Creedence Clearwater Revival have launched their 50th anniversary with the first-ever video for their iconic 1969 hit, “Fortunate Son.”
“It was in the summertime half a century ago that CCR released their self-titled debut album,” says the band. “We’re kicking off the 50th anniversary celebration with something special.”
Alongside “Down On The Corner”, “Fortunate Son” was issued as a double-sided single from the California band’s fourth album, 1969’s “Willie And The Poor Boys”; the tune reached No. 3 on the US charts while the project went on to sell more than a million copies in the country.
A comment on class issues involving citizens serving in the US military, “Fortunate Son” ultimately became an anthem in the anti-war movement during the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War.
“For me, protest right now is just showing pure positivity in the face of division and anger," says video director Ben Fee. “I wanted to highlight the community and positivity that everybody shares… I wanted to show what America feels like when you actually hit the road and drive throughout the states."
In sync with the video’s release, Creedence Clearwater Revival have launched a social media campaign under the banner #CCR50 to write “a new chapter in the band’s history, giving longtime fans new ways to engage with Creedence’s legacy and creating pathways for younger generations to discover their timeless, all-American sound.”
“Share your #itaintme moment via socials to be part of the story – you may be included in a special vertical version of the ‘Fortunate Son’ music video, and you’ll be entered to win a set of rare vinyl test pressings for a special release coming soon.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival initially formed in El Cerrito, CA in 1959 by high school friends John Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford as The Blue Velvets; the trio backed up Tom Fogerty during live performances and in the studio on some singles before he was added to the lineup; the group changed their name to The Golliwogs and released more singles between 1964 and 1967 before officially becoming CCR in December of 1967.
The band issued their self-titled debut in the spring of 1968, scoring their first US hit with a cover of the 1957 Dale Hawkins rockabilly classic, “Susie Q.”
CCR released seven albums (including three platinum ones in 1969 alone) and had a dozen US Top 40 hits before they disbanded in 1972; the group sold more than 26 million albums in the US alone and were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1993.
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