Doug Clifford

Greatly Appreciated

DOUG CLIFFORD
 
 
Doug Clifford  (born April 24, 1945 in Palo Alto, California) is an American rock drummer best known as a founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival.  After the group dissolved in the early 1970’s, Clifford released a solo album and later joined CCR bassist Stu Cook in the Don Harrison Band.  In 1995, Clifford and Cook formed the band Creedence Clearwater Revisited, performing live versions of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs.  Clifford currently resides in Reno, Nevada.  (More from Wikipedia)
 
 
The acrimony among the bandmembers in Creedence Clearwater Revival started not long after Suzie Qbecame a hit.  Rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty (John’s younger brother) in particular had long felt ignored within the band and finally left the group for good in January 1971.  Eventually, John Fogerty refused to work with Fantasy at all, and he made only minimal contributions to the band’s final album in 1972Mardi Gras, insisting that he would not sing any of the songs written by the two other bandmembers, bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug Clifford.  The album was panned by the critics, with Rolling Stone reviewer Jon Landau marking it as “the worst album I have ever heard from a major rock band”.  The only reunion of Creedence Clearwater Revival with all four original members occurred at Tom Fogerty’s wedding in 1980.  Remarkably, Tom Fogerty sided with Fantasy Records during his brother’s bitter disputes with their label. 
 
With all of that animosity as background, it is small wonder, then, that John Fogerty refused to perform with his surviving former bandmates, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford when Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, though he did perform several CCR songs with a different backing band that night.  Cook and Clifford did start a band in 1995 called Creedence Clearwater Revisited that still tours widely. 
 
(January 2013)
 
Last edited: March 22, 2021