The Blue Ridge Rangers - The Blue Ridge Rangers

Blue Ridge Rangers was released in 1973 on Fantasy Records. The album was a collection of traditional and cover songs that were arranged and produced by John Fogerty. I suppose when it first came out it was a bit confusing. Was this a John Fogerty album? Was there a band? Who were the silhouettes on the cover? Why did they all look like the same person? Was this a giant FU to Fantasy records? After the initial run of pressings I'm guessing there was some pressure to rebrand the album, and subsequently John's name was featured more prominently.

The Blue Ridge Rangers came out a year after the final CCR album Mardi Gras marked the end of an era. I cannot imagine the pressure applied to a still young John Fogerty (28) to replicate the magic he had created with his previous band. While Mardi Gras was a gold selling record, I suspect that was more the general public's muscle memory as it is generally considered the nadir of the band's output.

I imagine there were words exchanged when Blue Ridge Rangers was the vehicle John was going with for his first "solo" effort. No original songs, and the songs were decidedly country. The only song that even came close to evoking some of that Fogerty charm was Hank William's "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" and even then it wasn't swamp rock. I wonder if the idea was have this be a crossover in the country market, and by going with an alias the album would sink or float on its own merits. 

There were no credits with my album, and I didn't know if there was ever an insert with lyrics and credits, but what I've read the album was performed by John, which answers the question "Why do the silhouettes all look alike?" If the goal was to distance himself from his Creedence past the album he succeeded.

Many years ago, forty now to be exact, when Centerfield came out I remember rummaging in the bins and seeing John Fogerty The Blue Ridge Rangers and asked my buddy Andy, who was a musical walking encyclopedia, if he knew about the album. He did, and the general sense I got from his reaction was it was best if I avoided getting it.

I'll admit I was always curious about this one, and when I happened to find this one attributed solely to The Blue Ridge Rangers I couldn't resist. Yeah, there was ringwear on the cover and the album had seen some miles, but it cleaned up remarkably well.

Several of the songs were fairly engaging but I can see how the general public took a pass on it. It's more a curiosity than anything. While it is enjoyable, especially when considering John performed all the parts, it's just not what you expect from John Fogerty. Andy was right. Twenty two year old me would not have gotten through the first side. Ten year old me never knew this existed and me at sixty one (I'm almost 62, but hey I'm not in a hurry) is far more forgiving and I really did enjoy this, although it's not something I'll revisit very often ... if at all.