John Fogerty rides off again with his Rangers

After the 1972 flameout of Creedence Clearwater Revival, ending its short reign as America's most popular rock band, John Fogerty launched a solo career in a surprising way. His debut effort was titled "The Blue Ridge Rangers" and consisted of country and folk-rooted songs he'd always loved. Suddenly without a band behind him, Fogerty played all the instruments and sang all the vocals himself.

He didn't even put his name on it: The album jacket showed silhouettes of what appeared to be five guys wearing cowboy hats, playing guitars, fiddle and upright bass. They were all Fogerty, superimposed on a spacious, open landscape.

Now, 36 years after that album was released, he's resurrected the concept with a new collection, "The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again."

"There probably wasn't a month that went by in all that time that I wouldn't hear a song and think, 'Oh, that'd be great for another Blue Ridge Rangers record,' " said Fogerty, a ball of energy while talking about music last week in the living room of the Beverly Hills home he shares with his wife, Julie, and their two teenage sons.

"I'd thought about doing another one; it's just one of those things I never got around to actually doing," he said. "Then one day Julie came to me and said, 'Why don't you make another Blue Ridge Rangers record?' Well, it's like your wife walks up to you with all your fishing gear in her hands and says, 'Here, why don't you go fishing for a few days?' "

This time, however, Fogerty wasn't interested in secluding himself in a recording studio and doing everything on his own as he had done more than 35 years ago. For the new album, released this week, he rounded up some of the most respected names in roots/Americana music to help, including guitarists Buddy Miller and Herb Pedersen, steel guitarist Greg Leisz and drummer Jay Bellerose.

He then assembled another batch of songs, the only common thread being that they were ones Fogerty loved, tunes he'd turn to if he ever got called up in a bar or nightclub to play something.

The song list speaks to the fact that while Fogerty is an aficionado, even a connoisseur, of country and folk music, he's no roots-music snob. Several selections would delight country purists, such as Buck Owens' "I Don't Care (Just as Long as You Love Me)," Ray Price's "I'll Be There (If You Ever Want Me)" and the Kendalls' bouncy "Heaven's Just a Sin Away."