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John
Fogerty - New Moon Rising John Fogerty, country? You bet your wing-tipped snakeskin boots,pardner. The former front man for Creedence Clearwater Revival, a certified rock band, crossed over into country well before his time with such songs as 'Lodi', 'Lookin' Out My Back Door' and 'Lookin' For A Reason'. In fact, after Creedence broke up in 1971, he recorded an entire album of country standards under the guise of The Blue Ridge Rangers. So why isn't Fogerty recognized as a pioneer of the great country crossover in the same manner as Gram Parsons, The Byrds and The Eagles? Well, Fogerty is re-staking his claim on his new effort, Blue Moon Swamp. "People ask me if I'm going back to a different style or making overtures toward country," says Fogerty, in Canada for the first time in 27 years to promote his new album. "All I can say is this album is who I am. I'm happy in that it says things very clearly. The Blue Ridge Ranger album was a good idea but I wasn't able to execute that well, whereas a new song like 'Southern Streamline' sounds like I wanted it to sound." 'Southern Streamline' has some great steel guitar work that gives it a western swing attitude, while a lovely dobro lick turns 'Joy Of My Life' into a countrified tribute to his wife Julie. Fogerty, who just turned 52, credits her and their four and five-year-old sons for keeping him looking and feeling like a 30 year old. One wonders if his kids will be cranking up Blue Moon Swamp's first single, 'Walkin' In A Hurricane', the same way his older fans turned up the volume when listening to CCR's 'Proud Mary' almost 30 years ago. "I really don't know how any singles will do", Fogerty admits. "I don't buy singles; I'm one of the three people who didn't buy 'The Macarena'. I tend to buy albums and be disappointed a lot. I've got shelves of CDs that are kind of over in the dinosaur bone lot. I do notice that when I play the new songs live, people have smiles on their faces and they tend to sing along, so that's a good sign." When Fogerty comes to your town he'll be playing the Creedence songs he was previously reluctant to perform due to legal hassles with CCR's record label head. That's all behind him now; when you hear the old hits he wrote, sang and produced you realize that John Fogerty was Creedence Clearwater Revival. Any hangers-on waiting for a reunion may as well forget about it. "Playing music is fun and you do it with your friends," Fogerty says. "The guys in CCR are not my friends." |
