Classic Rock Crate Digger: The Story Behind the Blue Ridge Rangers

Ask much of the civilized world to name an album sequel with "blue" in its title, and the first thing out of their mouth is going to be Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3. Ask the Classic Rock Crate Digger, however, and it’s going to be John Fogerty's The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again, a new collection of vintage country and roots-rock covers that rivals Jigga’s new joint when it comes to pushing product based on the number of high-profile cameos. Check it: there’s the Boss; drummer extraordinaire and Mellencamp cohort Kenny Aronoff; media mogul/producer Lenny Waronker; Eagles Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit; Americana heavyweight Buddy Miller; and Herb "I've Played with Just About Every Major Country Rocker and Bluegrass Heavyweight of the Last Four Decades" Pedersen.*

So yeah, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again is a star-studded event -- no doubt about it. There’s only one catch: barely anybody out there even knows it’s a sequel. Its predecessor, The Blue Ridge Rangers, was the Foge’s solo debut, and back in 1973 it proceeded to sink into the murky depths of the El Cerrito public pool without a trace. Hell, a lot of hardcore Creedence Clearwater Revival fans (excluding the Dude, of course) don’t even know the album exists. It's kind of strange that the guru behind C.C.R., one of the most successful acts in rock 'n' roll history, couldn’t muster more interest.

Part of the problem was the record’s insular quirkiness, a quality that stands in stark contrast to its high-profile successor. Though both Blue Ridge Rangers albums delve into honky-tonk, bluegrass, gospel and country-folk, the first installment finds Fogerty taking liberties with tradition in ways not uncommon in them heady, post-Woodstock days. Everything is just a little bit off -- if that makes any sense at all. Plus, he’s the only musician on the entire album, lending it a homemade, multitracked vibe not unlike McCartney and Ram. It's a method that really, truly shines on “I Ain’t Never,” a pulsating, neo-rockabilly groover with these multilayered voices that sound like a choir of cloned Fogertys.

Then again, maybe Fogerty didn’t want The Blue Ridge Rangers to succeed commercially. Maybe he wanted nothing more than the chance to play cowboy and bang out a batch of his favorite country-western chestnuts. The record definitely feels carefree. And as any knowledgeable Creedence fan can explain, the man was absolutely disgusted with the record industry by the time the band crashed and burned with the release of the thoroughly unspectacular Mardi Gras in 1972. Over the next 13 years Fogerty more or less ditched music, managing to release just two albums (including his debut) before striking gold with the bubbly Centerfield.

Having said all that, The Blue Ridge Rangers is still my fave non-C.C.R. offering from Fogerty. It's a unique listen that sounds like nothing else in his catalog -- its slick-willie sequel included.

Further Listening: John Fogerty Rides Solo playlist

Notes
*The low-rent photography mucking up the cover of The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again makes me think Fogerty blew his budget on all those guest musicians. I mean, honestly, it looks as though the guy headed over to the local Olan Mills with a handful of cowboy props stolen from this summer's county fair.**

Notes on Notes
**The Steep Canyon Rangers' paid homage to The Blue Ridge Rangers with the cover art for their third album.