Woodstock Day 6: Creedence Clearwater Revival

Formed in 1967 by John Fogerty (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar, vocals), Doug "Cosmo" Clifford (drums), and Stu Cook (bass and keyboard), Creedence Clearwater Revival took the Woodstock stage at 12:30 am on August 17th. They were the first headliner to sign up for the music festival.

CCR in 1968: (L to R) Tom Fogerty, Clifford, Cook, and John Fogerty

The name is certainly a unique one and it took a while for everyone to agree on it. The name has three major elements to it: "Creedence" was tip to their friend Credence Newball, "Clearwater" came from an Olympia Beer commercial, and "Revival" for the members' renewed committment to the band. A close second was "Muddy Rabbit" and I feel like music history could have been a lot different solely because of the name.

Their set was definitely a highlight of the festival, though John Fogerty wouldn't allow their set to be included in the film Woodstock or in the original soundtrack because he felt their performance was subpar. CCR'smusic is a radio staple even today and the music is primarily American folk-rock, country rock, and R&B (sometimes their music was called swamp rock).

Stu Cook playing on stage at Woodstock.

Their hits include "Proud Mary," "Born on the Bayou," "The Night Time is the Right Time," "Bad  Moon Rising," "Keep on Chooglin'," and many, many more including some covers like "Suzie Q," and "I Put A Spell On You." CCR knew how to write and play awesome tunes during their short run together. The band broke up in 1972 when John Fogerty decided to go solo and their last album Mardi Gras wasn't well received.

In 1993, CCR was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They are ranked #82 in Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.