John Fogerty Reluctantly Didn’t Want His CCR Guitar Back: “I Was Hurt, I Was Damaged”
via John Fogerty / YouTube
The Guitar That Changed Everything
Sometimes, all it takes is a guitar to spark inspiration. John Fogerty knew that feeling well. For a long time, he didn’t want anything to do with making another album. He also had no desire to be reminded of his time in Creedence Clearwater Revival.
When he had the chance to buy back his old Fireglo Rickenbacker 325 semi-hollow guitar, which had been a big part of his CCR years, he said no. But when his wife bought it for him anyway, everything changed.
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Bringing the Songs Back to Life
Now, Fogerty is releasing a new album called Legacy — The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years. It includes 20 re-recorded CCR songs, many of them played on that very same Rickenbacker 325. The guitar wasn’t just any instrument; it was the one he used on The Ed Sullivan Show and at Woodstock.
That guitar helped create songs like “Fortunate Son,” “Proud Mary,” “Green River,” “Born on the Bayou,” and “Up Around The Bend.” Fogerty had also made it unique by adding a humbucker pickup, a Bigsby vibrato, and replacing the Rickenbacker nameplate with “ACME” in yellow paint — a joke inspired by the Roadrunner cartoons.
Letting the Guitar Go
After CCR broke up in 1972, the guitar disappeared. In 1973, Fogerty gave it away to a friend. He explained, “I was just detached and numb at that point. I think I gave it away to sort of end that chapter of my life.”
That time was full of disappointment for him. Despite CCR’s success, Fogerty lost control of his music. Saul Zaentz, the owner of Fantasy Records, held the rights to both his songs and recordings.
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Band Problems and Legal Battles
His relationship with his bandmates had also gone downhill. His brother Tom left in 1971 and never made peace with John before passing away in 1990. The band split after recording one more album as a trio in 1972. The others made deals with Zaentz, which only added to the tension.
Fogerty made a big comeback in 1985 with his solo album Centerfield, including hits like the title track and “The Old Man Down the Road.” But Fantasy sued him, claiming that song sounded too much like CCR’s “Run Through the Jungle.” He won the case, but it pushed him further away from anything related to CCR.
The Guitar Finds a New Home
The Rickenbacker changed hands. Norm Harris of Norman’s Rare Guitars bought it from Fogerty’s friend. Harris recognized the guitar because of the ACME paint and other changes. He later sold it for $90,000.
Fogerty and his wife Julie visited Harris in the 1990s. Harris recalled, “He was interested in doing something but said, ‘You know what? I gave the guitar away. I feel stupid buying it.’ I said, ‘Well, you can have it for 40,’ and he just said, ‘I don’t feel good about buying it and spending all this money.’”
Emotional Christmas Gift
But money wasn’t the real issue. Fogerty told Rolling Stone in May 2025, “I was hurt. I was damaged. I started as a kid full of joy doing music, but during the time of Creedence, and shortly after that, it became certainly not joyful.”
His wife later bought the guitar in 2016 as a Christmas gift. When Fogerty saw it again, he cried. Playing it again helped him feel the happiness he thought he’d lost. That led to him performing again.
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New Steps Toward Music
In 2021, he released a new song, “Weeping in the Promised Land.” He mentioned a possible album of new music, but nothing followed — until now. Legacy — The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years is his next step.
“The idea was to reconnect and feel that way about everything again,” he said. “The guy who couldn’t even stand to look at his own guitar in the ’90s or beyond would have never done that.”
Why Re-Record the Classics?
Fogerty explained that he doesn’t own the original recordings. But more than that, he said, “I think there’s a joy quite evident in the music that may not be there in the original versions.”
He added, “When you’re 80 years old, you finally are given the special key to the kingdom. I guess you can do whatever you want. I decided this is what I wanted to do — to give myself a present.”
Looking Ahead
He admitted there is no new album in the works yet. “Do I have a bunch of songs written and recorded? No, I don’t,” he said.
Still, that could change. After Bruce Springsteen inducted him into the American Music Honors in April, Fogerty felt inspired again. “On our drive back to the hotel with my wife,” he recalls, “I said, ‘I’m like 10 feet off the ground. I want to go write songs and record them!’”
