CCR’s resume speaks for itself. 5 years, 7 albums, 4 of which came out in an 18 month period, 9 Top 10 Hits, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee 1993, and a truer representation of the Americana bands like The Grateful Dead were chasing.

The list of songs John Fogerty and company recorded is mind boggling, what it took Hunter and Garcia, Becker and Fagen, Tom Petty or Bruce Springsteen 10 years or more to create, CCR did in a quick 5 years.

Down On The Corner, Fortunate Son, Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Lookin’ Out My Back Door, Long As I Can See The Light, Green River, Up Around The Bend, Run Through The Jungle, Travelin’ Band, Who’ll Stop The Rain, Have You Ever Seen The Rain, Hey Tonight, Sweet Hitch-Hiker were all on a single that charted in the top 10, and that doesn’t even scratch the surface< of some of their best work. From the greatest songs ever written about life in a band, Lodi and Traveling Band to Down on The Corner and Hey Tonight, the guys in CCR knocked it out of the park repeatedly and consistently

Beyond the resume, they were also very defiant, almost proto punk in their insistence, even though they were from San Fran at the height of Psychedelic music, to keep the songs tight. Even longer pieces like Graveyard, Heard It Through The Grapevine and Bootleg had a sense of purpose that was in direct contrast to the prevailing winds of just play what you feel.

They were roots rock before anyone knew the term, bringing together a greater amalgamation of American music then even the Dead did. Blues, country, bluegrass, rock n’ roll, gospel, soul, spiritual, Cajun, garage rock all were bubbling below the catchy rhythms and smart lyrics laid down by John Fogerty and company. They also paid homage to those who came before and wrote the playbook they executed to perfection, Little Richard, Screaming Jay Hawkins, Hank Williams, Roy Orbison, Chuck Berry, Muscle Shoals and Motown are just a few of the myriad of influences.

Now people may say that it was all John, but that is so far from the truth. With out the 3 other members behind him, this body of work would not exist. His brother Tom on 2nd Guitar with a rhythm dripping in the blues provided the pallet for John to sing and play lead. Then there is Stu Cook who laid down a bass line that was as thick as a Louisiana swamp and, with Doug Clifford on drums to anchor him to that relentless beat, you have the greatest American Rock Band

By any acid test you use to measure greatness, CCR exceed it. Take a few hours and go from the raw sound of Bayou Country and follow as the sound becomes refined on Green River and then becomes pure pop perfection on Willy and The Poor Boys before maturing on their last master work Cosmo’s Factory. 4 albums, 18 months, a body of work to rival anyone.