The Critical Moment That Made Creedence Clearwater Revival Break Up After Only Four Years

With a raft of successful albums and best-selling singles under their belts, Creedence Clearwater Revival had the world at their feet. From the outside, it seemed as though the good times would never end for the world-famous rock band — but that wasn’t so. Behind the music and public image, things were falling apart for the group. But why? What happened to them?

Up there with the best

In their prime, Creedence Clearwater Revival were right up there with the best of them. For a brief three-year period from 1969 to ’71, they were undoubtedly one of the most exciting bands in the United States. They were doing things differently and distinguishing themselves from their many peers.

Sticking to their roots

Many rock bands around this period were really trying to push boundaries. Creedence, on the other hand, sought to rein in any overly experimental urges and to concentrate on more traditional rock ’n’ roll methods. Their sound was a throwback to the earlier days of rhythm & blues and rockabilly — a more simple type of music defined by insistent and snappy beats.

Insane success

The band’s approach worked. People couldn’t get enough of the group, and they ended up selling millions of records. Weirdly, they never managed to bag a number-one single in the U.S., though they did in plenty of other countries. In any case, they achieved an insane amount of success by any reasonable metric.

Badly wrong

And yet... something went very badly wrong somewhere along the way. The band’s success should have seen them sitting at the top of their game for decades to come, but that’s not what happened. Creedence Clearwater Revival disintegrated, and we’re going to take a look at why.