Bayou Country

Released in early 1969, the second album by guitarist/vocalist John Fogerty’s Californian quartet is perhaps the definitive example of the group’s swampy brew of rock, R&B, and blues.

The key song on Bayou Country is “Proud Mary”, a rock milestone that still sounds just as fresh and exciting as it did when it first boomed out of am radios decades ago. Although Creedence indulges in a few extended jams on tracks like “Keep on Chooglin” and “Graveyard Train”, they forsake the gratuitous soloing favoured by many of their San Francisco contemporaries in favour of fleshing out rhythmic, rock-solid grooves. From Fogerty’s formidable bluesman’s growl on “Born on the Bayou” to the explosive version of Little Richard’s “Good Golly Miss Molly”, Bayou Country is what rootsy rock & roll is all about, and it’s one of the best American rock albums of the ’60s.