John Fogerty facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Fogerty |
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Fogerty in concert, 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Cameron Fogerty |
| Born | May 28, 1945 Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Origin | El Cerrito, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1959–present |
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John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead singer and main songwriter for the famous rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). With CCR, he created many hit songs like "Proud Mary", "Bad Moon Rising", and "Fortunate Son".
CCR was very popular from 1968 to 1972, selling millions of records and having many songs in the top 10. In 1993, the band was honored by being added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After CCR broke up in 1972, Fogerty started a successful solo career that continues today. He is recognized as one of the greatest songwriters and singers in music history.
Contents
Early Life and First Bands
John Fogerty was born in Berkeley, California, and grew up in El Cerrito, California. He was one of five brothers. His father worked for a newspaper, and his mother was a second-grade teacher. John went to a Catholic school for a short time before attending Harding Grammar School.
Later, he went to El Cerrito High School. There, he met the other musicians who would become part of CCR. He also took guitar lessons. His older brother, Tom Fogerty, was also a guitarist and played in bands with John. John spent summers near Putah Creek, which later inspired the CCR song "Green River".
In 1959, when John was in junior high, he formed a band called the Blue Velvets with bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford. They loved early rock and roll artists like Little Richard. Later, John's brother Tom joined them. In 1964, they signed with Fantasy Records. Without the band knowing, the record company changed their name to The Golliwogs. This group released seven songs, but they didn't become popular.
Military Service
In 1966, John Fogerty received a notice to join the military during the Vietnam War. On the same day, he joined the United States Army Reserve as a supply clerk. He completed his main training in 1967 and served as a part-time reservist until 1968.
Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968–1972)
After John's military service, the band, formerly known as The Golliwogs, changed their name again in 1968 to Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). John Fogerty became the lead singer. They released their first album, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and had their first hit song, "Susie Q". Many more hit songs and albums quickly followed, starting with "Proud Mary" and the album Bayou Country.
John Fogerty wrote most of CCR's songs and was the lead singer and guitarist. He felt his ideas about music should be followed, which caused some disagreements within the band. His brother Tom felt left out and decided to leave the group in 1971. The other band members, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, wanted to have more say in the band's music. To try and keep the band together, John suggested that Cook and Clifford write and sing some songs on their final album, Mardi Gras, released in 1972.
This album included their last two hit songs, "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and "Someday Never Comes". However, Mardi Gras received poor reviews, even though it sold well. The band broke up shortly after the album was released.
The four original members of CCR only reunited once, at Tom Fogerty's wedding in 1980. John Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford played together briefly at their high school reunion in 1983.
Solo Career
Starting Out (1972–1985)
As CCR was ending, John Fogerty started working on his own music. He made a solo album of country songs where he played all the instruments himself. He called this project The Blue Ridge Rangers.
His album, The Blue Ridge Rangers, came out in 1973. It had a top-20 hit song called "Jambalaya". After this, Fogerty released music under his own name. His first official solo album, John Fogerty, was released in 1975. It included the song "Rockin' All Over the World", which became a hit for him. Later, a British band called Status Quo made the song even more famous with their own version.
In 1976, Fogerty finished another album called Hoodoo. However, he felt it wasn't good enough and decided not to release it.
Coming Back Strong (1985–1997)
After taking a break from music, Fogerty made a big comeback in 1985 with his album Centerfield. This album became a huge hit and included the popular song "The Old Man Down the Road". The song "Centerfield" is still played often at baseball games.
However, this album also led to some legal problems. Two songs on the album, "Zanz Kant Danz" and "Mr. Greed", seemed to be about Fogerty's old record label boss, Saul Zaentz. Fogerty was also sued because "The Old Man Down the Road" sounded similar to "Run Through the Jungle", a song from his CCR days. Fogerty won both cases. He proved that his songs were original, and the court even ruled that he could sound like himself without it being plagiarism.
In 1986, Fogerty released Eye of the Zombie, which was not as successful as Centerfield. He toured to support this album but refused to play any CCR songs during his shows. For many years after this tour, he didn't play songs from Eye of the Zombie either.
On July 4, 1987, Fogerty played CCR songs again at a concert for Vietnam veterans. This was the first time he had performed CCR songs for a large audience since 1972.
In 1990, John's older brother Tom Fogerty passed away due to illness. John has said that one of the saddest parts of his life was that he and Tom were not speaking much when Tom died.
After this, John Fogerty traveled to Mississippi for inspiration. He visited the grave of blues legend Robert Johnson. This trip helped him realize that he should perform his old CCR songs again. He also helped fund memorial markers for other blues musicians.
In 1993, Creedence Clearwater Revival was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, John Fogerty chose not to perform with his former bandmates, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, at the ceremony. Instead, he played with other musicians, including Bruce Springsteen.
Continued Success (1997–Present)
John Fogerty returned to the music scene in 1997 with the album Blue Moon Swamp. This album was very successful and won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. A live album from his tour, Premonition, was released in 1998.
In 1998, Fogerty received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2004, he released Deja Vu All Over Again. The main song on this album compared the Iraq War to the Vietnam War, suggesting it was another waste of lives.
In 2005, Fogerty was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
His album Revival came out in 2007 and was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2008, Fogerty performed with rock legends Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard at the Grammy Awards show.
In 2009, Fogerty released The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, a follow-up to his 1973 album. It included duets with famous artists like Bruce Springsteen and Don Henley.
In 2013, Fogerty released Wrote a Song for Everyone, which featured his classic songs performed with other artists, plus two new songs. In 2015, he published his autobiography, Fortunate Son.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Fogerty and his children, Shane, Tyler, and Kelsy, started releasing performance videos online under the name "Fogerty's Factory." They performed on TV shows and released an album of these songs.
On January 13, 2023, John Fogerty announced that he finally owned the rights to the songs he wrote for Creedence Clearwater Revival after a 50-year legal battle. This was a very important moment for him.
Band Members
Here are some of the musicians who performed with John Fogerty in June 2019:
- John Fogerty - vocals, guitar, harmonica
- Shane Fogerty - guitar, vocals
- Tyler Fogerty - vocals
- Kenny Aronoff - drums
- Bob Malone - keyboard
- James LoMenzo - bass (left in 2021)
- Nate Collins - saxophone
- Julian Dresler - trumpet
- Adam Miller - trombone
- Trysette Loosemore - back-up vocals
- Lavone LB Seetal - back-up vocals
Personal Life
John Fogerty married Martha Paiz in 1965, and they had three children. They later divorced.
In 1986, Fogerty met Julie Kramer. They married in 1991 and have two sons, Shane and Tyler, and a daughter, Kelsy. Julie also has a daughter from a previous marriage. As of 2020, they lived in Thousand Oaks, California.
His sons Shane and Tyler often perform with their father in concert. All three of his youngest children also appear in his online videos. John Fogerty also has a granddaughter who has appeared in his online videos.
Political Views
John Fogerty is a liberal Democrat. In his songs, he has sometimes criticized Republican politicians like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. He supported John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election. In 2015, he supported Hillary Clinton, saying that liberals often think about "the little guy." However, he also mentioned that he liked Donald Trump's "rebelliousness."
Even though Fogerty has liberal views, some conservative fans, including George W. Bush and Donald Trump, enjoy his music. Trump often used Fogerty's song "Fortunate Son" during his 2020 election campaign, which led Fogerty to ask him to stop using it.
Discography
- The Blue Ridge Rangers (1973)
- John Fogerty (1975)
- Centerfield (1985)
- Eye of the Zombie (1986)
- Blue Moon Swamp (1997)
- Deja Vu All Over Again (2004)
- Revival (2007)
- The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again (2009)
- Wrote a Song for Everyone (2013)
- Fogerty's Factory (2020)
Images for kids
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Fogerty at the Beacon Theatre, November 11, 2013
See also
In Spanish: John Fogerty para niños
