Coming Down on a Sunny Day

"My car got stolen last night, man, with my Creedence tapes."

John Fogerty's influence on my artistic world really cannot be overstated. From the nuances of my singing and writing styles to the subtleties of production, the echoes of CCR are all over my records. That blend of folk, rock, country and psych -”3rd Generation” just hits me and gets me. The songs. From 1969-1971, John penned three albums and something like thirteen Top Ten singles. Rock juggernauts. Arguably, the best and biggest American rock band there ever was. THE headliner of Woodstock.  John and CCR were on an island of their own, more like a T-Swift megawave of the old days. 

"I’m the dad [of these songs], I created them. They never should have been taken away in the first place. And that hijacking left such a massive hole in me." -John Fogerty

Despite these glorious rock n’ roll victories, Fogerty infamously signed an awful contract that passed his songwriting / publishing money to his label, Fantasy Records. They exploited his craft, financial security and personal peace for over 50 years! The label even tried to sue the guy in the 1990s for copyright infringement, accusing that his new songs were rip offs of his old songs–that he sounded too much like himself! So, they took his old songs and then, 20 years later, they literally try to take his new songs. No joke! What a mad obsession. And you wonder why artists despise record labels? John won the suit and then stuck it to Fantasy in a separate case he also won that went all the way up to SCOTUS. 

But still, the label retained the majority of his catalog and all of those classic CCR tunes until earlier in 2023 when John’s songs and worldwide rights were finally returned to him. That makes me happy. I think it makes John pretty happy too. The return of his life’s work, songs he once refused to perform, symbolizes so much more than legal rights; it's a reclaiming of his story, his livelihood and legacy, and a slow but rising tide that empowers artists over companies. I’m here for it all.

"As of this January (2023), I own my own songs again. This is something I thought would never be a possibility. After 50 years, I am finally reunited with my songs. I also have a say in where and how my songs are used. Up until this year, that is something I have never been able to do."

So, hats off John, what goes around comes around. If it’s a battle of attrition, I think the artists will win. The scales are tipping and in the end, us longhairs have the songs, the spirit, the vision, the fans — what else / who else do we really need in a changing world?

In celebration of an artist win and a tribute to a legend, I recorded a CCR cover Re-Imagination that I’ll post on Saturday. Join me here at Cosmic Eagle this weekend and give it a spin.

-IN