The dog days of summer on the Bayou. Flies are buzzing, turkey vultures circle slowly, and the humidity leaves you virtually inert. Your eyes are closed against the sweltering sun, praying for a breeze off Lake Pontchartrain. The turntable is blasting CCR’s “Feeling Blue.” It’s driving and relentless; some of the most soul-satisfying Cajun music ever recorded.  

“Feeling Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue…I’m feeling Blue.”

In November 1969, smack in the middle of the Vietnam War, Creedence Clearwater Revival released one of their finest albums, Willie and The Poorboys. The album contains one of the great protest songs from that generation, “Fortunate Son.” The lyrics still reverberate and sting.

Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they’re red, white and blue
And when the band plays “Hail to the Chief”
Oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain’t me, it ain’t me
I ain’t no military son
It ain’t me, it ain’t me
I ain’t no fortunate one

Just how did a bunch of guys from California capture the New Orleans sound? CCR’s lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter… John Fogerty. Fogerty is one of the great artistic voices to have ever graced the airwaves. His unique, gravelly voice has influenced countless other musicians. With CCR, Fogerty created a  swampy sound that still sounds fresh and vibrant today. Bands like The Black Keys would not exist without CCR’s profound influence.

Side one of Willie is sublime poetry. One song melds to the next with ease. Starting with the ubiquitous “Down on the Corner,” an AM pop hit, the song depicts poor southern kids trying to earn a nickel with a makeshift band of washboards and kazoo: the titular Willie and the Poor Boys.

Next up is “It Came Out of the Sky.” A song of great sarcasm about a UFO that lands in Moline, IL. Is it swamp gas, does it belong in the Vatican? Not quite sure but you can have it for $17 million. Fogerty’s driving guitar keep this gem moving with humor and a good old rock and roll beat.

The next song, and one of the album’s best, is a rendition of the Leadbelly classic, “Cotton Field.” This song harkens to the cotton picking culture in the deep south. Tom Fogerty’s acoustic guitar is balanced wonderfully against his brother John’s lead guitar. A toe tapper and a great homage to the Delta bluesmen of an earlier time.

The finale of side one is medley of “Poorboy Shuffle/Feelin’ Blue.” Poorboy Shuffle is an acoustic instrumental featuring the harmonica, bass and a washboard; something Willie and his Poorboys would play.

The song fades into “Feelin’ Blue,” a devastating song about a man waiting for the hangman’s noose. It is steady and ruthless – the end is coming. Fogerty dances with a wonderful muddy guitar, deep in that great CCR groove.

The remainder of the album shines just as brightly, with familiar tracks like “Fortunate Son” and “Midnight Special.” First written in 1905, “Midnight Special” is a crooning song about prison life in the South. Wouldn’t it be nice to escape prison life and ride that Midnight Special? John’s wonderful feedback on the guitar captures the thin hope with elegance and wit.

Willie and the Poorboys is a masterpiece – one you can listen to a thousand times over. It effortlessly combines delta blues, rock and roll and gospel into a wonderful mix of great songs, with powerful, but simple messages.

-Richard “The Jamfather” Melamed