Old Enough to Forget

The Blue Ridge Rangers came out a year after the final CCR album Mardi Gras , which 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 suspect there were words exchanged when The Blue Ridge Rangers was the vehicle John was going with for his first "solo" effort. There were 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 Williams's "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)," and even then it wasn't swamp rock. I wonder if the idea was to have this be a crossover in the country market. By going with an alias, the album would sink or float on its own merits. I don't know if there was ever an insert...