John Fogerty

The story of Credence Clearwater Revival and John Fogerty in particular is an epic tragedy - a cautionary tale for anyone so anxious to get to the big time they neglect to have the proffered contract vetted by an attorney with their interest at heart. Now, with many of the principles dead, Fogerty finally tells his story in detail, unconcerned his words will haunt him in future litigation.

Fogerty says he's made peace with everything -- the record label exec that swindled him (numerous show more times), the band members who betrayed him, and con men who conspired to steal the band member's money. However, the passion and anger in his voice as he reads this story belie the notion he is truly at peace -- he might be in a better place mentally, but clearly he harbors deep resentment that he'll take to his grave.

There's another lesson here too. CCR was a band of long-time friends and John's brother; however, John was the only real talent in the band. This created a lot of animosity as the band fancied themselves a democratic entity; but John was writing all of the hit songs, and in the studio, often played most of the instrumental tracks, sometimes discarding the efforts of other band members in pursuit of perfection. The old adage, "it's hard to soar like an eagle when surrounded by a bunch of turkeys" kind of applies here. John did elevate the band to the top of the world in 1969-70; only for the turkeys to bring it all crashing down. History would prove that John was the commercial talent, the other guys just filler. While a few managed to get solo projects produced, none ever amounted to anything.

I noticed that John Fogerty is on the concert circuit and coming to town this summer. After reading his story I feel I should go see him. show less

The autobiography is of John Fogerty. I have two albums of the best songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival and am aware of some of Fogerty's subsequent material and most of the book was news to me. It was more than I wanted to know about the man really but it is (ghost) written very well. Fogerty is an admitted perfectionist and control freak and an obsessive. He speaks frankly about his alcohol abuse and other faults. He was clearly badly treated by Saul Zaentz with whom he signed a contract show more as a young man. He has not a good word to say for his drummer and bass player. He is slightly superstitious and also turns out to be a pantheist. When I read a book like this I tend to feel - so your life has been a bit of a mess too, I wish you knew what I knew. show less

I think I would've liked the book better if I had read it instead of opting to listen to the audiobook. I was excited to hear Fogerty himself share his story, but he struggles to make it sound conversational, usually coming off like he's reading, and it's (at times) painfully obvious. I knew Fogerty was bitter about how badly he'd been screwed by Fantasy Records and Saul Zaentz, but I was surprised just how much of his life was colored by the fallout - and how little credit he gives to the show more other guys in CCR for the band's success. It's likely true, but gets a bit wearying.

More enjoyable are stories of how he came up with some of his best songs: "Proud Mary", "Bad Moon Rising", "Centerfield", "Born on the Bayou", "Down on the Corner" and others. Those sections of the book shine the brightest.

I recommend this for hardcore fans of Fogerty and CCR, but get the hardcover, not the audiobook. show less

I was drawn to this book because I consider myself a '60's girl. John Fogerty, the singer/songwriter of Credence Clearwater Revival, is someone I used to listen to in high school. I was very impressed by their unique sound as millions of other people were also. I wanted to hear the back story of what happened with the band since they were only together about 4 years. Who doesn't remember "Proud Mary", "Born on the Bayou" and "Bad Moon Rising" etc. John narrates his own story which adds to show more the authenticity. He reads in a slow and deliberate style which I would not accept from anyone other than the author. His honest and simplistic reading of his long arduous struggles kept me interested and always hoping for a happier ending. His record company, Fantasy Records and it's owner, Saul Zaentz, cheated John Fogerty out of millions of dollars by use of a stringent contract singed by the naive young kids of Credence with a VERY talented lead singer and songwriter. As time went on, Zaentz even sued John for writing songs that sounded like songs that John had himself had written. John even had to go to court about this but won the suit. ....Listening helps the reader understand the heart of this musician as you listen to the honest admiration John has for his musical mentors and heroes. He is very sensitive to give credit to those who helped and inspired him since credit for his songs was stripped from him for many years. A mild critique of this book would be he gave a little more time to blow- by- blow descriptions of how notes fit with other notes but through it the audience understands just how much he loves his music and how committed he was/is to giving his audience/fans the best he can possibly give them. I downloaded several songs because of listening to Fortunate Son. show less