Creedence Clearwater Revival are one of those bands that is simultaneously nostalgic and timeless. 

Their version of “Suzie Q” off their debut album holds an iconic place as the sound of the late ’60s. Its slithery guitar riff instantly invokes the creative explosion and changing tastes of its era. 

But if you heard “Who’ll Stop the Rain” for the first time at a recent music festival by a third-tier indie band from the Pacific Northwest, you’d believe it could have been written a year ago.

CCR broke up more than 50 years ago, and it was not a pleasant split. You will not be likely to see them embarking on a joyous reunion tour anytime soon. But their catalog is stunningly deep, including 14 consecutive top 10 singles over two short years of their prime production. 

When combined with a few solo hits from frontman John Fogerty, there’s an opportunity for a killer tribute show.

The opportunity to scratch the itch for a night of live CCR comes on Saturday, May 11, with Baker Street Centre hosting renowned tribute band Bayou County. 

Capturing the sound

Whatzup caught up with bassist/vocalist Drew Soltes about how he got started on this journey. 

“I was looking for a solid band to do a tribute show about,” he said. “It seemed like it had all been done before. 

“On a vacation in Mexico back in 2017, I was hearing CCR everywhere. It was like it was current all over again. It seemed like it never left the airwaves.”

Since they were only together a short time, there isn’t much source material to base a performance on. Even their biggest show went largely undocumented. Fogerty was unhappy with their Woodstock performance and had it cut from the legendary documentary film. 

I asked Soltes about the challenges involved in producing that timeless CCR sound onstage. 

“The goal has been to find the happy medium between the way CCR was originally recorded and the approach John Fogerty has taken since,” he said. “It’s a very fine line, but I feel we are sounding very original in our delivery, but it sounds much better today with more advanced sound technology. The challenge is that today’s audio technology is much better. Back in 1969, they had limited production quality.”

Playing the hits

Fogerty has had a respectable solo career, and Bayou County represents that era, as well. 

“I really don’t think there is any difference,” Soltes said of Fogerty’s sound as a solo artist and his time with Creedence. “John Fogerty’s DNA is all over all his work. It’s hard to tell the difference when we play ‘Old Man Down the Road’ or ‘Centerfield.’ ”

The lyrics are a big part of the CCR appeal. It’s physically difficult to hear “Fortunate Son” without belting out a few rounds of, “It ain’t me” along the way. 

“Our biggest challenge is singing each and every song over the audience,” Soltes said. “It gets challenging for us most nights. I must say, our audiences are fantastic during our live show. Our reviews from our crowd always say how much fun they had singing along with us.”

That hefty Creedence catalog begs for some deep cuts, but they produced a startling number of familiar songs. There’s only so much time to get to all the fan’s favorites.

“Out of our 26-song show, most all can be remembered by the first few notes played,” Soltes said. “Some songs were more popular regionally in the day, being pushed by different radio station program directors. 

“I will mention a few like ‘Cotton Fields’ or ‘(Keep On) Chooglin ’ might be new songs for some. But great songs nonetheless. We only have 100 minutes to work with!”