Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival, more commonly known as CCR, was one of the more successful rock bands of the 1960s. The group, originally named The Blue Velvets, consisted of John Fogerty, Stu Cook, and Doug Clifford. In 1964, the group signed a recording contract with Fantasy Records, an independent jazz label based in San Francisco. Fogerty and Clifford were called upon by the draft in 1966, and while Fogerty managed to get into the Army Reserve, Clifford did a stint with the Coast Guard Reserve. Both were discharged in 1968 and the album entitled Creedence Clearwater Revival was released later that year. The band began a heavy schedule of touring, but managed to release their second album, Bayou Country, in January 1969. This album contained the hit, Proud Mary, which went to #2 on the National charts. Only weeks later, the single, Bad Moon Rising—backed with Lodi—was released and quickly hit #2 on the charts. All in all, 1969 was the banner year for CCR—they had four hit singles (plus three B-side songs that made the charts), played the Atlanta Pop Festival and Woodstock, and also performed on the Ed Sullivan show in November. The band continued to perform and record until their breakup in 1972. CCR was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1983.