Creedence Clearwater Revival gets revisited

A few familiar faces will play the SEMO District Fair grandstand when Creedence Clearwater Revisited takes the stage Sept. 16. The group features the original drummer Doug "Cosmo" Clifford and bassist Stu Cook.

"We're sort of a crossbreed," Cook said. "We openly admit that we are paying tribute -- that we're celebrating, more accurately -- the music of the band that we were also original members of. I don't think anyone would argue that when we're playing the original Creedence catalog; it sounds more like Creedence Clearwater Revival than when John Fogerty and his band are playing it."

Creedence Clearwater Revisited was born from the original band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, after John Fogerty, the original lead vocalist, swore off playing Creedence songs in 1972. Cook and Clifford felt the need to revisit the songs that formed their bond and influenced a generation. They formed the group in 1995.

"Tom [Fogerty] passed away in 1990, and just left the three of us, and John wasn't going to play with us, so Doug and I said, 'What the hell; we're the rhythm section. Let's hitch up and go!'" Cook said.

"We didn't know what to expect, except that we wanted to play," Cook said. "We thought that no one has been playing the Creedence songs, and we put together a band that would be able to represent the music and honor the history and extend the legacy of the original band."

Creedence Clearwater Revival original member Stu Cook.

Once created, Cook said, the band didn't have any immediate ambition to play concerts and tour the world for 16 years, but that's what happened.

"So we've got this band, we were rehearsed, but we didn't have any work. We thought we'd get some private parties or corporate parties, and we ended up playing in the public first," Cook said. "Then it just [took off and] we never looked back. The fans really wanted more of this music -- to see it live."

Cook said that since its inception, Creedence Clearwater Revisited has played in more than 30 countries.

"We get around," Cook said.

In response to fan requests, the band released a live double album "Recollection" in 1998. The album went on to be certified platinum in 2007. Though no new album or DVD is in the works, Cook said that they do talk about it.

"We think about it all the time, it's just really a question of when the best opportunity is," he said. "It's a very organic project. We don't like to push anything; we like to keep a lot of things going and work on the ones that look like they're going to pay off. We're down for pretty much anything."

Cook said the band has a team of great people who manage the day to day and booking for the band.

"It enables us to come out every year, and without taking too many days off of our extended lives to play concerts all over the world," he said. "I think that we got the best side of the bet."

Creedence Clearwater Revisited attracts fans across generations, according to Cook.

"I'd say that we provide a terrific Creedence experience for the casual or even the dedicated fan," Cook said. "That's why we have so many young fans. They don't care about the drama of the original band, they just like the music."

Cook says they show no favorites as far as venues and crowds.

"We play big towns, we play small towns; the audiences are really the same," Cook said. "You can only put so many people in the seats, and after that, you got to light the fuse. Every night, we go out to play it the best we can.

"Come down and rock out with us; we don't take any prisoners."