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John Fogerty has lived a wild and eventful life that extends far beyond his role as the leader of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). From being drafted into the U.S. Army Reserve during the Vietnam War to performing at the legendary Woodstock festival in 1969, Fogerty’s life was full of twists and turns, rivaling even the most famous rock stars of his time, who were known for their lavish lifestyles.
While Fogerty was an important part of the immense cultural developments of the 1960s and early 1970s, he also experienced other things that some of his best-known colleagues did not, including the debate over artistic ownership firsthand. Indeed, Fogerty’s experiences in this field reflect not only how oppressive long-term contracts with major labels can be for artists, but also how absurd the legal situation they create is, especially at a time when they have yet to be truly challenged.
CCR broke up in 1972 after the previous four years of the band’s immense success were marred by internal disputes. As John Fogerty clashed with the other three members, his brother Tom, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, over artistic control and business, it became clear that they could not continue. Lawsuits followed, and Fogerty also began a dispute with the band’s label, Fantasy Records, as he denounced the quality of their contract.
In 1973, Fogerty started his solo career with The Blue Ridge Rangersa one-man mix of country and gospel. However, the ghosts of the recent past returned with a vengeance. Since he was still under the CCR contract, he owed Fantasy eight more albums, which eventually forced him to refuse to work with them. Things changed, however, when David Geffen, the brains behind Asylum Records, bought Fogerty’s contract for $1 million in 1974. The following year he released John Fogerty.
After that, Fogerty took a long break and did not return until 1985. midfield. This hit and return to form was his first with Warner Bros, who had since become part-owners of his Asylum contract. On tour, however, he came under fire from longtime fans for omitting CCR songs, which he blamed on the ongoing legal battles, and claimed he had to pay performance fees to Fantasy owner Saul Zaentz.
Regardless, another legal battle with Zaentz was looming – two tracks on the record, “Zanz Kant Danz” and “Mr. Greed,” were widely seen as thinly veiled attacks on his old boss. The former is about a greedy pig who steals money, and Fogerty leaves little to the imagination with his lyrics. This led to a lawsuit from Zaentz, after which Fogerty released a revised version, “Vanz Kant Danz,” in which he changed the character’s name.
Things took an even stranger turn when a separate lawsuit alleged that the midfield The opening track, “The Old Man Down the Road,” shared the same chorus as the CCR classic “Run Through the Jungle,” a song still owned by Fantasy Records. Despite the similarities between the two pieces, Fogerty emerged victorious, successfully pointing out their differences and, most bizarrely, arguing that sounding like himself in his own songs was not plagiarism. The court agreed, and Fogerty then filed a countersuit at the expense of attorneys’ fees, eventually winning his case in the Supreme Court.
While Fogerty would rather forget the whole ordeal, the aspect that stands out the most is that he is being sued for sounding too much like himself. The absurdity of the claim has left many in disbelief that Fantasy Records even attempted such a thing. Fogerty addressed the situation during a 2020 interview with The Washington Post. When asked if it was true that such a bizarre scenario had played out in the courtroom, he confirmed that it was entirely true – he had indeed been sued for sounding like himself.
He recalled: “Well, the band broke up. Then (the record label owner) immediately released everyone else in the band from their contract, but he kept me because he saw more golden eggs in the future. That was really hard for me because I started to feel like I owed them so many records. It would have taken me about 20 years to fulfill that contract.”
It was downright depressing, Fogerty claimed. As he tried to find enough energy to sit back, midfieldand it was a success, he claims, they wanted retribution for not sharing it with them. His style is his style, he claimed, and they cynically combed through his work to find any possible excuse to take him to court. As a final humiliation, they still own his songs.
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