Exclusive Interview: Doug Clifford, Drummer, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Creedence Clearwater Revisited (CCR)

NOTE: SEE MY JULY 2013 INTERVIEW WITH CCR MEMBER STU COOK, TOO! 

By Aaron S. Robertson

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Woodstock performer shares with Milwaukee-area journalist his thoughts on us cheeseheads, Bruno Mars, influences growing up, what it’s like to be a part of one of the greatest bands in rock history, upcoming projects, advice to aspiring musicians, and much more.

Creedence Clearwater Revisited. L-R: Kurt Griffey (lead guitar), John Tristao (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass), Doug Clifford (drums), Steve Gunner (keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica, percussion). Source: www.hellowendy.com/creedence-clearwater-revisited

Author’s note: The genesis of this interview goes back to December of this past year, when I e-mailed the publicist for Creedence Clearwater Revisited with a request to interview Doug Clifford. Though I’m only 29, I grew up listening to a lot of bands from the 60s and 70s, and Creedence Clearwater Revival was always among my favorites. I had the privilege of seeing Creedence Clearwater Revisited perform at the Wisconsin State Fair a number of years back, and I have plenty of music by both bands in my collection. Being a big Creedence fan made this interview that much more meaningful and fun for me, and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity.

Please note that I intentionally sought to avoid asking the interviewee questions about the origins and history of Creedence Clearwater Revival, as there is already plenty of material out there in the form of other interviews, articles, news stories, biographies, footage, etc. that adequately addresses those questions. I also stayed away from asking about the long-standing bitter disputes with Revival frontman John Fogerty, as there already exists plenty of material on that subject, too, such as in this interview. For more of a historical background on Creedence Clearwater Revival and their predecessors, The Blue Velvets and The Golliwogs, see their Wikipedia entry. Additional commentary by me leading up to this interview, along with video clips of both vintage and modern performances and interviews conducted by others can also be found here.

Doug Clifford. Source: www.creedence-revisited.com

Twice on The Ed Sullivan Show. Woodstock. Madison Square Garden. Royal Albert Hall. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And plenty of other memorable venues, concerts, shows, and milestones along the trails that Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968-72) blazed, paths that are lined with a lot of gold and platinum. And though broken up for 40 years now, CCR’s music is engrained in our culture to this day, appearing in countless movie soundtracks, commercials, television shows, and on radio stations all around the country. Search for the band or individual members on Google or YouTube, and an endless amount of tribute sites, written interviews, biographies, recordings, and film footage of performances and interviews comes up. And holding down the beat for Revival was Doug “Cosmo” Clifford, who, since 1995, has been touring the world with Revival bassist Stu Cook, best pals since junior high, as Creedence Clearwater Revisited, in a great line-up that also features John Tristao, Steve Gunner, and Kurt Griffey. And the fans never tire of the music. Revisited’s two-disc live Recollection went platinum, which can perhaps be interpreted as a referendum of sorts on the band in which the die-hard fans of the original CCR didn’t seem to care that it was minus original lead singer John Fogerty. They just wanted to hear the old hits again, and they came to love it.

An interview with Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, 1997.


It was Clifford’s day off when I called him on June 5, but he was certainly busy. When I called him at noon Milwaukee time, it was 10AM where he was that day, in San Diego. By the time I got on the phone with him, he had already talked to interviewers from Poland and Oregon. Someone phoned him in the middle of our conversation looking to talk to him, too. Now that’s the sign of a rock star, I thought to myself.

Source: www.creedence-revisited.com

But for Clifford, now 67, nothing matters except the music and fans. “Am I a rock star? Yeah, I suppose I am,” he said with a laugh. “We made our mark. But I don’t really think about any of that. I’m a normal guy, I don’t buy into the whole rock star bit,” he explained to me in our nearly hour-long talk. “For me, it’s all about the fans, all about the music, and there’s nothing better than live music.” He joked that he’s actually a boring guy, going on to say that he stayed away from the drug scene of the turbulent 60s. He’s been with his wife for 50 years now, 44 of those as a spouse. He has bragging rights on being the only member of Revival, and one of the few rockers of that era, to avoid divorce. Outside of Revisited (which can also be called CCR), he’s a grandfather of three, football fan, fitness buff, collector of fine wines, and an avid reader who enjoys a lot of biographies and autobiographies, genres perhaps instilled in him during his days as a history major in college. He’s currently trying to finish The Hunger Games.

Clifford never got to complete his degree in history, though. “I ran out of money,” he said, going on to say that he was working a third-shift janitorial job to help put himself through college, and that at one time, he was a live-in gardener, as well. It was during the Vietnam War, and running out of money for college almost certainly meant a visit from Uncle Sam. He managed to catch a big break, however, by doing a stint with the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, where he played football. “I was very lucky,” he explained, saying in a frank tone, “If I went over there [to Vietnam], I wouldn’t have come back [alive].” John Fogerty got the call, too, and served with the U.S. Army Reserve for a period. Stu Cook was able to complete a degree in business. Tom Fogerty, John’s brother, who was a few years older than all of them, was already married, raising a family, and working full-time.

Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969. L-R: Doug Clifford (drums), Stu Cook (bass), John Fogerty (lead vocals, lead guitar), Tom Fogerty (rhythm guitar). Source: www.lipscomb.umn.edu/rock/USMainstream70s.htm

Clifford learned about the value of money and work from early on. His parents divorced when he was young, and he left home at an early age. Growing up in a middle-class family, he helped out around the house for an allowance, and frequently assisted others in the neighborhood with odd jobs and various chores. He would spend that money on records, his very first one being “Roll With Me Henry” by Etta James. The second record he bought was Bo Diddley’s “Bo Diddley”. Records were $1.00 each, which was a lot of money back then, he recalled. As he grew older and started showing an interest in playing the drums, he would put that hard-earned money towards building a set, one drum at a time, if necessary.

That interest began at the age of 11, when he saw Elvis Presley’s performance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Then, two years later, he was watching a music special on television featuring Benny Goodman and Gene Krupa. Krupa was playing 15 sets of drums, Clifford recalled. Later influences on Clifford would come to include drummers Earl Palmer and Al Jackson, Jr., among others. He was particularly fond of Jackson, who was the drummer for Booker T. & the M.G.’s, which got its start as the house band for Stax Records. “Al was like a mentor to me,” Clifford said, adding, “Not really in the traditional sense where he taught me how to play or showed me any techniques, but more like someone to talk with. We could speak philosophically about our work.” Tragically, Jackson was murdered in 1975, shy of his 40th birthday.

Asked if there were any particular concerts that stood out in his mind, Clifford mentioned Royal Albert Hall and Madison Square Garden. Royal Albert Hall was CCR’s first trip to Europe, Clifford said. Half of the Beatles were there, as well as Eric Clapton. The Royal Family had a box, but were not present.

Revival also performed at Woodstock. Clifford described it as, “A very unique and wonderful experience,” continuing, “So much peace and love present. People were genuinely happy to share.” But for the band, Clifford recalled that it was a bit of a “logistical nightmare.” “We just flew in all the way from L.A. and had trouble getting into the concert,” he said, going on to note that the show was behind schedule, so they ended up taking the stage a lot later than originally planned. There were some equipment issues, as well, and the band had to figure out how to get to a gig in New Jersey the following night.

Asked if there are any particular CCR songs he likes best, Clifford picked “Born on the Bayou”. “That was always my favorite. It just has this feel, this swagger, to it. But I love them all,” he said.

Creedence Clearwater Revival performing Born on the Bayou.


Recalling Dick Clark, who just passed away this past April, Clifford said he was, “A true gentleman, and a friend of ours.” He also took a few moments to remember Tom Fogerty. “Without Tom, there would never be a CCR,” Clifford said. “He was a great guy. He paid for it all.” Before Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty, Tom’s younger brother, had a band called The Blue Velvets. It was an instrumental band, with John on guitar, Cook on piano, and Clifford on drums. The Blue Velvets eventually came to be the backing band for Tom, who had a band of his own at one time before it disbanded. Tom would go on to formally join the band, and The Blue Velvets, with Tom as its lead vocalist, went on to record three singles between 1961-62. As a response to the British invasion of the mid-60s, the band’s name was changed to The Golliwogs, and the Fogerty brothers shared the role of lead vocals. It was in 1968, when the band took the name Creedence Clearwater Revival, that John became its sole lead singer. Tom would pass away in 1990 of AIDS after a series of blood transfusions he received for back troubles.

Clifford has a lot of fun memories of Milwaukee, and Wisconsin in general. “We love Summerfest,” he said, saying, “It’s the granddaddy of festivals, and the fans are certainly responsive.” A football fan, he also took a moment to talk up our beloved Packers and Lambeau Field, and proclaimed, “I love the cheeseheads.” And it was in Milwaukee that Revisited got the call asking if they’d be interested in contributing something to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s (JDRF) Hope for the Holidays CD. Released in October 2009, the band did a fun rendition of Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run”. Clifford said the band was more than happy to support the project, in which all of the proceeds benefit the JDRF, and it was clear in our conversation that he’s passionate about the JDRF’s work. “What these kids go through is heart-breaking,” he said.

His advice to aspiring musicians: “First and foremost, play because you love to play. Do what your heart tells you to do,” he said. “Then bring your head into it,” explaining the importance of learning what avenues are available to get to where one wants to go. “Don’t sign anything. Take the time to research. There are plenty of books and other resources out there about contracts and the business side of it all. Be careful for your future.” I was curious to know if there was anyone he was keeping an eye on as far as up-and-coming talent. “Not so much. I’m still into my era, which can really be called a pop renaissance,” he said. He went on to say though that he does enjoy the work of Bruno Mars.

What can Revisited fans expect for the rest of 2012? The band just finished a long series of fly-in dates, with a lot of international tour dates in the first quarter. They’re on a long bus run now, and doing a lot of Canada dates. “We like being busy this time of year,” Clifford said.

Creedence Clearwater Revisited. L-R: Kurt Griffey (lead guitar), John Tristao (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Stu Cook (bass), Doug Clifford (drums), Steve Gunner (keyboards, acoustic guitar, harmonica, percussion). Source: www.creedence-revisited.com

Asked if he ever thought the Revisited project would last as long as it has, which originally just started out as an idea by Clifford and Cook to do private parties and corporate events, Clifford said, “No. It’s remarkable. It’s a big surprise. 18 years already, more than four times longer than the original band. And it’s all because of the fans.”

Speaking of the fans, Clifford sees a fourth generation of fans emerging. “I call them the ‘single-digit’ generation. They’re the 7, 8, 9 year-olds.”

When asked if he had any final parting words for fans, Clifford said, “Come and party with us! If you like CCR, you’ll like us.”

Visit Credence Clearwater Revisited on the Web at: www.creedence-revisited.com .

What are your favorite songs by Creedence Clearwater Revival? Why are they your favorites? Did you ever get to see the original band in concert? Ever see Creedence Clearwater Revisited perform? Share your favorite Creedence tunes and memories in the Comments section below.