Tom Fogerty
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Tom Fogerty | |
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Tom Fogerty, 1974 Tom Fogerty, 1974 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Thomas Richard Fogerty |
Also known as | Rann Wild[1] |
Born | Berkeley, California, United States | November 9, 1941
Died | September 6, 1990 Scottsdale, Arizona, United States | (aged 48)
Genres | Rock, roots rock, country rock, blues rock, swamp rock, southern rock, rock and roll |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Guitar, vocals, piano |
Years active | 1958–1990 |
Labels | Fantasy, PBR |
Website | Template:Wayback |
Thomas Richard "Tom" Fogerty (November 9, 1941 – September 6, 1990) was a US musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist for Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Biography
Tom Fogerty was born in Berkeley, California. He began singing rock and roll in high school. He and his brother had separate groups. Tom's band, Spider Webb and the Insects (which featured Jeremy Levine of the Seeds), signed a recording contract with Del-Fi Records but broke up in 1959 before releasing any records. The Blue Velvets—a group led by Tom's younger brother John—began backing Tom. Eventually Tom joined the band, and the group recorded three singles (with Tom on lead vocals) for Orchestra Records in 1961 and 1962. By the mid 1960s, the group had been renamed The Golliwogs and were recording with Fantasy Records, with Tom and John sharing lead vocal duties. In 1968, the band was again renamed—this time to Creedence Clearwater Revival—and John had become full-time lead singer and primary songwriter. During the few years of the life of CCR, Tom sang backing vocals and wrote songs, but only one of his songs ("Walking on the Water") was recorded. This lack of opportunity, along with festering, long-standing animosity with his brother, led him to leave the band in 1971.
After leaving the band, Fogerty began performing and recording as a solo artist. His relationship with his brother John remained strained. Tom was bitter at having his contributions overlooked. In the pre-CCR days, Tom had been singer, songwriter, and, generally, manager of the act. Tom Fogerty had minor hits like "Goodbye Media Man". He remained with Fantasy Records and his 1971 solo debut album, Tom Fogerty, reached #78 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. On the follow-up, Excalibur, Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders played on the sessions. Stu Cook and Doug Clifford (CCR's former bass guitarist and drummer) and John Fogerty performed on the 1974 follow-up album, Zephyr National. The song "Mystic Isle Avalon" features a complete reunion of CCR though John Fogerty recorded his parts separately. Cook and Clifford also backed Tom on his second LP release of 1974 titled Myopia.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s and 1980s, Tom Fogerty continued to record. He claimed all royalties and sued Fantasy Records; when Tom re-signed with Fantasy (effectively releasing an obligor—Fantasy Records, the deepest pocket—of joint liability and waiver of damages to his brother, an obligee), Tom Fogerty lived comfortably in Scottsdale, Arizona for the remainder of his life, thanks to his Creedence royalties. He was an occasional surprise call-in guest on local radio station KSLX-FM. At the October 1980 reception for Tom's marriage to Tricia Clapper, all four members of CCR reunited and performed for the first time in a decade. They took the stage once more for a final time at a school reunion three years later.
Death
On September 6, 1990, Tom Fogerty died in Scottsdale, Arizona of AIDS (specifically from a tuberculosis infection), having contracted HIV from blood transfusions for back ailments. Towards the end of his life, he allegedly said to his brother John, "Saul Zaentz is my best friend".[2] Zaentz was the chief of Fantasy Records, a man John has described as his "worst enemy",[3] effectively meaning the two would never mend their relationship.[2] After his death, a music compilation titled The Very Best of Tom Fogerty was released.
Discography
- Tom Fogerty (1972)
- Excalibur (1972)
- Zephyr National (1974)
- Myopia (1974)
- Deal It Out (1981)
- Sidekicks (with Randy Oda) (released posthumously in 1992)
- The Very Best of Tom Fogerty (1999)
- with Ruby
- Ruby (1976)
- Rock & Roll Madness (1978)
- Precious Gems (1984)
- Other appearances
Year | Artist | Album | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
1972 | Merle Saunders | Heavy Turbulence | Guitar and vocals |
Walter Hawkins | Do Your Best | Producer | |
Jim Post | Slow To 20 | Backing vocals on "Homemade Music" | |
1973 | Merle Saunders | Fire Up | Guitar and producer |
1997 | Keepers | Previously unreleased recordings |
Citations
- ^ Bordowitz 1998, p. 28.
- ^ a b Sweeting, Adam (July 10, 2000). "The saddest story in rock". The Guardian. Archived from the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ John Fogerty Explains Creedence Clearwater Revival's Hall of Fame Meltdown Roling Stone, October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
References
- Bordowitz, Hank (2007). Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Credence Clearwater Revival. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1556526619.
External links
- 1941 births
- 1990 deaths
- AIDS-related deaths in Arizona
- American people of Irish descent
- American rock guitarists
- Creedence Clearwater Revival members
- Deaths from tuberculosis
- Musicians from Berkeley, California
- People from Contra Costa County, California
- Rhythm guitarists
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
- 20th-century American musicians