John Fogerty was a guest on a recent episode of Track Star, the online quiz show featuring celebrities or people off the street being challenged to listen to snippets of songs and then name the artists.
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Fogerty’s appearance gave him the opportunity to share his thoughts and stories about some fellow music legends. Among the artists the founding Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman identified and discussed were Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Hank Williams, and The Beatles.
When Fogerty was played the classic 1963 Fab Four tune “I Saw Her Standing There,” he proceeded about a memorable encounter he had with George Harrison, during which he found out some information that made him extremely proud.
Fogerty’s Recollection About Chatting with Harrison
The 80-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer first noted that he’d met three of The Beatles—Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Harrison. He shared that he’d “spent the most time” with George, then told a story about a time he crossed paths with Harrison at a concert at the famous Los Angeles-area venue the Palomino Club.
“One night in 1987 in Southern California, [folk-blues artist] Taj Mahal was playing at the Palomino,” John said. “I heard that George Harrison was in the building. So I snuck around [looking for him].”
Fogerty said he eventually tracked Harrison down in a private area of the venue and the two greeted each other. John then proudly shared a compliment George paid him.
“We got to talking [about] music and all that,” Fogerty noted, “and suddenly George blurts out, ‘Well, the band really loved Creedence.’”
Upon hearing that, Fogerty said, “I was kind of stunned. I’m really not doing this to drop names. I think I’m trying to lay on you how impressed I was with that sentence, which I’ve carried ever since. I’m standing there with a Beatle and he says, ‘Well, the band really loved Creedence.’ It was just amazing to think about.”
John then looked up to the sky and declared, “Thank you, George.”
Fogerty Recalled Another Memorable Encounter with Harrison
Fogerty also remembered another time he and Harrison crossed paths, at the 1988 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, during which The Beatles were inducted.
“There’s a big crowd around him,” John recalled. “I walked up and [said,] ‘Hey, George, how’s it feel to be the hottest guy in showbiz?!’ He looks up and says, ‘It’s a bloody nuisance.’”
The Beatles may have been big fans of CCR, but Fogerty apparently was a bigger fan of the Fab Four.
As he told Track Star host Jack Coyne, “The Beatles were the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of all time. All that great songwriting, all that great singing, all that great playing, and they took you to worlds you didn’t know existed, like ‘Strawberry Fields.’”
Fogerty added, “Everyone always says it, and I’ll say it too. I don’t think there’ll ever be another band like that, ’cause they had so many talented people, and they managed to keep it together for quite a while.”
You can watch Fogerty’s full Track Star episode on YouTube.
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BC; Photo by Pete Still/Redferns)
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