Bayou by the Bay?

Hey, medames et messieurs.

Welcome back to our adventure.

As we arrive at Day 27, I’m reminded of one of my all-time favorite bands.

They eventually became famous for songs like “Fortunate Son” and “Looking Out My Backdoor” and yes, “Born on The Bayou,” but the quartet that often sang about areas in and around New Orleans was formed in the San Francisco area, just across the Bay Bridge in El Cerrito, CT, about 10 miles north of Oakland.

Originally known as The Blue Velvets (formed in 1959 by Tom Fogerty, future band front man, John Fogerty’s, older brother) and then later as The Golliwogs (1964), the four-piece ensemble eventually became The Credence Clearwater Revival – or CCR for short – in 1967.

The original members included John Fogerty on guitar and lead vocals, Stu Cook on base guitar, Doug Clifford on drums, and Tom Fogerty, who left the band in 1971 to pursue other opportunities as a lead vocalist. (The elder Fogerty brother died in 1990 from a tuberculosis infection.)

Today, John Fogerty (now age 79) is still out there, playing sold-out shows in the U.S., across Europe and Australia. Both Stu Cook and Doug Clifford also still perform, but after several legal disputes with Fogerty, the two men formed Credence Clearwater Revisited.

Despite some of those issues along the way, it’s now some 65 years since the band’s inception. Across those 6+ decades, they recorded 7 studio albums, 5 live albums, 41 compilation albums and 29 singles. They were inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

In keeping with our countdown, and to make further mention of CCR’s legacy, in 2008, the group that started in the dingy basement of a working class neighborhood in El Cerrito, CA released The Credence Clearwater Revival Complete Collection. The 77-track compilation features #27 “Cotton Fields,” a cover of the original blues song by Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, released in 1940.

Catch up with you guys tomorrow.

JFish

PS As always, to keep things interactive, feel free to email me on JLJFish56@gmail. com, or hit me up on Facebook or LinkedIn with word of your favorite CCR hit’s. Lots to choose from!

@Copyright 2024 by John L. Fischer