CCR were formed by brothers John and Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, all from California. Older brother Tom was originally the lead singer, but he was soon moved to rhythm guitar and John took over as frontman, giving them the lineup of John Fogerty (lead vocals, lead guitar), Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass) and Doug Clifford (drums). The group suffered a setback when John Fogerty and Clifford were called up for military service in 1966, but by '68 they had been discharged and the band was finally ready to begin its career, signed to Fantasy records and with a heavy schedule of touring clubs.Their 1968 debut album contained a mixture of covers and John Fogerty originals. The covers showed their love for R&B, soul and rockabilly, with Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On You", Dale Hawkins' "Suzie Q" and Wilson Pickett's "Ninety-Nine And A Half". Their rootsy aesthetic went against the psychedelic trend most other rock bands of the time were emersed in. Their sound even at this early stage was very raw and stripped-down, relying on simple, no-frills musicianship, solid songs and a great deal of soul, rather than any psychedelic gimmickry. This mix proved to be a hit.
The secret to their success was John Fogerty, and this was obvious even from the first album. His songwriting prowess, wiry guitar lines and impassioned vocal delivery gave the band a real punch, which took some quite basic musical ingredients and made them stand out from the masses. People took notice - the album went to #52, and their "Suzie Q" cover reached #11 on the singles chart. But things had only really just begun for CCR.
|> Bayou Country (1969)
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