Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan recently spoke with The New York Times on music legend John Fogerty’s extraordinary success story. Corgan, who is known for his enthusiasm for fellow musicians, couldn’t keep his excitement in check as he relayed the amazing story of Fogerty’s journey and current advances in his career. According to Corgan, Creedence Clearwater Revival was once bigger than the Beatles, and he looked up to the band Fogerty helmed from 1968 to 1972. After leaving the band, Fogerty pursued a solo career, but he ran into a major stumbling block: he no longer held the rights to CCR’s songs and could no longer perform them live.
However, after more than 50 years, Fogerty regained ownership of his catalog, allowing him to sing his own songs written with the band. This nostalgic win touched fans like Corgan, who found the encounter extremely emotional. For him, Fogerty’s narrative is a textbook example of American achievement. Corgan was so moved by the turn of events that he emailed John and his wife Julie, expressing his delight at the uplifting conclusion. The two musicians began trading texts, with Corgan comparing the story to a famous Jimmy Stewart film in which the hero eventually reclaims what he has lost. Corgan stated: “Yet another amazing American success story.
” Creedence Clearwater Revival was once bigger than the Beatles. Then, famously, John Fogerty lost all of his songs due to a breach of contract. My understanding is that when he played live in the 1970s, he wouldn’t perform the songs since he didn’t own them longer. And, after 50 years, he recently received his catalog back. I texted him and his wife, Julie, to say, ‘Man, this is really fantastic,’ and received a nice response. Do you want to discuss about one of those Jimmy Stewart films? Guy makes good, loses everything, and then gets it all back.” While John Fogerty and his fans are overjoyed to have all of his songs that are over 50 years old returned to him, others, such as Billy Corgan, are emotional about it. The struggle was won on January 13, this year, when Fogerty revealed on Twitter that he finally owns the catalog’s rights after a fifty-year battle.