The Golliwogs

The Golliwogs were an American rock band that later evolved into Creedence Clearwater Revival.[1] After previously playing as The Blue Velvets (alternatively Tommy Fogerty and The Blue Velvets or The Blue Violets) beginning in 1959, the band changed its name to The Golliwogs in 1964. Over the next three years they released a string of singles written by brothers Tom and John Fogerty. They became Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967, in an incarnation in which they would enjoy great commercial and critical success.

The Golliwogs
OriginEl Cerrito, California, United States
Genres
Years active1964–1967
LabelsFantasy
Associated actsThe Blue Velvets, Tommy Fogerty and The Blue Velvets, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Creedence Clearwater Revisited
Websitewww.creedence-online.net
Past membersJohn Fogerty
Tom Fogerty
Stu Cook
Doug Clifford

History

The band started out in 1959, as an instrumental trio called The Blue Velvets.[2] The original line-up was John Fogerty (guitar), Stu Cook (piano), and Doug Clifford (drums). In 1960, John's older brother Tom, who had been in local bands since 1958, began singing with the group.

The Blue Velvets released three singles in the San Francisco Bay area, during 1961 and 1962, on Oakland's Orchestra Records. These recordings received only minimal sales although the second Blue Velvets single was added to Oakland's KEWB top 40 playlist by disc jockey Casey Kasem, who was employed at the station.

Following the Orchestra singles, Tom began playing rhythm guitar in addition to remaining the lead vocalist and front man while John continued as the lead guitarist. Meanwhile, Cook switched from piano to bass guitar.

In the middle of 1964, the band recorded two songs for Fantasy Records, a local label based in San Francisco. The band was attracted to Fantasy because, in 1963, it had released a national hit by Vince Guaraldi, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind".[3] Max Weiss, one of Fantasy's co-owners, initially changed the group's name to The Visions, but when their songs were released as a single in November 1964, Weiss renamed them The Golliwogs, an apparent reference to a once-popular minstrel doll called a Golliwog.[1] Seven singles were released in the San Francisco Bay area. For the composing credits on the first six singles, the Fogerty brothers adopted the pseudonyms "Rann Wild" and "Toby Green", and all songs were credited to Wild and Green.[4]

While none of the Golliwogs' singles broke out nationally, one, "Brown-Eyed Girl", was a near break-out in Miami, Florida, for four weeks beginning on February 26, 1966, when it reached No. 10 on Billboard's "Regional Breakout" chart for Miami (a chart one level below their Bubbling Under charts).

Eventually, John Fogerty took control of the group, writing all of their material, singing lead vocals, and blossoming into a multi-instrumentalist who played keyboards, harmonica, and saxophone in addition to lead guitar. By 1967, he was producing the group's recordings.

The group's final single, "Porterville", was issued in late 1967, with John Fogerty writing both sides of the single as "T. Spicebush Swallowtail".

In December 1967, the Golliwogs changed their name to Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). The "Porterville" single was reissued the following month as the first single by Creedence Clearwater Revival. The band's first album was released in July 1968.

In 1975, Fantasy released Pre-Creedence, a compilation album of recordings by The Golliwogs. Fantasy also included an extensive collection of Blue Velvets and Golliwogs recordings in their 2001 CCR box set. Notably, the Blue Velvet tracks "Yes You Did" and "Now You're Not Mine" are not included, as they are thought to be lost to time.

Recordings

As Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Velvets
TitleWriter(s)StudioRecordedLocationReleasedVocalsProducer
"Come on Baby"Tom FogertyOrchestra 6177 Fall 1961Orchestra Studios, Oakland, CaliforniaOctober 1961Tom Fogerty
"Oh My Love"Tom FogertyOrchestra 6177 Fall 1961Orchestra Studios, Oakland, CaliforniaOctober 1961Tom Fogerty
"Have You Ever Been Lonely"John FogertyOrchestra 611010 Late 1961Orchestra Studios, Oakland, CaliforniaFebruary 1962Tom Fogerty
"Bonita"John and Tom FogertyOrchestra 611010 Late 1961Orchestra Studios, Oakland, CaliforniaFebruary 1962Tom Fogerty

As Tommy Fogerty & the Blue Violets
TitleWriter(s)StudioRecordedLocationReleasedVocalsProducer
"Yes You Did"Tom FogertyOrchestra OA-6252 / 201 1962Orchestra Studios, Oakland, CaliforniaJune 1962Tom Fogerty
"Now You're Not Mine"Johnny FogertyOrchestra OA-6252 / 201 1962Orchestra Studios, Oakland, CaliforniaJune 1962Tom Fogerty

As The Golliwogs
TitleWriter(s)StudioRecordedLocationReleasedVocalsProducer
"Don't Tell Me No Lies"John and Tom FogertyFantasy 590 Mid 1964Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaNovember 1964John and Tom Fogerty
"Little Girl (Does Your Momma Know)"John and Tom FogertyFantasy 590 Mid 1964Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaNovember 1964Tom Fogerty
"Where You Been"John and Tom FogertyFantasy 597 January 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaApril 1965Tom Fogerty
"You Came Walking"John and Tom FogertyFantasy 597 January 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaApril 1965Tom Fogerty
"You Can't Be True"John and Tom FogertyFantasy 599 April 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaJuly 1965John Fogerty
"You Got Nothin' on Me"John and Tom FogertyFantasy 599 April 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaJuly 1965John and Tom Fogerty
"I Only Met You Just an Hour Ago"John and Tom Fogerty April 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John Fogerty
"Brown-Eyed Girl"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 404 August 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaNovember 1965John Fogerty
"You Better Be Careful"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 404 August 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaNovember 1965John Fogerty with Tom Fogerty
"Gonna Hang Around"John and Tom Fogerty November 1965Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John Fogerty
"Fight Fire"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 405 February 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaMarch 1966John Fogerty
"Fragile Child"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 405 February 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaMarch 1966John Fogerty
"Try Try Try"John and Tom Fogerty February 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John and Tom Fogerty
"She Was Mine"John and Tom Fogerty Early 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John Fogerty
"Instrumental No. 1"John and Tom Fogerty Early 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001
"Action USA"radio promotional spot June 1966
"Little Tina"John and Tom Fogerty Mid 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John Fogerty
"Walking on the Water"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 408 August 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaSeptember 1966John Fogerty
"You Better Get It Before It Gets You"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 408 August 1966Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CaliforniaSeptember 1966John Fogerty
"Tell Me"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 410, cancelled May 1967Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John Fogerty
"You Can't Be True"John and Tom FogertyScorpio 410, cancelled May 1967Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California2001John Fogerty
"Porterville"John FogertyScorpio 412 October 1967Coast Recorders, San Francisco, CaliforniaNovember 19671John FogertyJohn Fogerty
"Call it Pretending"John FogertyScorpio 412 October 1967Coast Recorders, San Francisco, CaliforniaNovember 19672John FogertyJohn Fogerty
  1. ^ Following its release as the A-side of the last Golliwogs single, this track was re-released, in January 1968, as the A-side of the first single credited to Creedence Clearwater Revival. In July 1968, it was included on Creedence Clearwater Revival's first album.
  2. ^ Following its release as the B-side of the last Golliwogs single, this track was re-released, in January 1968, as the B-side of the first single credited to Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Albums

The Golliwogs: Pre-Creedence (1975)
Fight Fire (The Complete Recordings 1964-1967) (2017)

References
  1. Cavanagh, David (July 18, 2014). "Creedence Clearwater Revival – the full story, by John Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford". Uncut. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  2. Fong-Torres, Ben (April 5, 1969). "Creedence C'water at the Hop". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  3. Moskowitz, David V. (2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World p. 166. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-0340-6.
  4. "Craft Recordings To Release Creedence Precursor Band The Golliwogs' Fight Fire: The Complete Records 1964-1967". Broadway World. August 15, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
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