Creedence Clearwater Revival was responsible for several hit songs during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. They had songs that were full of energy, power, and became great party standards for years to come. The band broke up almost forty years ago and their music will live on forever. The band all went their own ways leaving behind a legacy of songs within their library that most musicians would only dream of. Some of the great songs such as; “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” and “Midnight Special” would become classic rock favorites around the world.
In 1995, Stu Cook and Doug “Cosmo” Clifford joined forces and decided to start playing the old songs once again. As they decided to revisit the music they called the new endeavor Creedence Clearwater Revisited. “We actually could’ve used the original name, but what we were doing was revisiting the music,” says Stu. The new name really makes more sense.
They never really had any intention of playing for the public, but a friend of theirs wanted to promote a couple of concerts. They got talked into it, but didn't know how well it would go over. Their initial plans would be to do some parties and special occasions to have some fun at it playing the songs that they both loved. Their performances were really very well received and the band soon was in demand again right where they left off.
The new group found some incredible musicians to fill the vacant shoes of the original members. John Tristao, Steve Gunner, and Tal Morris round out this now five piece group in style. Tristao has an amazing set of pipes that are filled with warmth. Gunner jumps in on guitar and keyboards wherever needed with style and grace. Morris completes the band duplicating the tricky guitar licks.
The band now is playing in halls, arenas, and doing festivals with an audience ranging from a few thousand upward to approximately fifty thousand. The group keeps playing the old hits and is having a great time at it. You won’t hear any new music at these shows as, “To add to it would just add confusion. To be honest, I’ve just been too busy to be a creative writer,” says Cook.
“We were all lucky with CCR. We worked hard, got incredibly successful very fast, and the music made a huge impact. The songs were easy for other people to learn and play. The music was kept alive by other musicians and in motion pictures. It was a huge dose of luck and classic rock radio helped too.”
The new CCR has lasted longer than the original version and now does about seventy-five shows per year. When asked how long do you think you can keep going, Stu replied, “No telling. We are all having fun. Unless there is some major health issues, we are going to keep going.” They are really enjoying what they are doing and what musician wouldn’t.
Stu has been a musician since grammar school when he started out on trumpet and then guitar. Eventually he found his place on bass guitar over forty-five years ago. Now playing some top of the line and custom basses, this man thumps out the old bass lines of classic rock history through a 750 watt amp with a matching pair of SWR cabinets. The bottom end of the group now has a new and improved sound.
Both Cook and Clifford are both very happy with their success with Creedence Clearwater Revisited. They both just turned sixty-five years old and they celebrated their birthdays playing the music that they always loved playing. Over four decades later Stu was asked if there was anything that he would change. He replied, “No. I don’t look in the rear view mirror.”
One of their most memorable moments since they reformed was in Argentina. They were getting ready to play in Buenos Aires and the audience was already one of the loudest crowds imaginable before they started to play. The audience continued on when the band hit the stage and when a band is in that kind of a position, “You never want to leave,” says Stu. These guys are and always will be classic rock icons to many.
The old CCR went through their break up and had their issues. Stu Cook does not hold bad grudges against his former band mate and former friend John Fogerty. He was asked if he would get on stage again with John and stated, “Sure why not. I’d get on stage with anyone. The stage is not a place to air your laundry.” As with Stu he doesn’t have bitter blood toward John, but the group reuniting with him is highly unlikely.
Although the group came from the old hippy days of peace love and lots of drugs, “We were never known as a band that was known for our position with drugs. We drank some beers, a nip of Jack Daniels,” but that was basically it. If they had been heavily involved with drugs Creedence might not have turned out to be as popular as they were.
Stu offers his advice to younger musicians starting out, “Practice hard. Make sure you want to be a musician. It’s a tough life. It’s not well rewarded unless you are lucky. You need to be prepared to be discouraged and disappointed.”
The band moves along now in its current form playing a lot of sold out shows. They released a live multi platinum compilation called, Recollection. Their continued success into the next generation has taken a lot of people by surprise including Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. As they catch a ride on their musical highway, you might be lucky to see this traveling band live. There is no time like the present and Creedence Clearwater Revisited is just phenomenal.
Catch CCR live June 12th at Harrah's Casino in Joliet.
