John Fogerty talks family time, new music before he returns to the Hollywood Bowl – San Bernardino Sun

John Fogerty vividly remembers the first time he ever set foot on the Hollywood Bowl stage.

It was June 14, 1969 and his band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, had several monster hits on the radio and topping the music charts, including “Suzie Q,” “Proud Mary,” “Born on the Bayou” and “Bad Moon Rising.”

Fogerty, who grew up in the Bay Area, said he’d heard of other acts performing at the Hollywood Bowl, including the Beatles and the Doors, so forking over about $10,000 to a promoter — who may or may not have still been living at home with his parents at the time — to secure a date at the iconic Southern California venue sounded like a solid investment back then.

“Things are quite different now,” the now 77-year-old singer-songwriter said with laugh as he recounted the transaction during a recent phone interview. “That was a bunch of money back then, but it went off well. It was Creedance at the height of their glory, you might say, and it was a lot of fun.”

Fogerty has since performed at the venue, which is currently celebrating its 100th season, numerous times and will return on July 30 to play music from throughout his over 50-year career including Creedence Clearwater Revival hits and songs from his solo efforts.

One of the reasons the venue remains such a sought after tour stop for major artists is that it’s outdoors and provides stunning views, especially on clear evenings under the stars, Fogerty said. He remembers looking out at the 18,000 fans inside the venue and compares that same view to what it was like performing at Woodstock, seeing so many fans staked up on the hillside in front of him.

“Hollywood Bowl is connected to so many great artists and iconic concerts,” he said. “There used to be a pool there, too, but now it’s now concrete. I remember hearing about either the artists jumping in the pool or the fans did during shows. If it was the Beatles, it was probably the fans; But if it was the Doors, it was probably Jim [Morrison].”

Though CCR disbanded in 1972, Fogerty kept on touring and recording as a solo act. Now, his shows are more of a family affair as his sons, guitarists Shane and Tyler of the band Hearty Har, join him on the road. During the pandemic, the family, including his wife Julie and daughter Kelsy, hunkered down in their Los Angeles area home and got through the anxiety and depression of COVID-19 by making music together. The family made videos of themselves playing some of Fogerty’s classic songs and posted them on YouTube. Eventually they had enough to release a seven-song EP, “Fogerty’s Factory,” which came out in late 2020.

With Julie serving as artistic director, Fogerty said getting the family into these video productions reminded him of his days in high school and the camaraderie he experienced being part of a cappella or choral productions.

“I sensed that feeling again and my family got to experience that,” he said. “What I really liked was that we discovered each other in that context. I was thinking we can do this down the road for as long as we want. It doesn’t have to be a song I’ve written or have sung before, we can do whatever the spirit moves us. Nowadays you don’t have to have a record deal with anyone, you can just do it and go on Twitter or TikTok for your 15 minutes, or 15 seconds, of fame.”