John Fogerty v. Saul Zaentz"More than a decade of bad blood between former Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) frontman John Fogerty and Fantasy Records head Saul Zaentz comes to a boil with the release of Fogerty's Centerfield in 1985. Fogerty had signed away royalties from CCR's rich catalog to Zaentz in order to leave Fantasy Records in the Seventies. Fogerty's song 'Zanz Can't Dance' (from Centerfield) about a con man and his con pig earns him a defamation suit... and that's just the beginning. Zaentz files another suit claiming that Centerfield's lead track and hit single, 'The Old Man Down the Road,' is a swamp-rock replica of CCR's 1970 classic 'Run Through the Jungle,' essentially accusing Fogerty of plagiarizing himself.
"The Decision: The defamation case is settled (the 'Zanz' in the song is changed to 'Vanz'), but the copyright case lands Fogerty in court. A district court initially nixes Fogerty's assertion that one couldn't commit plagiarism against oneself, but after Fogerty makes a court appearance with guitar in hand, a jury determines that 'Old Man' is not a 'Jungle' rip-off. Still miffed by the suit, Fogerty sues Fantasy to recoup his attorneys fees, and the U.S. Supreme Court rules in his favor."
["I was accused of ripping off myself," Fogerty later marveled, before mischievously adding: "The little boy in me envisions the day I'll actually segue from 'Old Man' right into 'Run Through the Jungle,' maybe back and forth."]
Fogerty, John (?- ) American musician [noted for various recordings]
[Sources: RollingStone.com]More John Fogerty anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Rock Music Songs Law Lawsuits Copyright Plagiarism
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