The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty , his brother, rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty , bassist Stu Cook , and drummer Doug Clifford. These members had played together since , first as the Blue Velvets and later as the Golliwogs , before settling on Creedence Clearwater Revival in The band performed at the Woodstock festival in Upstate New York , and was the first major act signed to appear there.
CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late after four years of chart-topping success. Tom had quit the band the previous year, and John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in lawsuits among the former bandmates. John's disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz led to more court cases and John refused to perform with the two other surviving members of the bandβTom had died in βat Creedence's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
CCR's music remains popular and is a staple of U. Calling themselves the Blue Velvets, the trio played instrumentals and "jukebox standards", [ 8 ] and backed John's older brother Tom at recordings and performances before he joined the band. In they signed with Fantasy Records , an independent jazz label in San Francisco. For the band's first release, Fantasy co-owner Max Weiss renamed the group The Golliwogs after the children's literary character Golliwog.
Prior to the Golliwog name, Weiss had renamed them Vision. Bandmembers' roles changed during this period: Cook switched from piano to bass guitar and Tom Fogerty from lead vocals to rhythm guitar; John became the band's lead vocalist and primary songwriter.
In Tom's words: "I could sing, but John had a sound! Army Reserve while Clifford joined the U. Coast Guard Reserve.
