Creedence Clearwater Revival Guitar Tabs

While undertaking a steady string of live dates around the country to capitalize on their breakthrough, CCR also was hard at work on their follow-up LP, Bayou Country. This album peaked at #7, largely on the strength of the monster hit single, "Proud Mary." That tune topped out at #2 on the charts, beginning of a long history of songs by the band that go shut out of the top spot on the chart. The third LP of the year, Green River also hits #7, the song "Bad Moon Rising" peaking at #2.
The band continued to tour heavily, including a performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Festival, although by the time they got on, following the Grateful Dead, it was three in the morning. Few people were awake to see them. They didn't want to be in the film because none of them were particularly happy with the performance. They weren't on any of the albums because Cotillion (the label on which the film soundtrack came out) couldn't strike an agreement with Fantasy for release rights on their biggest money maker. Anything CCR, at the height of their fame, came out on Fantasy. (The 1994 Atlantic Records release of the four-CD remastered Woodstock set features 5 Creedence songs from their performance.)

Next album Willy and the Poor Boys, appeared near the beginning of 1970, peaking at #3 on the album charts. The single "Down on the Corner," released late in 1969, foreshadowed the album. The a-side of the singe reaches a chart peak of #3. The flip side, "Fortunate Son," has a chart peak of #14. The album also featured several other notable songs, like a reworking of Leadbelly's "Midnight Special." "It Came Out Of the Sky" showed John's prescience as a songwriter, taking one of the first musical swipes at Ronald Regan. The band toured all over America, mostly playing weekends.

In January 1970, CCR released yet another new double A-Side 45, Travelin' Band/Who'll Stop the Rain. The latter was inspired by the band's appearance at Woodstock. The former bore enough similarities to Little Richard's Good Golly, Miss Molly to warrant a lawsuit by the song's publisher that was eventually settled out of court. The single reached #2. A CCR cover of Good Golly, Miss Molly later appeared on their little-known three-disc greatest hits collection entitled "24 Carat."