The Tragic Moments In Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Career

What Creedence Clearwater Revival did in their short-lived career was considered a work of a genius. In 4 years (excluding their previous works under a different name) and six albums, they became popular with countless music fans, even though they’ve marked their names when the new form of music began to come out – the 70s’ hard rock.

But it wasn’t the lack of creativity that CCR began to disintegrate; rather, it was their egos that tore them apart. Like any other bands in the show business, creative differences and court rulings made it clear that the band would no longer be together for good old times’ sake. With that in mind, let’s delve deep inside the band’s tragic moments, to remind us that nothing is left permanent in this world; no matter how good you are in it.

John Fogerty’s Maniacal Control of the Band

Admit it, it was a moment of pure rising for CCR when John Fogerty took the lead, despite being the youngest and the 2^nd Fogerty of the group (his brother Tom was the rhythm guitarist). Despite their massive success, John felt that he was indeed a control freak during their heydays.

CCR’S Catastrophic Set in Woodstock

We all remember Woodstock as every hippie’s dream: good music with lots of people to mingle with. While some artists truly adored the zenith of this festival and the weight of their impact on concert-goers, not anyone could agree with this. Among those that hated their set was John Fogerty, CCR’s vocalist/guitarist.

Tom Fogerty Quits

With Tom leaving the band right at the peak of their popularity, a lot of people speculated that it was about his brother John. Doug Clifford, CCR’s drummer, confirmed this in an interview with Uncut: “Tom had put up with a lot of sh** from John. […] He didn’t want Tom to succeed.” But Tom debunked this, saying that his decision to depart from the group wasn’t from the bad blood between him and his brother, but only because he needed to develop more as a solo artist.

The Ill-Fated Mardi Gras Album

After Tom Fogerty’s departure, Stu Cook (bassist) and Doug Clifford (drummer) demanded more say in the group’s decisions. With tensions arising, John was left to say yes, with the remaining members now splitting their songwriting parts equally. Resulting in their album, Mardi Gras, which would be labeled later as “Fogerty’s revenge,” with critics naming it as the “worst album ever.” It would chart greatly on charts though, all thanks to Fogerty’s “Sweet Hitch-hiker” that made it so famous.

The Growing Problems of the Band Caused Them to Change Their Dynamic – Leading to Their Failure

Part of the endless pressure that the band got by the end of the 60s was because they’ve overthrown The Beatles as the highest-selling artist during that time. Plus, the other members disproved John’s relentless commanding and lone decisions for the group; so, they expressed more presence – that’s how things changed thereafter.

John Fogerty’s Countless Lawsuits to Fantasy Records

It was like the nastiest breakup in music history when Fogerty left CCR. He fought, at all times, with Fantasy Records’ head Saul Zaentz, whom John hated so much for depriving him of the rights to his music. There was also a period of his career when John refused to perform any CCR songs so the records can’t get any royalties from it.