{"id":31211,"date":"2025-01-14T12:02:26","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T12:02:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lascrucestoday.com\/101gold\/put-me-in-coach-john-fogertys-centerfield-turns-40\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T12:02:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T12:02:26","slug":"put-me-in-coach-john-fogertys-centerfield-turns-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lascrucestoday.com\/101gold\/put-me-in-coach-john-fogertys-centerfield-turns-40\/","title":{"rendered":"Put me in, coach: John Fogerty\u2019s ‘Centerfield’ turns 40"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BMG<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After finding success with Creedence Clearwater Revival<\/strong>, John Fogerty<\/strong> launched a solo career in 1973. But it wasn’t until Jan. 14, 1985, that it really took off with the release of his third solo record, <\/span>Centerfield<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

After releasing\u00a0his self-titled second album in 1976, Fogerty\u00a0went into the studio to record the album <\/span>HooDoo<\/span><\/em>,\u00a0but never released it.\u00a0Nine years later he released\u00a0<\/span>Centerfield<\/span><\/em>,\u00a0with\u00a0Fogerty playing all the instruments on the album himself.<\/span><\/p>\n

The decision proved to be a good one for Fogerty, as <\/span>Centerfield<\/span><\/em>\u00a0became\u00a0a huge commercial\u00a0success,\u00a0earning Fogerty his only solo album #1 on the <\/span>Billboard<\/span><\/em> 200 album chart. It was also certified double Platinum by the RIAA.<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The album featured Fogerty\u2019s only solo Hot 100\u00a0top-10 single, \u201c<\/span>The Old Man Down The Road<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u201d as well as\u00a0\u201c<\/span>Rock and Roll Girls<\/strong><\/span><\/a>,\u201d which was a top-20 hit.<\/span>\u00a0The\u00a0<\/span>title track<\/strong><\/span><\/a> peaked at #44 on the Hot 100,\u00a0but\u00a0went on to become one of Fogerty\u2019s most iconic tunes. To this day it\u2019s commonly played\u00a0in baseball\u00a0parks across the country; the song was even celebrated at the National Baseball Hall of Fame\u00a0during the 2010 Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<\/span><\/p>\n

The release of <\/span>Centerfield<\/span><\/em> did see Fogerty wind up in court over \u201cThe Old Man Down The Road.\u201d Saul Zaentz<\/strong>, the owner of Fogerty’s old label, Fantasy Records, who also owned the publishing\u00a0to\u00a0the CCR catalog, sued\u00a0Fogerty, arguing the song shared the same chorus as CCR’s \u201cRun Through The Jungle.\u201d Fogerty eventually won the case. He even fought all the way to the Supreme Court to get Zaentz to pay his legal fees and won.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fogerty\u2019s battle over his publishing would wind up lasting 50 years, and he didn\u2019t get his rights back until January 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n