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Fortunate Son

My Life, My Music

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Fortunate Son

By: John Fogerty
Narrated by: John Fogerty
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About this listen

 The long-awaited memoir from John Fogerty, the legendary singer-songwriter and creative force behind Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Creedence Clearwater Revival is one of the most important and beloved bands in the history of rock, and John Fogerty wrote, sang, and produced their instantly recognizable classics: "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Born on the Bayou," and more. Now he reveals how he brought CCR to number one in the world, eclipsing even the Beatles in 1969. By the next year, though, Creedence was falling apart; their amazing, enduring success exploded and faded in just a few short years.

Fortunate Son takes readers from Fogerty's Northern California roots, through Creedence's success and the retreat from music and public life, to his hard-won revival as a solo artist who finally found love. Entertainment & Celebrities Music Celebrity Success

Critic Reviews

One of The Washington Post's Notable Nonfiction Books of 2015

One of The Daily Beast's Best Memoirs & Autobiographies of 2015

"A natural storyteller, folksy and crusty, Fogerty chronicles the brief but brilliant success of his band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and its tragic collapse."—Greg Schneider, The Washington Post
"A classic rock 'n' roll survivor's tale."—Mark Guarino, The Chicago Tribune
"A very readable, fascinating account of John Fogerty's life.... One of the best stories of the entire '60s rock 'n' roll era, it is Fogerty's, it is here, and it's worth reading his whole account of the thing. Glad it finally arrived."—Dave DiMartino, Yahoo! Music
"Fortunate Son will take you on a fascinating journey in the tormented artist's own voice."—Ken Hoffman, Houston Chronicle
"It is fitting that writing--i.e., songwriting--is the main theme of Fogerty's biography, which was penned with the same depth of feeling as his music.... But this isn't just an account of one musician's ups and downs with art and life; Fogerty has created a solid study of popular music over the past 50 years."—Publishers Weekly
"A cracking good storyteller."—Henry L. Carrigan, Jr., BookPage
"At the core of this book is a story of redemption fueled by the power of love, and Fogerty's memory is unerring with what brought about that turnaround: wife Julie Fogerty. Some artists cannot be stopped, and that's one of the prime lessons of this book."—Bill Bentley, The Morton Report
"Mr. Fogerty's story will entertain fans, musicians and lovers of American roots music, yet it stands as one more cautionary tale about the darker side of the music business, where artists not handling their due diligence pay dearly. Fortunate Son is the tale of one who fought those battles and ultimately emerged a survivor."—Rich Kienzle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
All stars
Most relevant
A good listen and enlightening as to the reason for the demise of Credence. Saul Zaentz, what a horrible man you were, pure evil!
John's open honest and simple dialog paints a picture. Kudos to him for his survival.

Zaentz dances in Hell

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I never new any of the hard ship of creadence I loved it and thank you for sharing it with me

things you just don't know

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Amazing story of one of the all time greatest rock and roll legends John Fogerty.

Amazing

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Really liked the book, but I did get a little lost chronologically sometimes because of how people’s actions and versions of the truth effect the final outcomes.

Great read.

Jumps around a bit.

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Like others I found parts of this book hard to follow as John jumps around a bit covering his childhood and early years.
I nearly gave up a few times.
However it is worth hanging in there and listening to the end.
A great insight into John’s life after Creedence and the drama he endured.
Thank you John and Julie for sharing.

Worth listening to the end

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A fantastic journey through a troubled and difficult life that resulted in the soundtrack to a generation.
Whilst Fogerty is not the strongest of narrators, it is heartfelt and honest and his wife brings a certain humanity to her sections of the book.
It's a valuable lesson about life and being careful what you sign and also about the company you keep.
Enjoyable to the last syllable.

Essential listening for fans of classic rock

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I'm hugely glad that I found this title. I have watched a video in which Doug and Stu give their view of events and it didn't paint John in a very nice light. As John lays this out, he has had quite a rough time of it and I think, much of it due to his quest for perfection. In his own words he says he was trying to be too perfect.

His reflection on Proud Mary and the recording of harmonies sums things up nicely. After that, the band could not last - and, I think John should not have done what he did - he needed to let the other grow.

On the other side of the coin, what a blow he was dealt with by the other band members and those within Fantasy records.

This is worth the read if you were ever in to Creedence and John Fogerty. Do yourself a favour and read it.
I'm really glad that John is in a better place now.

Thanks, John, for great memories and great music.

Can totally relate and it is a fascinating listen

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Usually love Rock history,especially from the rocker himself. Fogarty does not have a good word for his band mates start to finish..me me me.Also states band decisions were all in ..not in. It's well known the other band members were very angry over John’s awful decision
to not appear on the Woodstock movie and album.

Bitter Son

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