The 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival Recording Contract and How it Shaped the Future of the Group and its Members

Hank Bordowitz
Bordowitz Media Werx
Bergen Community College

Abstract

In 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival signed a revision of their two-year-old recording contract with Fantasy Records, mostly to put them on an equal economic footing with the majority of their peers at the time. While better (in some ways) than the original, the contract caused the members of the group, particularly leader and front-man John Fogerty, no end of grief and chaos. Over forty years later, parts of this document continue to haunt them. This article considers the fall out from that contract, the disputes that occurred within the band that led to its break up and the long term consequences that resound today from the rights granted in the songs and master sound recordings that were created by the group during they heyday.

Keywords: Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty, record contracts, Fantasy Records, music publishing, songwriting, master recording rights, copyright

Bordowitz, Hank. “The 1969 Creedence Clearwater Revival Recording Contract and How it Shaped the Future of the Group and its Members.” Journal of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association 12, no. 1 (2012): 69-89.  https://doi.org/10.25101/12.3