John Fogerty (born John Cameron Fogerty, on 28 May 1945 in Berkeley, California) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for his time with the southern rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. Fogerty's family name is Irish, an Anglicized form of the Irish personal name Fógartach, from fógartha, meaning 'banished, outlawed' (Hanks & Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames [Oxford UP, 1988], p. 187).
John and his brother, Tom Fogerty, formed the band in El Cerrito, California in the late 1950s as Tommy Fogerty and the Blue Velvets. The name was changed to The Golliwogs in the mid 1960s, but the band remained unpopular.
By 1968, things were starting to pick up. The band released its first album, the self-titled Creedence Clearwater Revival, and also had their first hit single, "Susie Q." Other hit singles of Creedence Clearwater Revival were "Proud Mary," "Fortunate Son," "Up Around The Bend," "Green River," "Down On The Corner," "Travelin' Band," "Lookin' Out My Back Door," " Bad Moon Rising," and "Who'll Stop The Rain."
Tensions flared in 1971, causing John's brother, Tom, to leave the band. John demanded that Stu Cook and Doug Clifford write and sing one third each of the next album, Mardi Gras. They protested, saying it wouldn't be a CCR album, and that the fans would not understand. John replied, "my voice is a unique instrument and I will not lend it to your songs." He threatened to quit the band immediately if his ultimatum was not met; Mardi Gras turned out to be their last album as Fogerty bought himself out of his contract and officially left the band.
However, his influence was not forgotten with his departure. His guitar playing with CCR would later lead Rolling Stone to name him the 40th greatest guitarist of all time.
