CCR’s musical style encompassed roots rock,[2][3] swamp rock,[4] blues rock,[5] Southern rock,[6] country rock,[7] and blue-eyed soul.[8] Belying their origins in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, the band often played in a Southern rock style, with lyrics about bayous, catfish, the Mississippi River and other elements of Southern United States iconography. The band’s songs rarely dealt with romantic love, concentrating instead on political and socially conscious lyrics about topics such as the Vietnam War.[9] The band performed at the 1969 Woodstock festival in Upstate New York, and was the first major act signed to appear there.[10]
CCR disbanded acrimoniously in late 1972 after four years of chart-topping success. Tom Fogerty had officially left the previous year, and John was at odds with the remaining members over matters of business and artistic control, all of which resulted in subsequent lawsuits among the former bandmates. Fogerty’s ongoing disagreements with Fantasy Records owner Saul Zaentz created further protracted court battles, and John Fogerty refused to perform with the two other surviving members at Creedence’s 1993 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[11][12] Though the band has never officially reunited, John Fogerty continues to perform CCR songs as part of his solo act, while Cook and Clifford have performed as Creedence Clearwater Revisited since the 1990s.
CCR’s music is still a staple of U.S. classic rock radio airplay;[13] 28 million CCR records have been sold in the U.S. alone.[14] The compilation album Chronicle The 20 Greatest Hits, originally released in 1976, is still on the Billboard 200 album chart and reached the 500-weeks mark in December 2020. It has been awarded 10x platinum, indicating it has sold over 10 million copies.[15] Rolling Stone ranked them 82nd on its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[16]
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