The Blue Ridge Rangers

While I rarely reach for a Creedence Clearwater Revival album, I always turn up the volume when they come on the radio and think of Vietnam movies. But one album I do go to plenty is John Fogerty’s first solo effort, The Blue Ridge Rangers. On this album Fogerty masks his presence by never putting his name or photo anywhere on the cover (that's it pictured above) and liner notes, opting to create an anonymous five-member band instead. The reality is that this album is nothing but Fogerty. He produced every track in addition to singing and playing all the instruments. The resulting twelve covers are a beautiful ode to the country tradition of which Creedence owed an incredible debt.