John Fogerty’s third solo album Centerfield was released in 1985. On March 23 of that year, the album became the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman’s first and only solo album to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
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As CCR’s lead singer, lead guitarist, and main songwriter, Fogerty had enjoyed incredible success during the band’s 1968-1972 heyday. During that time period, the group scored five Top-10 singles and two chart-topping albums.
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Fogerty had a rockier road as solo artist, at least initially. He launched his solo career with a 1973 album of country covers titled The Blue Ridge Rangers, which released under the moniker The Blue Ridge Rangers rather than his own name.
The album yielded minor chart hits with his covers of Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya (On the Bayou),” and “Hearts of Stone,” a doo-wop tune popularized in 1954 by Otis Williams and the Charms.
In 1975, Fogerty released his second solo album, a self-titled effort that included the top-30 Hot 100 hit “Rockin’ All Over the World.”
It would be nine years before Fogerty would release another album. During that time, he was embroiled in a bitter legal battle with Saul Zaentz, head of Creedence’s label, Fantasy Records, that resulted in him relinquishing his CCR royalties in order to get out of his recording contract with Fantasy.
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Released in January 1985, Centerfield marked the relaunch of Fogerty’s music career. Here are five fascinating facts about the album:
Centerfield Was a True Solo Album
Fogerty played all the instruments and sang all the vocal parts on Centerfield, recording the project via studio overdubbing. The Blue Ridge Rangers and the John Fogerty album were recorded in the same way.
The Album Features Three of Fogerty’s Best-Known Solo Songs
Centerfield features three classic Fogerty tunes—“The Old Man Down the Road,” “Rock and Roll Girls,” and the title track.
“The Old Man Down the Road” is gritty, rootsy swamp-rock tune reminiscent of such classic CCR songs as “Green River” and “Run Through the Jungle.” The tune peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, Fogerty’s only solo single to ever reach the Top 10 of the chart. It also topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock tally.
“Rock and Roll Girls” is an extremely catchy pop-rock tune whose melody Fogerty said was inspired by on the 1962 Rockin’ Rebels song “Wild Weekend.” The single reached No. 20 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.
“Centerfield” is perhaps one of the most famous and most popular songs that celebrate the game of baseball. The song includes references to three baseball greats—Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, and Joe DiMaggio. The single only reached No. 44 on the Hot 100, but made it to No. 4 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock tally.
Centerfield Features Two Songs Directed to Saul Zaentz
Fogerty expressed his bitter feelings about Zaentz in two songs on Centerfield—“Mr. Greed” and and a tune that was originally titled “Zanz Kant Danz.”
“Zanz Kant Danz” features lyrics about a street dancer with a pig named Zanz who’s been trained to pick people’s pockets while they watch the dancer perform.
“Zanz can’t dance, but he’ll steal your money, watch him or he’ll rob you blind,” Fogerty sang in the original version. When Zaentz got wind of the song, he threatened to sue Fogerty, so the rocker changed the name Zanz to Vanz in the title and the song.
That song wasn’t the only song that provoked Zaentz to take legal action against Fogerty. Read on.
Zaentz Basically Sued Fogerty for Plagiarizing Himself
Zaentz, who owned the publishing rights to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s songs, sued Fogerty because he felt “The Old Man Down the Road” sounded too much like the 1970 CCR tune “Run Through the Jungle.” Fogerty, of course, had written both tunes.
Fogerty eventually won the copyright-infringement case by demonstrating that the two songs were distinct from each other. He countersued Zaentz, asking that Zaentz pay his attorney’s fees in the copyright-infringement suit. That suit was finally was settled in Fogerty’s favor in 1993.
Fogerty Refused to Play CCR Songs During His Tour Supporting Centerfield
When Fogerty hit the road in 1986 to support the Centerfield album, he didn’t play any song by his famous former band. His reason was that he did not want to help Zaentz profit in any from his ownership of CCR’s publishing.
By 1997, Fogerty had a change of heart, and he began playing many of the famous tunes he wrote and recorded for Creedence again in concert.
In 2004, Concord Records bought Fantasy Records from Zaentz, and Concord subsequently reinstated and increased Fogerty’s royalties from the CCR catalog. In 2023, Fogerty regained worldwide control of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s publishing rights. Zaentz died in 2014 at age 92.
Centerfield Track List:
- “The Old Man Down the Road”
- “Rock and Roll Girls”
- “Big Train (From Memphis)”
- “I Saw It on T.V.”
- “Mr. Greed”
- “Searchlight”
- “Centerfield”
- “I Can’t Help Myself”
- “Zanz Kant Danz” (“Vanz Kant Danz” on later editions)
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