While growing up on the Central Coast, and spending every single summer driving to and from the Midwest, radio dominated our musical lives.  And from 1968-1972 America’s radio waves were dominated by Creedence Clearwater Revival and their masterful, deceptively-simple, three-chord songs. During that time, CCR’s songwriter-leader John Fogerty penned many of America’s greatest rock songs (amongst others, Proud Mary, Bad Moon Rising, Green River, Unfortunate Son, Down on the Corner, Lodi, Fortunate Son, Who’ll Stop the Rain, Up Around the Bend, Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, Lookin’ Out My Back Door).  In a scant two years (’69-’70) of preternatural productivity, CCR released five (!) of the best rock albums this country has ever produced.  After the band’s breakup in 1972, Fogerty went solo and produced some good songs, but only with fits and starts of similar creativity (c’est la vie, non?).  Regardless, Fogerty has continued as a vital performer live, with his concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl in 2006 one of the best shows of that or any other year.

Fast forward to 2013, and John Fogerty just turned 68 years old on Tuesday.  The occasion was marked by Fogerty with the release of a new album entitled Wrote a Song for Everyone.  Fogerty brought some of rock’s current faves (Foo Fighters, Dawes, and My Morning Jacket), some current country and R&B artists and his sons together to re-do many of CCR’s and Fogerty-solo songs.  It’s a grab bag (Kid Rock and Keith Urban?  Maybe that song wasn’t written for Everyone!!) with some clear standouts.  For a feel for the latter, check out below (via Rolling Stone) as Dawes (well, Taylor Goldsmith and his Lakers-hat-sporting brother Griffin) performs Someday Never Comes unplugged with their native Los Angeles in the background.  A perfect match of performers and song.

After watch Fogerty and Dawes perform the song on the Letterman Show last week.