There’s a lot of classic rock flowing through Connecticut this week, with Lindsey Buckingham and Foreigner playing shows around the state. John Fogerty is sort of the godfather in our midst.
Fogerty, as the frontman of Creedence Clearwater Revival, wrote songs that have essentially become part of America’s folk music, a legacy that was further cemented by the machinery of FM radio and record labels. But songs like “Born on the Bayou,” “Lodi,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Fortunate Son,” “Bad Moon Rising” and “Proud Mary” will be sung for as long as people sing in the English language.
Fogerty’s songs blend blues, folk, soul, country and gritty rock with a distinctly American storytelling style. Fogerty’s lyrics have a feel for motion, place, the elements, voice and action, all told with an economy of detail. It’s not a stretch to say that he’s one of the greatest American songwriters — up there with Stephen Foster, Smokey Robinson, Hank Williams, Irving Berlin, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
John Fogerty performs at the Toyota Presents Oakdale Theater, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford, on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $55 and up. 203-265-1501, livenation.com.