Finding Fogerty: Interdisciplinary Readings of John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival

Finding Fogerty: Interdisciplinary Readings of John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival, edited by Thomas M. Kitts, begins to correct the scholarly neglect of John Fogerty, one of America’s great songwriters, one of the rock era’s great vocalists, and one of its underrated guitarists and producers. This essential collection pulls together scholars from a wide range of disciplines and approaches to assess Fogerty’s fifty-year career and to argue for his musical and cultural significance. The composer of American classics like “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” “Green River,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” and “Centerfield,” Fogerty first achieved commercial success with the release of Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1968. As the band’s songwriter, lead singer, lead guitarist, and producer, Fogerty led CCR in a blistering output of 10 top-ten singles and seven gold albums before disbanding CCR in 1972. Divided into four sections (“Born on the Bayou,” “Run Through the Jungle,” “Centerfield, ”and “Keep on Chooglin’”), Finding Fogerty investigates Fogerty’s songs, life, and legacy, and stands as a tribute to one of America’s most treasured musical legends.

Table of Contents:
Introduction by Thomas M. Kitts Part One. "Born on the Bayou" Chapter One. "Born on the Bayou": CCR and the Evocation of Place by Jeff Sellars Chapter Two. Reviving the Pre-Sixties: Creedence on a Sixties/Seventies Cusp by Stephen Paul Miller Chapter Three. John Fogerty: Middle-Class Hero by Jake Sudderth Chapter Four. Down to the River: Narrative, Blues, and the Common Man in John Fogerty's Imagined Southern Gothic by Robert McParland Part Two. "Run Through the Jungle" Chapter Five. "Devil's on the Loose": Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Religious Imagination by Theodore Louis Trost Chapter Six. Flying the Flannel: An Americana Salute to Creedence Clearwater Revival by Timothy Gray Chapter Seven. The 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival Recording Contract and How it Shaped the Future of the Group and its Members by Hank Bordowitz Part Three. "Centerfield" Chapter Eight. America as Patron and Muse: The Creation of the Blue Ridge Rangers by Lawrence Pitilli Chapter Nine. The 1980s Comeba

About the Author :
Thomas M. Kitts is professor of English and Chair of the Division of English and Speech at St. John’s University, New York.

Review :
Editor Thomas M. Kitts has recognized that John Fogerty deserves. . . attention too, and this volume, Finding Fogerty: Interdisciplinary Readings of John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival, works to place the artist in the context of his creative work, commercial predicaments, and cultural impact. ... Kitts’ Finding Fogerty offers a strong reminder of how important a songwriter’s influence can be and contains a thorough analysis of Fogerty’s career as a band member and as a soloist, does not flinch from the critical and commercial difficulties he has faced, and avoids overselling his achievements. It describes what can happen when business associations can become so convoluted that a creator can be sued for plagiarizing himself and the emotional battering a performer can suffer while reconciling himself with his works from the past. Finding Fogerty should convince its readers that Fogerty’s influence on American culture deserves even fuller consideration; this volume offers a welcome start. A lively gathering of essays on John Fogerty's Creedence Clearwater Revival, the funky (but clean-cut) Americana rock band that scored a fistful of Top Ten hits in the 60s, without finding a firm place in the decade's rock hierarchy. Here a baker's dozen of perceptive music writers tell how good the band was and why it ended up an inch away from super-stardom.