Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bayou Country
The birth of "Proud Mary" and "Born on the Bayou."
CCR leader John Fogerty had a genius for titles: with Bayou Country and its signature, iconic hits "Born On the Bayou" and "Proud Mary," Fogerty, a northern California native, reinvented himself as a son of the swamp. There's more original material on this, their second album, but the groove is still firmly rooted in the same magical relationship between drums and guitars captured by New Orleans producer Eddie Bo on the classic "Pass the Hatchet." In this case, though, the student has outdone the master, because "Born on the Bayou" and "Proud Mary" are two of the greatest songs ever written about Louisiana. Bob Dylan once called "Proud Mary" his favorite song; that tune and "Born on the Bayou" became instant classics and favorite cover material for countless R&B singers. (Who can forget Ike and Tina Turner's supercharged version of "Proud Mary"?) The band backs up those timeless hits with the terrific swamp-rock groove of "Bootleg" and "Keep On Chooglin'," the eerie "Graveyard Train" and the strutting "Penthouse Pauper," among the first of many astute, class-conscious social commentaries Fogerty would write over the years. The band, whose masterful covers dominated the first album, adds a supremely grooving version of "Good Golly Miss Molly" here.
