John Fogerty was once offered the opportunity to buy back the guitar he played during Creedence Clearwater Revival’s peak, but he declined due to the memories associated with the instrument. However, his wife and manager, Julie, purchased it and gave it to him as a Christmas gift, initiating a healing process that helped him return to music.
Fogerty used the Rickenbacker guitar, with “Acme” hand-painted on it, for his upcoming album, “Legacy – The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years.” The 20-track album, featuring precise recreations of CCR classics, is set for release in August.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Fogerty said he parted with the guitar in the 1970s. About 20 years later, he was offered the chance to buy it back for $40,000, but the guitar reminded him of the bitter legal battles with his former bandmates and record label.
“I was hurt. I was damaged,” Fogerty said. “I started as a kid full of joy doing music, but during the time of Creedence, and shortly after that, it became certainly not joyful.”
Picking up the guitar again, Fogerty’s feelings began to change, leading to his return to the stage. With “Legacy,” he has taken another step. “The idea was to reconnect and feel that way about everything again,” he said. “The guy who couldn’t even stand to look at his own guitar in the ’90s or beyond would have never done that.”
Although Fogerty released a new song, “Weeping in the Promised Land,” in 2021, he downplayed the possibility of an album of original songs, despite previously suggesting it might happen. “Do I have a bunch of songs written and recorded? No, I don’t,” he said. However, he added that he was inspired after receiving the American Music Honors last month, where Bruce Springsteen inducted him and Jackson Browne led a performance of the Eagles’ “Take It Easy.”
“On our drive back to the hotel with my wife, I said, ‘I’m like 10 feet off the ground. I want to go write songs and record them!’” Fogerty enthused.
Reflecting on the “Legacy” album, Fogerty said, “When you’re 80 years old, you finally are given the special key to the kingdom. I guess you can do whatever you want. I decided this is what I wanted to do – to give myself a present.”
He offered additional reasons for recording the album: “Number one, there’s probably no chance in the world I will ever have any part of the ownership of the old masters. This is kind of the Taylor Swift part. But another thing is, I think there’s a joy quite evident in the music that may not be there in the original versions.”