The CCR Effect: How I Kept On Chooglin'

Last week I flew to Victoria to see John Fogerty. It was my third Fogerty concert, the first was in Toronto's Massey Hall a few years ago, and the second in July of 2008 in Edmonton's Rexall Place. Aside from some sound problems, last week's show was as entertaining and fulfilling as the others. In addition to the plethora of Creedence Clearwater Revival hits such as "Proud Mary," "Travelin' Band," and "Who'll Stop the Rain," the set list included two songs from the Blue Ridge Rangers album, John's first solo album after the breakup of Creedence, and hits from the trio-CCR period.

A departure from the sets he played at the Toronto and Edmonton shows, the eclectic choices might have resulted from the fact Victoria was the last date of the tour. Still, at 64 years old, John rocked with the best of them, working up a sweat and playing extended solos in "Born On the Bayou" and "Ramble Tamble." The band included session musicians Kenny Aranoff on drums and Billy Burnette on rhythm guitar, and faithfully reproduced the Creedence sound. John played for two hours and after the show I reflected on how much he has had an influence on my own style.

I started playing the guitar at 13 years old. I taught myself to read notation and learned all of the first position "folk" chords. By high school I could play barre chords and sing and play at the same time. (The latter may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but singing and playing at the same time is one of the more difficult tasks for a novice guitarist.) Becoming a musician was beginning to percolate my thoughts, as my guitar became my best friend. By 16, I had a "repertoire" of around a dozen songs, half of them were Creedence songs.

"Proud Mary" was the first Creedence Clearwater Revival song I ever heard. For hours I sat in my bedroom struggling through what I thought were the opening chords to the intro. I had heard the song so many times that figuring out the chord changes for the verses and chorus was relatively easy, not having access to the recording made determining the progression for the intro that much more difficult. After what seemed like months of trying, I finally learned the intro from a friend and it all came together.

Initially I would have to learn the songs by memory and trial and error. I did not have any kind of recording device and could only listen when CCR was played on the radio. Trying to remember how a song goes when you only hear it a couple of times can be a daunting task, and for me being a fledgling guitarist it was. It was not until my first year of high school that I finally managed to buy some CCR records. Southern Music, a jukebox supplier in Calgary, would sell the 45s that came out of the jukeboxes. Records with the fewest "plays" were replaced with new hits and more popular songs, then Southern would sell the "old" 45s for ten cents each. Twice a month my friend and I would ride Calgary Transit downtown to rifle through the new "old" 45s for sale. I was thrilled to come up with "Fortunate Son," "Down On the Corner," "Looking Out My Back Door," "Bad Moon Rising," and "Green River." And all on the green Fantasy label to boot! It truly was nirvana.

I played those CCR 45s over and over, painstakingly learning the chord progressions and riffs. By the end of high school I had my first band and could put my newfound skills to use. We were called Ek-Seption (I know, but it was the 70s) and had a "regular" gig at the local Eagles' club. I could play and sing a half dozen CCR songs, "Proud Mary" and "Bad Moon Rising" being two of my specialties, and along with "Down On the Corner" and a raucous version of "Cotton Fields" we burned up the recreation room on Friday and Saturday nights. I played Creedence songs for the next thirty years but never really considered the impact they had on my own style.

It was at the Massey Hall concert that John's influence became apparent. I had great seats, fourth row centre, and was so close I could see the fingerprints on the finish of his guitars, I could see how he fingered the intro to "Up Around the Bend," and I discovered that John tunes his old black Les Paul down a whole step, which is why the intros and solo sections of "Bad Moon Rising" and "Fortunate Son" sound like they do. I had no idea. It was during "Born on the Bayou" that I noticed the similarity of my rhythm guitar style to John's. This was a revelation as I finally realized how completely his playing had influenced mine over the years. I always attribute John as an influence, but until the Massey Hall concert, I never knew how much of an influence he actually was.

Every guitarist can tell you who they first listened to or which guitarist is their favourite, and over the years there have been other guitarists that have helped shape my style and sound, Albert Lee, James Burton, and Dave Holloway to name three; and along with CCR, the southern and country rock music of the late 1960s and early 1970s also helped shape my playing. Plus, there was not a conscious effort on my part to emulate John's sound and style, in other words, I did not set out to be John Fogerty II; but rather absorbing CCR during my formative musical years contributed to not only my performance practice and sound, but also the manner in which I conceptualize music. My understanding of music theory began with the CCR songs I played over and over to learn the chords.

If I ever meet John Fogerty I will thank him for what I learned. There has been a Creedence Clearwater Revival album in my pile of "records I'm currently listening to" for years now and the music has become comfortable. It's a big, warm musical comfy chair, but when I strap on my trusty Gibson S-1, I'm chooglin' baby.