Tom Fogerty

Tom Fogerty

Tom Fogerty, 1974
Background information
Birth name Thomas Richard Fogerty
Also known as Rann Wild[1]
Born (1941-11-09)November 9, 1941
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Died September 6, 1990(1990-09-06) (aged 48)
Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Genres Rock, roots rock, country rock, blues rock, swamp rock, Southern rock, rock & roll
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active 1958–1990
Labels Fantasy, PBR
Associated acts Creedence Clearwater Revival, Ruby, The Blue Velvets, The Golliwogs
Website Tom Fogerty homepage at the Wayback Machine (archived October 18, 2007)
Notable instruments

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. 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. Later, 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). 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. Tom Fogerty lived in Scottsdale, Arizona for the remainder of his life. He was an occasional surprise call-in guest on local radio station KSLX-FM.

Death

On September 6, 1990, Tom Fogerty died in Scottsdale, Arizona of AIDS (specifically from a tuberculosis infection). After his death, a music compilation titled The Very Best of Tom Fogerty was released. His remains were cremated after his death and his ashes were given to his wife.

Discography

with Ruby
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

  1. ↑ Bordowitz 1998, p. 28.

References

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