“Midnight Special” and “Cotton Fields,” on their Willie and the Poor Boys album, and made them their own, which is unsurprising because Creedence, although they recorded the occasional blues song, were more interested in the song part of that term than the blues part.
The Best Of Booker T. And The M.G.’s
Artist: Booker T. And The M.G.’s
Release Date: 1994
John Fogerty was once asked, who was the best rock & roll band in the world? “Booker T and the MGs,” he replied, without hesitation. Superficially, you won’t hear much of the Memphis quartet’s music in Creedence or Fogerty’s later solo work; their contribution is subtle. What you hear when you listen to one of their little masterpieces, tossed-off jams on the surface but with surprising depth, is a four-piece machine in perfect working order. It’s almost the platonic ideal of how to take four great players and make a single sound, something that Creedence did, at least in the beginning. Sure, there are solos — Steve Cropper’s guitar in particular — and sure, Booker T’s organ leads the way with the melody, but it’s obvious they’re listening to each other all the time and the exuberance and joy of it all comes shining through.
Burnin’
Artist: John Lee Hooker
Release Date: 1962
Mr. Hooker proposes “boogie.” Messrs. Fogerty and company propose “chooglin’.” Is there a difference, class? Discuss, and show your work. There’s no doubt that the rhythmic, but harmonically static, work of John Lee Hooker played a major role in shaping the jam culture that 1960s rock music gave to the world. Starting with “Boogie, Chillen” in