Music / Bayou Country

"Born on the Bayou!"

"Left a good job in the city,
Workin' for the man every night and day.
And I never lost one minute of sleepin',
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been.
Big wheel keep on turnin',
Proud Mary keep on burnin'."

"Proud Mary"

Bayou Country is the second studio album by rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, released on January 5, 1969 through Fantasy Records. This is the first of three albums to be released in the year, with recording sessions having begun on October 1968. It was through this album that CCR established a firmer southern rock sound that would help define the band's identity.

Supported by the singles "Proud Mary" - which peaked at #2 in the US Billboard Charts and got notably covered by the likes of Ike & Tina Turner - and "Born on the Bayou".

Tracklist

Side one

1. "Born on the Bayou" (5:16)
2. "Bootleg" (3:03)
3. "Graveyard Train" (8:37)

Side two

1. "Good Golly, Miss Molly" (2:44)
2. "Penthouse Pauper" (3:39)
3. "Proud Mary" (3:09)
4. "Keep On Chooglin" (7:43)

Principal members

• Doug Clifford: drums
• Stu Cook: bass
• John Fogerty: lead guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals, harmonica, piano, percussion
• Tom Fogerty: rhythm guitar, backing vocals

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Tropin', tropin', tropin' on the river:

• Cover Version: Little Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly".
• Epic Rocking: "Graveyard Train" and "Keep on Chooglin" are both above seven minutes, closing out their respective sides.
• Longest Song Goes Last: The final track "Keep on Chooglin" may not be the longest on the album, but both that and "Graveyard Train" close out their respective sides on the original LP.
• Perfectly Cromulent Word: "Chooglin'" in both "Born on the Bayou" and "Keep on Chooglin'", which refers generally to having a good time.
• Textless Album Cover: The original album cover has no text, though some reissues insert the album and band names.
• Wanderlust Song: "Proud Mary", about a man who left steady jobs to ride a steamboat along the Mississippi River.

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