John Fogerty plans to tell his own life story – including his East Bay roots, rise to rock stardom with the band Creedence Clearwater Revival and the tumultuous conflicts with his brother Tom and former record label, Fantasy Records of Berkeley.
The publishing firm Little, Brown and Company announced Monday that it had acquired the rights to Fogerty's memoirs to be published in 2014. The announcement was featured on Fogerty's website and in news accounts, including one from the Associated Press.
“The kid from El Cerrito wanted to be the best musician in the world—my promise to myself," Fogerty said in a statement released by the publisher. "I accomplished that goal against all odds, only to have it fall apart on top of me. The songs and the music stopped; you didn’t hear from John Fogerty for years."
A well-known chapter in Fogerty's troubles includes the long and often bitter legal battles between him and Fantasy under the leadership of Saul Zaentz. One of the cases went to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The building housing the Fantasy studios later incorporated film and was renamed the Zaentz Media Center, dubbed by its current owner, Wareham Development, as "the house that Creedence Clearwater Revival built."
"My story will share the ups and downs and how it all affected me," Forgerty's statement said. "I am the guy who lived it, and you will hear me tell the story for the first time.”
Creedence Clearwater ranks among the most popular and successful rock bands of the late '60s and early '70s, and Fogerty's fame rests in large part on several rock classics that he wrote and sang, including "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Down on the Corner," "Born on the Bayou" and others.
Fogerty's legacy is remembered in many ways locally, including at the El Cerrito High School history museum, which includes a prominently displayed large scarf bearing his name. It was made and donated by a member of group of Creedence fans from Europe who made a pilgimmage to local Creedence sites in February.
Fogerty and Creedence bandmates Stu Cook and Doug Clifford attended El Cerrito High in the class of 1963, while John's late older brother Tom, the fourth member of the group, went to Albany High.
Fogerty, who has sold more than 100 million albums, will also record the audiobook version of the memoir, the publisher said.
