three young Californians, John Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford.
“We were all on the same wavelength, really,” John says today. “Once we got started, we were the only group playing in school. We were playing blues, not rock ’n’ roll, but most people didn’t understand what we were talking about musically. They didn’t know the difference.”
Soon after they formed, John’s older brother Tom joined the group. With high school jobs plentiful, the Blue Velvets built a substantial reputation for themselves.
After high school, a San Francisco label, Fantasy Records, signed the group. After clearing countless hurdles, the group came up with a new name, Creedence Clearwater Revival.
“Creedence,” John says, “was the name of a friend of ours, believe it or not, and it also means ‘to believe in.’ I got ‘Clearwater’ from watching a beer commercial, which shows the beautiful clear water they use for the beer. The idea really appealed to us because it seemed to symbolize purity. With ‘Revival,’ we feel there’s excitement and fervor.”
In February 1968, the group had a basic repertoire of original material. By spring of 1968, they released their first album, titled simply Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Explaining their music, John says: “I was on a blues kick at seven. When I started listening to radio in 1953, there was no pop station in our area. All we had was rhythm-and-blues.
“We just all got into that music early in life. And today, our music bears this trademark. It’s not that we’re a blues group. I don’t think that’s true at all. But I think many good things in music come from blues roots.”
The group, like many others, has been influenced by musicians like Duane Eddy, Chet Atkins, Howlin’ Wolf, and Lefty Frizzell. They all had an honest blues feeling, which, says John, “is the most pleasing basic form, the most natural progression.”
The group’s latest LP release, Bayou Country, which includes another old hit, “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” should keep them in the charts.