In a way, Creedence Clearwater Revival was lucky. Based in the terminally unhip East Bay suburb of El Cerrito, looking to classic rock & roll and the Beatles for inspiration in their early incarnation as the Golliwogs instead of the folk-rock which powered the San Francisco scene's big-name bands, they were shunned by the psychedelic ballrooms and had lots of time to refine a sound that was completely their own. The result was a run of nine Top Ten singles (and one, "Suzie Q," which peaked at number 11) of a directness and simplicity that the other bands missed. For this, they were derided by the hipoisie, who seem to have forgotten that popular music was supposed to be, um, popular.

Certainly their songwriting powerhouse, John Fogerty, didn't mind at all. He was too busy crafting powerful songs that the country reacted to immediately, honing songwriting, singing, and guitar skills that turned Creedence into one of America's top bands. After they broke up, Fogerty continued to pursue his vision, adding a dash of country music which only broadened his appeal, although legal issues and changing tastes meant that his sales might not have reflected his mastery as they once might have.

Creedence's songs played on a mythology which had already been set in place by the performers whose music they covered and whose legacy they extended. Proud Mary steamed up the Mississippi River, Fogerty sang about being born on the bayou (which he clearly wasn't), and characterized the band as Willie and the Poor Boys, just pickin' and grinnin' for spare change. This made the band something of a pop Rorschach test, in which listeners saw an image far more democratic and working-class than the band actually was. The deceptive simplicity of Creedence's music, too, was in stark contrast to the increasingly virtuosic-for-its-own-sake music coming from across San Francisco Bay, and the flannel-shirted, jeans-wearing image the band projected in photos and on stage was the opposite of the rock star poses adopted by so many of their contemporaries.

This democratic impulse has made Creedence's and Fogerty's work survive without seeming dated. Deeply informed by what came before, imbued with the values of directness and simplicity, it has served to influence countless similarly-minded performers who came afterwards. In short -- and without having anything to do with the marketing term -- it's classic rock.

Rock Classics Volume I Artist: Various Artists Release Date: 2007

Creedence blasted onto the scene with a lengthy meditation on Dale Hawkins's biggest hit, "Suzie Q," which had featured a guitar part by James Burton, one of the great unsung string-benders of his era. Hawkins had an eye for great guitarists -- later, he often used Roy Buchanan -- but he never had a hit as big as this one. He moved to Dallas and got into production work, with credits including Bruce Channel's "Hey, Baby," whose harmonica part, by Delbert McClinton, inspired the Beatles to use one on "Love Me Do." He produced the Top Ten hit "Western Union" by local band the Five Americans, and in 1970, became a consultant for Houston-based International Artists, dealing with the 13th Floor Elevators. The persistence of Creedence's "Suzie Q" as an FM radio staple revived his performing career, and he continues to perform occasionally to delighted audiences.

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