Songs of an era

In 1969, a gallon of gas cost 35 cents.

A man walked on the moon while thousands of Vietnam War protesters marched on Washington, D.C., Nixon took office, bell bottoms and tie dye were "in" and America's youth was immersed in a summer of peace, love and rock'n'roll.

Creedence Clearwater Revival provided the soundtrack to that historic year.

"It happened pretty fast," said original drummer, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and CCR founding member Doug "Cosmo" Clifford. "In 1969, we put out three albums. To this day I still don't get that ... we were burning at a double rate."

Clifford, 70, joined brothers John and Tom Fogerty and bassist Stu Cook for the musical adventure of a lifetime when he was only 13. He said the heart of the band began with rhythm guitarist Tom, who was John's older brother and 18 when CCR was born.

"Tom had a vision," Clifford said during a phone interview from his home in the Sierra Mountains. "Without Tom, I wouldn't be talking to you."

Clifford said for CCR, it was always about the music. The band would practice, practice, practice and then go to work at their day or night jobs to pay the bills. But they never drifted from where their music carried them.

"We used to play in the clubs five sets a night, six nights a week, that's how you got good," he said. "The one thing also, the key to that, is that we knew the direction we wanted to go in. Whether it was popular or not, we stuck to our guns."

Their hard work paid off. Before long, CCR was working with the same company as the Beatles, Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones, cranking out double-sided singles and filling the airwaves with their iconic songs.

"It was a whirlwind," Clifford said. "We did a 50-city tour in '69. We were No. 1 on the record sales."

CCR headlined at Woodstock Music Festival that summer, an experience Clifford remembers as if it were yesterday.

"There are a lot of stories," he said. "All the big bands were sitting on the sidelines. We were the first big act to say 'Yes.' The second we said 'Yes,' everybody else joined in. If Creedence would have said 'No,' there wouldn't have been a Woodstock."

He said Woodstock was a logistics nightmare because the venue expected about 100,000 people and more than 400,000 attended.

"People left their cars in the road," he said. "There wasn't enough food and water, it rained most of the time, so people didn't have shelter."

Through the rain, mud and music, Clifford said the peace and love shined.

"Everybody shared what they had with complete strangers. They made it work," he said. "It'll never happen again, unfortunately."

CCR was at its peak in 1969 and 1970, with songs that spoke to a nation caught in the uproar of war and civil unrest. This was when songs such as "Bad Moon Rising," "Down on the Corner," "Fortunate Son" and "Proud Mary" topped the charts.

"It makes you move," Clifford said of CCR's sound. "It's simple but at the same time it's complex in its simplicity."

"Born on the Bayou" is Clifford's favorite song to play, he said, because of the power of the quarter-note groove and how it epitomizes CCR's style.

"That is just an ass-kicker," he said.

It has been 45 years since CCR's glory days, but in 1995 Clifford and Cook decided to join forces once more for Creedence Clearwater Revisited, a project that keeps the magic of CCR alive. Clifford and bassist/backup vocalist Cook contribute the same rhythm section sound they were so well known for years ago, and with Revisited, every song played is a classic.

"The feeling that I get going on stage is the same, in fact it might be a little more enjoyable because I appreciate things," Clifford said. "The older you get, you just have so much time on the planet, and I love to play."

Revisited includes Clifford and Cook as well as lead guitarist Kurt Griffey and lead singer/rhythm guitar player John Tristao and multi-instrumentalist Steve Gunner. Griffey has recorded and toured with members of the Eagles, Foreigner, the Moody Blues, Lynyrd Skynryd and more. Revisited has created a way for CCR's music to continue to reach people of all ages.

"It's pretty great - we have at least three generations," Clifford said. "It's just mind-blowing. It's a real gift and a humbling thing to know you make people happy."

Creedence Clearwater Revisited will be playing at the Coeur d'Alene Casino Resort Hotel at 7 p.m., July 16. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.cdacasino.com or call 800-523-2464.