ABSTRACT
In 2004, John Fogerty stunned the music world when he re-signed with Fantasy Records. However, this is not to say that Fogerty had resolved his three-decades-long feud with Saul Zaentz and his “henchmen,” as Fogerty called the other Fantasy executives. 1 Just previous to the signing, Zaentz sold Fantasy to the Concord Music Group, a consortium led by TV producer Norman Lear (All in the Family and other groundbreaking shows). After the purchase, one of Lear’s first actions was to meet with Fogerty. “We wanted to build a bridge back to him so that we could connect him with the Creedence catalog,” explained Glen Barros, president of Concord Music Group, who with Lear and Hal Gaba met with Fogerty and Julie, identified as his manager/wife in Billboard. 2 The Fogertys were impressed with the respect the consortium had for John and his music. Upon signing with Fantasy, John received a large royalty check from the new owners for back royalties—royalties he had yielded in 1975 to escape his contract and the many albums he owed the label. It was generous and admirable gesture, a rarity in the music industry.
