By the late 1960s, when Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) released its first album, rock 'n' roll was transforming into rock, the more "advanced" and "sophisticated" cousin of the teenaged riot whipped up by Elvis Presley and Little Richard. While their contemporaries (Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, etc.) were expanding the sonic and lyrical boundaries of Rock 'n' Roll, CCR bucked the trend by returning to the music's roots. On their first album and their six subsequent releases, this Bay Area group led by John Fogerty fused primal rockabilly, swamp-boogie, country, r&b and great pop songwriting, and—in doing so—became one of the biggest selling rock bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Most of the members of CCR played in what were essentially bar bands around San Francisco and its suburbs. Along with El Cerrito junior high school friends Stu...