John Fogerty Takes on Hollywood Bowl

Stephanie Hernandez

John Fogerty has been a driving force in rock music since his days as the lead guitarist of the now classic band Creedence Clearwater Revival, or CCR as they are lovingly known. Now at the age of 70, Fogerty has managed to have not only major success as a frontman but an exceptional solo career as well. This classic radio staple will finally be bringing his powerful voice and decades long catalog of hits to the Hollywood Bowl.

John Fogerty was born in Berkeley, California in 1945. He attended El Cerrito High School alongside his older brother Tom and various members of what would eventually become Creedence Clearwater Revival. John was inspired early on by Rock and Blues pioneers like Little Richard and Bo Diddley and it did not take long to find a handful of like-minded musicians, mainly CCR founding members Doug Clifford and Stu Cook. Beginning In the late 1950’s these four men were originally called Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets, but after signing with jazz label Fantasy in 1965, their name was changed to The Golliwogs and they began releasing singles. No commercial success came out of this original signing and it didn’t seem as though their dreams would come to fruition when John was then drafted into the United States Army the following year. Luck struck when Fogerty was discharged in 1967, he quickly reunited with the band changed their name to Creedence Clearwater Revival and took his elder brother Tom’s position as frontman of the group. Things began to look up in 1968 with the release of their self-titled debut album that contained their first hit singles “Susie Q” and “Proud Mary.” CCR continued to tour and produce majorly successful records throughout the 1960’s but internal riffs led to their eventual disbanding in 1972.  This bump in the road did not stop Fogerty who took the opportunity to pursue a solo career and in 1973 released “The Blue Ridge Rangers,” his first solo record. Fogerty has kept active in the industry, playing shows everywhere including a 17-song set at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival in England. John has continued to create new music and in 2013 released his ninth solo album, “Wrote A Song For Everyone.”

John Fogerty’s impact has been far reaching to say the least. His voice and lyrics carry some of the world’s most beloved songs that can be heard just about everywhere at any given time. He is consistently named on top singer and guitarists list in literally every music publication out there and he is not stopping anytime soon.

Catch John Fogerty at the Hollywood Bowl July 15. Tickets available here.