With a string of radio hits in the late 1960s and early '70s, the rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival managed to straddle the line between commercial and noncommercial rock music. The band consisted of brothers John Fogerty, was born in Berkeley, Calififornia, May 28, 1945, on guitar, vocals, and other instruments, and Tom Fogerty, was born in Berkeley, California, November 9, 1941, and he died September 6, 1990, on guitar; bassist Stu Cook, was born in Oakland, California, April 25, 1945; and drummer Doug Clifford, was born in Palo Alto, California, April 24, 1945. They met in junior high school and were performing locally as a group by 1959. In 1964 they signed with Fantasy Records as the Golliwogs but had little success until they changed their name to Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1967.

Creedence had its first hits in 1968 with cover versions of "Suzie Q" and "I Put a Spell on You." The band's music combined rock and rockabilly sounds, for a hard, but slightly rural sound, with intense vocals by John Fogerty on top of the music. Singing their own songs, the group was soon everywhere on Top Forty radio. Major hits in 1969 included "Proud Mary," "Born on the Bayou," "Green River," and "Fortunate Son," and they appeared at Woodstock. The radio hits continued in 1970, with "Travelin' Band," "Up Around the Bend," and "Lookin' Out My Back Door." Tom Fogerty left Creedence in the beginning of 1971. The band continued as a trio, touring and releasing a final new record in 1972, Mardi Gras, before disbanding entirely. Only John Fogerty has had any success as a solo artist, with the hit single "Rockin' All Over the World" in 1975 and a hit album Centerfield (1985). Reunion rumors ended with Tom Fogerty's death from tuberculosis in 1990. Creedence Clearwater Revival was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.