It’s been more than 50 years since four 20-somethings from El Cerrito, Calif., changed the face of American rock ’n’ roll with their Delta blues, Southern-rock-inspired sound. Songs like “Fortunate Son,” “Born on a Bayou,” and “Rollin’ on the River” seemed to speak to a deeper American psyche than other music at the time. The music rooted itself firmly into pop culture, making Creedence Clearwater Revival a household name.
CCR is still one of the top groups to get radio play on the classic rock stations, original drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford told the Sun.
“We have at least three generations of fans now, with more young fans than old fans now, which is pretty trippy,” Clifford said. “In the pop medium, the toughest test is the test of time. We seem to have weathered that storm beautifully.”
Clifford, and original CCR bassist Stu Cook, will grace the stage at the Santa Barbara County Fair on July 16 to perform as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, which also includes Kurt Griffey, Dan McGuinness, and Steve Gunner playing several instruments and singing.
The group is designed to perfectly re-create the CCR sound, with the original rhythm section holding down the bass and the beat. The group will perform those beloved songs that have found their way around the globe through pop culture like movies and car commercials.
“I hear us on movie trailers, like one out now where you hear ‘Fortunate Son’ being played in the background,” Clifford said. “Or just in the grocery store, in the produce department or the meat department, you hear those songs.”
Creedence Clearwater Revisited performs worldwide, Clifford said, and the songs are beloved all over the place, even where people don’t speak English and can’t understand the words to the song.
It’s mostly the Top 40 hits that are well known, Clifford said, and that’s because the group was very focused on the songs they knew would lead an album into the top of the charts. But the answer wasn’t more screaming guitars, or more harmonies, or more instruments. Less was more, he said.
“Refine, refine, refine. Simplify, simplify, simplify. And that’s hard for young guys because you’re up there and you want to play more, throw a lick in there, throw a lick in here,” Clifford said. “But what we did was focus on the economy of a song, and not having one note that wasn’t meaningful.”
Songs like “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” are a perfect example. Just a handful of chords, a simple acoustic guitar riff, and Clifford’s driving drum rhythm is all the introduction needed to the heartfelt tune.
Rhythm and blues music along with rock ’n’ roll call back to humanity’s ancient musical roots, Clifford said, specifically in the drums, which he said are arguably the first instruments. This is why the beautiful simplicity of CCR speaks to so many.
“It’s a huge part of our culture. Music and musical instruments go back thousands of years,” he said. “It’s deeper than people know or realize—it can be tribal.”
CCR has certainly amassed its own tribe over the years. It’s hard not to like the group’s music, and many people love the songs without knowing the band by name.
The popularity of CCR is remarkable, considering how simple the music is and how long these songs have been around. But, Clifford said, Creedence came along and filled a niche whose time hasn’t passed.
“We had no idea that we would have this kind of popularity 45 years after the fact,” Clifford said. “I know I didn’t.”
As long as audiences come to listen, and as long as he’s around, Clifford is more than delighted to play the songs he’s been drumming for decades now, he said. It’s still a potent experience for him, at 71 years old, and the excitement hasn’t worn off one bit, Clifford said.
“It’s the best drug in the world, being up there in front of people who love what you do, ready to hear their favorite song or songs,” he said. “You’re playing your work for your fans, and God bless them, you want to give them a good show.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne always turns up the radio when CCR comes on. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2016.