It was a huge deal for the 25 residents of remote Troy, Oregon, when John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame jammed with local musicians at the rustic Troy Inn and built a hunting retreat on the banks of the Grande Ronde River.
There are only a handful of references on the Internet about that time in Fogerty's life even though it spanned more than a decade. In fact, his practice of playing with the locals there was even considered an urban myth until a
very rare video surfaced on Youtube in March 2013, of John Fogerty singing on a tiny stage in Troy, sporting a beard, getting a beer buzz, and having a great time in November of 1987.
The video and accompanying comments peppered by ‘insiders’ insights, commemorate details about that night and Fogerty’s days around Troy in general.
“This is a keeper, and it should be included in a list of Fogerty`s top five videos of all time. He is in a small place, and clearly having a blast!” Tim Young
Judging by the enthusiastic praises and thanks from Fogerty fans around the world, they love this old video, even though it’s just a blurry digitized VHS and the pick-up band consisted of local amateurs.
“Priceless!” “Amazing!” “Unforgettable!” “This is a sincere life!”
Pretty much every Creedence fan that weighed in wishes they had been there except for one music aficionado who felt that such an unpolished performance by a big star was unacceptable.
Several comments under the video are by people who were there or even joined John Fogerty on stage. Ken Pearl was assistant manager at the Shilo Inn, a.k.a the Troy Inn, in those days. He'd already downed a pitcher of beer before having the privilege of backing Fogerty on drums that night. Pearl is the first to admit his skills were a bit rough. Besides being tipsy, he’d only been playing for a couple of years. Stan Robb of Washington was on rhythm guitar. Nobody was on bass.
Pearl explains in one of his posts that on the night of that show, Fogerty had eaten at the restaurant before heading out on a hunting trip and mentioned that he intended to play when he got back. Knowing he would jam with the locals, the word went out for people to bring their instruments, but only three responded. Along with Pearl and Robb, the third was 70-year old Lester Earl Kiesecker who performed a harmonica solo that night. Kiesecker was a rancher who loved music and was known throughout the area for his fiddle playing and the popular community dances he hosted at his place.
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A dog naps on the main drag, downtown Troy, Oregon | Photo by Estar Holmes
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“Everyone must have been as hammered as we were, because all I heard the next couple days from people who had been there was, ‘You guys rocked!’” wrote Pearl, who was mainly amazed that such a thing could happen at all. “The best part for me, was that for two years after that complete strangers would come into the bar and ask me, ‘Aren't you John Fogerty's drummer?’”
There are cynics who claim that was not really John Fogerty on stage that night. But the folks who were there obviously had a blast, singing, dancing, playing and letting loose with a top American rock legend who didn’t act like he was better than anyone else.
“This is flipping
great, it is priceless…anyone would sell their home just to be able to buy a
ticket to have seen this little gig, you would have the very best memories to
last you a very long lifetime.” James Bradshaw
It had been twenty years since Fogerty told his band, the Golliwogs, that their new name would be Creedence Clearwater Revival, and much water had passed under the bridge since their stellar rise to fame. CCR shot to the top of the music charts in 1968 with their hit “Susie Q" at number 11, and they remained one of America’s top bands until they broke up in 1972. During those years John Fogerty churned out one hit after another. “Proud Mary” reached the number two spot in 1969, followed by “Bad Moon Rising” a few months later. They appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show twice that year, as well as performing a set at Woodstock. In all, they achieved nine top-ten singles and eight gold albums between 1968 and 1972, after which everything fell apart.
Earlier in February of ‘87, before that show in backwoods Troy, Oregon, Fogerty had been invited to a guest gig at the Palomino Club in Hollywood, where he shared the stage with musical legends Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Taj Mahal. They performed a few classic rock songs then Dylan goaded Fogerty into playing “Proud Mary.” Fogerty had been sticking to a vow he'd made not to play any old CCR songs due to bitterness over hassles with his old record label and unresolved clashes with band members. But Dylan pointed out that Tina Turner was getting so much play covering the tune that people would start thinking it was her song. So, Fogerty capitulated. It was the first time in years he was known to have played a CCR song in public.
“…His moral strength, his integrity had the better of the criminals and exploiters. John you are all of us! May God keep you and your family forever!” Ivo Giuseppe Rapetta
Were the shows at the Troy Inn an exception to Fogerty's unwillingness to play CCR tunes in public? Rolling Stone writer, Cameron Crowe, was in Troy in 1975 and witnessed Fogerty singing, “Born on the Bayou.” And we know he did eight CCR songs on that 1987 video. Nobody else that mentions Fogerty's adventures in Troy has said whether or not he regularly performed other CCR tunes there, despite his unwillingness to do so in the rest of the world.
Fogerty first discovered the remote northeastern Oregon in spring of 1974 because his publicist, Jake Rohrer, was friends with a guy named Max Halsey who had property near Troy. Max called down to California one day and said a local hunting guide named Roger Wilson was going to take a string of mules up the Wenaha River to check on his hunting camps. Max planned to accompany him on horseback and asked if Fogerty and Rohrer wanted to ride along. Fogerty was intrigued, so the two flew into Lewiston, Idaho, where Halsey picked them up and drove them to Troy on a winding road called Rattlesnake.
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The Rattlesnake grade winds into remote Eastern Oregon from Idaho | Photo by Estar Holmes |
“The only business in town was the Troy Resort, run by Wilson and his family,” Rohrer writes in his memoir Fortunate Son, (not to be confused with Fogerty’s memoir Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music.) “It was old and quaint, a 2-story clapboard structure with a steeply pitched roof, western-style shutters and a hitching post out in front.” He describes their invigorating camping adventure, telling stories around a blazing fire then shivering the rest of the night in skimpy sleeping bags.
Upon returning to town, they learned that Lester Kiesecker had arranged for a night of music, food, and dancing at his ranch.
“Word had spread up and down the rivers and through the valleys, John Fogerty was in Troy!” Jake Rohrer
Fogerty sang a few songs with Lester's son's band. The entire experience was completely different from the cutthroat California music scene that had been weighing him down. He loved the camaraderie and the freedom. The genuine and easy spirit of the people opened his heart. “As we were dazzled by the terrain, we were charmed and welcomed by the people, their social life and the role music played in it, a natural existence that relied on the seasons and each other. We'd seen this life before only in movies,” Rohrer wrote.
Fogerty and some of his friends returned for elk season that fall, and after that he seemed every bit as interested in establishing himself in Troy and becoming a hunter as he was in pursuing his musical career, Rohrer observed. Shortly thereafter Fogerty bought 400 acres fronting the Grande Ronde River and built a country retreat for his family and friends.
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John Fogerty hunting retreat on the Grande Ronde | Photo courtesy of Amelia, Airbnb
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A commenter on one blog post that mentions John Fogerty’s days in Troy recalled her excitement upon hearing about his land purchase on the Grande Ronde River. Sherry Waldrip wrote: “I'll never forget when my father-in-law (Cecil) came to Spokane and told us he sold his Troy property. He said, "I think the guy's a rock star, his name is John Fogerty." I grabbed his arm and said, "From Creedence Clearwater Revival? He IS a rock star Dad! Creedence is one of my favorite groups, and he's the lead singer!"
Troy became a treasured getaway for Fogerty, his first wife Martha, their three children, and some close friends. “They spent summers there and were a part of our community, as were some of their friends from the entertainment world,” Deborah Reynolds recalls in the video’s comment section. Her dad owned the Troy Inn at that time, and she confirms that Fogerty would jam with the local talent during his visits. Her dad was also the guide that packed Fogerty and his buddies to hunting camp.
Fogerty was also a regular entertainer at Troy Days, which used to occur the first weekend in June, according to another commenter, Patti Allen.
Anytime Wilson knew Fogerty was planning to play at his inn, he would get the word out through the local papers at Enterprise, Oregon, and Lewiston, Idaho. Troy’s informal music scene flourished as people crammed in from miles around. “Roger prospered, John's celebrity swelling the population of Troy beyond capacity and bringing him more customers than he'd ever seen,” according to Rohrer's memoir.
A blogger identified as mgs4real recalled that her husband, Joseph, was helping Fogerty and his friends build the house and their families became acquainted. By that time the free concerts were drawing so many people the shows had moved into “The Tack Room” an outbuilding that was part of the resort. She got to sing “Midnight Special” there on stage with John Fogerty – one of those lifetime highlights one never forgets. She also recalls an unfortunate incident. After playing free for hours that night, John took a break and “some lowlife” stole his white Fender guitar.
Troy embraced Fogerty like a long lost son. Even the jukebox which was once all country had every CCR single ever made, according to an observation by Crowe, the Rolling Stone reporter who ventured all the way to Troy to investigate what on earth the rock icon John Fogerty was up to in the wilds of Oregon.
Crowe’s visit had a humorous twist, as Rohrer tells in his memoir.
He had called Wilson from California to let him know some guys from Rolling Stone were coming and they would need lodgings for a few days. He and Fogerty would be there soon to meet up with them. Wilson, not realizing Rolling Stone was a magazine, thought the Rolling Stones band was coming to Troy. True to his form, he started spreading the word, but the prospect of a visit from rock-and-roll’s bad boys was too much for the pastoral culture of northeastern Oregon. Police were alerted and they manned roadblocks on every road into Troy until the mistake was cleared up.
Pearl says he thinks that 1987 show was the last time Fogerty played in Troy.
He sold his holdings there in the early 90s after various local business deals he’d made went sour and pressing matters in California demanded all his attention again.
John Fogerty's retreat on the Grande Ronde is now a 70s-themed Airbnb, with a shag rug, some CCR memorabilia, and a lot of memories about a time when things were pretty darn good.
