John Fogerty Was Sued for Plagiarizing Himself

The renowned main vocalist and lyricist for the band Credence Clearwater Revival is John Fogerty. Songs like "Fortunate Son" and "Bad Moon Rising" were hits for them. It would be difficult to locate a movie from the 1960s or 1970s without some reference to CCR on the soundtrack.

The song "The Old Man Down the Road" was released by Fogerty in the 1980s while he was recording his own solo album. It's a good tune with that distinctive Fogerty sound. In fact, the record label that still held the rights to his earlier work with his band CCR sued him because it featured so much of Fogerty's distinctive sound. Their claim that Fogerty's new song was too similar to "Run Through the Jungle," which he also penned and sang, served as the foundation for their complaint. Thus, they were basically suing John Fogerty on his behalf for defrauding him.

A jury ruled in 1988 that John Fogerty had not plagiarized himself by writing a song that resembled one he had already composed. By that point, according to Fogerty, he had already spent more on legal expenses than he had even made on the song. Fortunately, he prevailed in a lawsuit against his previous label years later to receive payment for his legal costs.

Nationality: United States

Occupation: Singer