The tragic story of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Tom Fogerty
Creedence Clearwater Revival embodied the spirit of southern swamp rock, even though they had been formed in the bright skies of California. The band, comprised of brothers John and Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, had played together in early iterations of the band since 1959 and eventually settled on the name Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.
The band broke through with their self-titled debut album in 1968 and were subsequently invited to play at the acclaimed Woodstock Festival in 1969. Several excellent albums followed in the shape of 1969’s Bayou Country and Green River. The Rock and Roll Hall of Hall Fame states that CCR “were progressive and anachronistic at the same time. An unapologetic throwback to the golden era of rock and roll, they broke ranks with their peers on the progressive, psychedelic San Francisco scene,” and it is hard to disagree.
However, despite their success, the band split in 1972. Tom Fogerty had already left the group a year prior, whilst his brother John was seemingly at odds with his other bandmates. Artistic and financial control over the songs had caused a rift to widen, and over the years, several lawsuits came in from all directions throughout the CCR camp.
The true tragedy of CCR, though, lies in the sad death of Tom Fogerty. In the 1980s, he had moved to Scottsdale in Arizona, and after a bout of poor physical health, he had sought out surgery to cure his back problems. Fogerty underwent an unscreened blood transfusion. However, this tragically caused him to become infected with HIV.
Tom and John were not on speaking terms even then, given the acrimonious split of their band. The reconciliation would never come, and on September 6th, 1990, Tom Fogerty passed away at the age of just 46. At Tom’s funeral, John read the eulogy and said: “We wanted to grow up and be musicians. I guess we achieved half of that. Becoming rock ‘n roll stars. We didn’t necessarily grow up.”
Years later, John wrote in his memoir: “I was sad that life had been taken from Tom. That sadness was mixed with other emotions. But I’ve forgiven Tom. I’m not angry anymore. I love my brother. Also, I sure loved the old family days. The way we were as kids. It’s resolved, and somehow Tom knows it’s alright, wherever he is.”
Evidently, John was regretful over the fact that he had not made up with his brother, that he had allowed the music business to get in the way of one of the most significant relationships that he would ever form: a brother and a bandmate. The swamp spirit of Tom Fogerty has been sorely missed ever since.