August 22, 2025 • 8 mins
Rock legend John Fogerty opens up about re-recording classic Creedence Clearwater Revival hits with his sons on the new album Legacy, finally owning the rights to his music after decades, and how it feels to take the stage knowing those songs are truly his. He also previews his setlist strategy for the iHeartRadio Music Festival, talks about the unifying power of music in a divided world, and reveals which artist he still hopes to collaborate with.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What's going on.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
It's a battle, and I gotta tell you I try
not to geek out when we get to talk to
certain people on this show.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And today a guy.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
That has been a staple of my life, John Fogerty,
joins the show. John, Sir, it's such a pleasure to
have you on the show with us today.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Well, thank you so much. Hi Jim, how you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
I am good.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm gonna try not to fangirl during this interview because,
I mean, let's talk about it. You've written some of
the most timeless songs in rock history. You're still out
here reinventing, reclaiming in rocking crowd. So let's start with it.
The new album Legacy, which you re recorded all those
Credence songs with your sons, which had to be something
very special. Was there a moment in the studio where
(00:43):
it just hit you like, wow, this is such a
full circle moment.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Probably a whole bunch of those kind of moments. I know.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
One of the really special times was with Shane, who's
a wonderful guitar player. Shane and Tyler are both in
my band. We were together all the time out in
the world on stages, playing music together. But for this album,
you know, I wanted to have Shane take on some
(01:11):
of the guitar parts that I had done as a
young man. Not so much that I couldn't do them.
I just wanted to have an intermingling of our family.
And so Shane was working or he was taking on
the project of Up around the Bin, which is one
of my cooler guitar intros.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Let's say, and he was.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
We have my old acme Rickenbacker guitar, and so we
had the equipment right, but Shane's, you know, everybody's personality
is a little different, and he did his little vibrato thing,
his little wiggle.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
On the strings a little bit different than me.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
So it made the lick sound a little different. So
I had to kind of play it, you know, now
that we were getting really serious, kind of micro in.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
The whole scheme of things.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I played it for him a couple of times, showed
him what I was doing, and then had him take
the guitar home over the weekend. Imagine now, people say, well,
you gave him homework, but Monday morning, man, he shows up,
got that guitar raring to go, and boy, he ripped
it and that's what you're hearing on this record on Legacy,
(02:26):
and I'm so proud of him.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I mean, it just sounds really, really wonderful.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And that thing that had happened was a father handing
off his craft to his son.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It's just a beautiful moment.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, And a lot of a lot of you know,
Creeden's fans and a lot of foguty fans know that
things are going to be in good hands moving forward
when it comes to music, and you know one thing
as a fan, I will say, watching the whole situation
of you getting the rights back to your song after
all those years really massive thing for you. Did it
(03:03):
feel like a weight was lifted off your shoulders? Like
when you play these songs now, does it feel different
knowing they're truly yours again?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Well, it sure feels very satisfying.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I think the emotion I was feeling right after it
all happened was relief. And I kept telling myself, well,
why are you relieved? You know, It's like that's a
kind of comedy actually, and I realize what it is
is I.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Don't have to wake up every morning and.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Go join the struggle of trying to get my songs
back you know, it was such a daunting task, you
might say, and never ending and never being successful at it.
And now that it's finally has succeeded, you know, I
don't have to do that anymore. It's a relief in
(03:55):
that sense. I can do other things now, right.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
And I remember we saw you here in Nashville as
a couple of years back. This was right after you
had got the songs, I believe, and it was out
there at that first Bank Amphitheater and like you could
just tell the excitement of your when you were talking
about the songs. You're like, we haven't played this song
and forever. Now I can play it because it's officially mine,
And it was it was a great feeling to watch
the excitement and watch you just get up there and
(04:22):
get to play your songs again. And you know, one
thing that we're excited about is coming up here in
a few weeks, of course, is our iHeartRadio Music Festival,
and it's it's a huge stage, massive crowd. Now, when
you sit down to build that set list for something
like that, how do you decide what to play? Is
it like Hits only mode or do you want to
throw in a few deep cuts for the diehard fans.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
That's a good question, you know. I like to say
that maybe I'll just send it off to chat, GPT
or something. I think you go with the hits. I
think you you know, people are expecting all the big ones.
You might say, maybe throw in one, as you say,
(05:05):
a geek out song, just because hopefully over the years
people have listened to the albums.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
But it's a tough thing.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
You want to please yourself and you don't want to
disappoint anyone out there either. So you know, if you
keep moving, you just you know, don't get stuck. I
think everything will work out.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah, absolutely, for sure. I know our time is shorts.
I got a couple more questions. And you know, you
once said that you're okay with having fans from all
walks of life, even people who don't necessarily, you know,
share your views. In a world that's more divided than ever,
how do you keep musing keep music a unifying force?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Like?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Is it something that you think about when you're on
the stage or you're just like, hey, you know what,
we're just gonna have fun. I don't care which side
you're on.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Well, absolutely, I think it's a shame that we are
so polarized, Let's say, but you know, music is sort
of a universal language. It's full of love, certainly, how
I feel about playing for audiences, and you know, I
think that's the time you can forget all those differences
and come together.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
I mean, I know that I've.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Played my music and been influenced by all kinds of
different artists. I'm sure he had different world views than
my own, perhaps, but music is just I think music
is where we all agree.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
How's that it'd be good if we.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Just ran things through the sense, through the lens of music,
that would be a wonderful environment.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Absolutely, for sure. Last question I have for you, and
then I have a little bit of a special request
after that one. But you know, you still got that
fire and it doesn't seem like you're slowing down anytime soon.
Is there an artist out there right now that you
haven't worked with yet but would love to team up
with them on a song? Oh?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
They've got to be a bunch of those people like that,
you know, all the way from let's say Robert Plant
and Jimmy Page uh to somebody, uh, let's say Ed Sheeran.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
You know he's a wonderful writer jelly Roll. You know,
I'm a fan, and that would be awesome. Boy. I
have a lot of heroes I love to work with.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
I mean, you just mentioned Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Edge,
Sharon Jelly Roll. Like, I'm just sitting here thinking about
that and already getting goosebumps in the hair standing up
on my arm. So I think we should put it
out in the universe that we should somehow make this happen.
And you know, jelly Roll is actually gonna be at
the iHeartRadio Music Festival, so maybe maybe we can you know,
figure something out there and and and see what happens.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Uh. But delfishly I'm looking forward to meeting jelly Roll anyway,
I haven't met him yet.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
He's a he's a great dude, and he is definitely
a hugger, So for sure get ready for that one. John, Again,
it is such an honor, It is a privilege to
have you on the show and look forward to seeing
you at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September, my friend.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
All see you there, buddy. Thank you
What's going on.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
It's a battle, and I gotta tell you I try
not to geek out when we get to talk to
certain people on this show.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And today a guy.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
That has been a staple of my life, John Fogerty,
joins the show. John, Sir, it's such a pleasure to
have you on the show with us today.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Well, thank you so much. Hi Jim, how you doing?
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Man?
Speaker 1 (00:20):
I am good.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I'm gonna try not to fangirl during this interview because,
I mean, let's talk about it. You've written some of
the most timeless songs in rock history. You're still out
here reinventing, reclaiming in rocking crowd. So let's start with it.
The new album Legacy, which you re recorded all those
Credence songs with your sons, which had to be something
very special. Was there a moment in the studio where
(00:43):
it just hit you like, wow, this is such a
full circle moment.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Probably a whole bunch of those kind of moments. I know.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
One of the really special times was with Shane, who's
a wonderful guitar player. Shane and Tyler are both in
my band. We were together all the time out in
the world on stages, playing music together. But for this album,
you know, I wanted to have Shane take on some
(01:11):
of the guitar parts that I had done as a
young man. Not so much that I couldn't do them.
I just wanted to have an intermingling of our family.
And so Shane was working or he was taking on
the project of Up around the Bin, which is one
of my cooler guitar intros.
Speaker 1 (01:33):
Let's say, and he was.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
We have my old acme Rickenbacker guitar, and so we
had the equipment right, but Shane's, you know, everybody's personality
is a little different, and he did his little vibrato thing,
his little wiggle.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
On the strings a little bit different than me.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
So it made the lick sound a little different. So
I had to kind of play it, you know, now
that we were getting really serious, kind of micro in.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
The whole scheme of things.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
I played it for him a couple of times, showed
him what I was doing, and then had him take
the guitar home over the weekend. Imagine now, people say, well,
you gave him homework, but Monday morning, man, he shows up,
got that guitar raring to go, and boy, he ripped
it and that's what you're hearing on this record on Legacy,
(02:26):
and I'm so proud of him.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I mean, it just sounds really, really wonderful.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
And that thing that had happened was a father handing
off his craft to his son.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
It's just a beautiful moment.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, And a lot of a lot of you know,
Creeden's fans and a lot of foguty fans know that
things are going to be in good hands moving forward
when it comes to music, and you know one thing
as a fan, I will say, watching the whole situation
of you getting the rights back to your song after
all those years really massive thing for you. Did it
(03:03):
feel like a weight was lifted off your shoulders? Like
when you play these songs now, does it feel different
knowing they're truly yours again?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
Well, it sure feels very satisfying.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I think the emotion I was feeling right after it
all happened was relief. And I kept telling myself, well,
why are you relieved? You know, It's like that's a
kind of comedy actually, and I realize what it is
is I.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Don't have to wake up every morning and.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Go join the struggle of trying to get my songs
back you know, it was such a daunting task, you
might say, and never ending and never being successful at it.
And now that it's finally has succeeded, you know, I
don't have to do that anymore. It's a relief in
(03:55):
that sense. I can do other things now, right.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
And I remember we saw you here in Nashville as
a couple of years back. This was right after you
had got the songs, I believe, and it was out
there at that first Bank Amphitheater and like you could
just tell the excitement of your when you were talking
about the songs. You're like, we haven't played this song
and forever. Now I can play it because it's officially mine,
And it was it was a great feeling to watch
the excitement and watch you just get up there and
(04:22):
get to play your songs again. And you know, one
thing that we're excited about is coming up here in
a few weeks, of course, is our iHeartRadio Music Festival,
and it's it's a huge stage, massive crowd. Now, when
you sit down to build that set list for something
like that, how do you decide what to play? Is
it like Hits only mode or do you want to
throw in a few deep cuts for the diehard fans.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
That's a good question, you know. I like to say
that maybe I'll just send it off to chat, GPT
or something. I think you go with the hits. I
think you you know, people are expecting all the big ones.
You might say, maybe throw in one, as you say,
(05:05):
a geek out song, just because hopefully over the years
people have listened to the albums.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
But it's a tough thing.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
You want to please yourself and you don't want to
disappoint anyone out there either. So you know, if you
keep moving, you just you know, don't get stuck. I
think everything will work out.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Yeah, absolutely, for sure. I know our time is shorts.
I got a couple more questions. And you know, you
once said that you're okay with having fans from all
walks of life, even people who don't necessarily, you know,
share your views. In a world that's more divided than ever,
how do you keep musing keep music a unifying force?
Speaker 3 (05:46):
Like?
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Is it something that you think about when you're on
the stage or you're just like, hey, you know what,
we're just gonna have fun. I don't care which side
you're on.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Well, absolutely, I think it's a shame that we are
so polarized, Let's say, but you know, music is sort
of a universal language. It's full of love, certainly, how
I feel about playing for audiences, and you know, I
think that's the time you can forget all those differences
and come together.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
I mean, I know that I've.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Played my music and been influenced by all kinds of
different artists. I'm sure he had different world views than
my own, perhaps, but music is just I think music
is where we all agree.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
How's that it'd be good if we.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Just ran things through the sense, through the lens of music,
that would be a wonderful environment.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Absolutely, for sure. Last question I have for you, and
then I have a little bit of a special request
after that one. But you know, you still got that
fire and it doesn't seem like you're slowing down anytime soon.
Is there an artist out there right now that you
haven't worked with yet but would love to team up
with them on a song? Oh?
Speaker 3 (06:56):
They've got to be a bunch of those people like that,
you know, all the way from let's say Robert Plant
and Jimmy Page uh to somebody, uh, let's say Ed Sheeran.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
You know he's a wonderful writer jelly Roll. You know,
I'm a fan, and that would be awesome. Boy. I
have a lot of heroes I love to work with.
Speaker 2 (07:22):
I mean, you just mentioned Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Edge,
Sharon Jelly Roll. Like, I'm just sitting here thinking about
that and already getting goosebumps in the hair standing up
on my arm. So I think we should put it
out in the universe that we should somehow make this happen.
And you know, jelly Roll is actually gonna be at
the iHeartRadio Music Festival, so maybe maybe we can you know,
figure something out there and and and see what happens.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
Uh. But delfishly I'm looking forward to meeting jelly Roll anyway,
I haven't met him yet.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
He's a he's a great dude, and he is definitely
a hugger, So for sure get ready for that one. John, Again,
it is such an honor, It is a privilege to
have you on the show and look forward to seeing
you at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September, my friend.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
All see you there, buddy. Thank you
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