50 years ago this week, on October 16th, 1972, Creedence Clearwater Revival officially announced their breakup.
Drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford said there had been some rifts over the years, the three final steps in the breakup were John Fogerty's old brother Tom 's departure in 1971, John's management of the band, without having gone to college or having a business background, and the decision to allow Clifford and bassist Stu Cook to write and sing songs on their seventh and final album, Mardi Gras.
Doug talked about how that album really spelled the end of the legendary group: [AUDIO]
"We wanted to be more involved in the creative process and so Mardi Gras came as an ultimatum. He said, 'You do a third, you do a third and I'll do a third and I won't sing on your songs because I have a unique voice.' We said, 'That's not Creedence. That's not what the fans want.' He says, 'That's the way it is or we break up right now.' In retrospect, you know, I wish we would have broken up right now because it was a horrible record and he broke up with us anyway and we took the heat for it because he said that's what we wanted to do. It was a lie quite frankly, one that we've had to bear the brunt of, and, I don't think to kindly on him for that. I still love him, but I don't like him."
Even with poor reviews, the Mardi Gras album peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also certified gold and produced two Top 40 hits -- "Sweet Hitch-Hiker" and "Someday Never Comes," both Fogerty songs.
Following numerous lawsuits, things have quieted down in recent years. Fogerty said back in 2011 that he was open to a reunion, but it never materialized.
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[Source: Classic Hits Today]