- Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bassist Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since 1959, first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs, before settling on the Creedence Clearwater Revival name in 1967.
CCR's musical style encompassed roots rock, swamp rock, blues rock, Southern rock, country rock, and blue-eyed soul. Belying their origins in the East Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the band often played in a Southern rock style, with lyrics about bayous, catfish, the Mississippi River and other elements of Southern United States iconography. The band's songs rarely dealt with romantic love, concentrating instead on political and socially conscious lyrics about topics such as the Vietnam War. The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.
CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom Fogerty had officially left the previous year, and John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in subsequent lawsuits among the former band-mates. Fogerty's ongoing disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz created further protracted court battles, and John Fogerty refused to perform with the two other surviving members at Creedence's 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Though the band has never officially reunited, John Fogerty continues to perform CCR songs as part of his solo act, while Cook and Clifford have performed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited since the 1990s.
CCR's music is still a staple of U.S. classic rock radio airplay; 28 million CCR records have been sold in the U.S. alone. The compilation album Chronicle: The 20 Greatest Hits, originally released in 1976, is still on the Billboard 200 album chart and reached the 500-weeks mark in December 2020. It has been awarded 10× platinum.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bonitao
- The band holds the record for the most number of No.2 chart hits without ever having had a No.1. They reached the runner-up slot with "Proud Mary" (1969), "Bad Moon Rising" (1969), "Green River" (1969), "Who'll Stop the Rain" (1970) and "Lookin' Out My Back Door/Long As I Can See the Light" (1970).
- "Susie Q" was the band's only Top 40 hit that wasn't written by John Fogerty.
- The band's name was a combination of several things. Credence Nuvall was a co-worker and friend of Tom Fogerty. A TV commercial for Olympia beer showed scenes of waterfalls and clean water supposedly used in beer making. The band had been playing together for nearly ten years under other band names and were finally able to try to make it to the big time late in 1967. It was a "revival" of sorts when things finally came together for the guys in the band.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the same year as Cream, The Doors, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Etta James, Van Morrison, and Sly and the Family Stone.
- In the four years the band was together, they never had a #1 single in the US. However, they did have 13 songs that reached the Top 40, including five singles that hit #2. They also had a UK #1 with "Bad Moon Rising".
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