John Fogerty's Musical Revival

After Years Of Inactivity, Sixties Star Returns To Forefront

(CBS)  At the age of 60, after many years of near silence, one of rock 'n' roll's greatest is rockin' again.

Back on tour, John Fogerty is reclaiming his music and his past.

Some 35 years ago as lead singer and creative force behind Creedence Clearwater Revival he wrote hit after hit after hit.

But behind these happy tunes is a sad story. For years, decades actually, embroiled in a legal battle over rights, Fogerty refused to sing his own songs, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.

"Because I'm a pretty happy guy now, you know, I don't look at it at this point and go, grrrrr lawsuit, lawsuit, lawsuit," Fogerty explains.

In 1964, with two school friends and his older brother Tom, Fogerty signed with a small recording company, Fantasy Records. After trying names like "The Golliwogs" and "Blue Velvet" a TV show on water pollution inspired Fogerty to rename the group "Creedence Clearwater Revival".

Fogerty's buzzsaw voice--he calls it the swamp critter--gave Creedence a distinctive sound. The music's roots were southern, though Fogerty grew up in suburban San Francisco.

"I was probably pretty much a middle class white boy. Because of the music I loved it grew into this, into the way I wanted to express myself," Fogerty says.

Finally Creedence had their first hit, "Susie Q," but Fogerty worried they'd be a one-hit wonder. He calls it the sophomore jinx.

"You've got the spotlight and everyone says 'Well?' but if what you do is crap, then they go 'Right. I knew that.' and they move on, and you never get the spotlight again, ever," Fogerty says.

"And I took that seriously, really, I just didn't want to go back to the carwash," Fogerty says.