Jeff Philippe grew up listening to his dad’s vinyl records, from ABBA to ZZ Top.
But he didn’t need to get any further than “C” to know he’d found, in his opinion, the greatest American rock band.
“Ever since I heard that long version of ‘Grapevine’ — they have a 12-minute version of ‘Heard It Through the Grapevine’ — it blew my mind and I’ve been a fan ever since,” he said.
That band was Creedence Clearwater Revival and in 2009, he started a CCR tribute band called The Fortunate Sons. He’s the band leader and drummer.
The Fortunate Sons will make its Hobart Art Theatre debut July 23.
“This is our first big show in northwest Indiana in years and I’m really excited to get back over there and see faces I haven’t seen in a long time,” he said.
In addition to Philippe in the Doug “Cosmo” Clifford role, the Fortunate Sons consists of Zach Stevenson in the John Fogerty role on vocals and guitar, Danny Cohen as Tom Fogerty on guitar and Steve Schuster as Stu Cook on bass.
Some of the songs that audiences will hear include “Travelin’ Band,” “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Who’ll Stop the Rain” and “Born on the Bayou.”
Creedence Clearwater Revival put out seven albums between 1968 and 1972, he said.
“Five of them are complete bona fide classics and they did it all within three or four years. It’s crazy,” he said. “Their songs just never went away because they’re just so great. They’re still part of the consciousness. They’re still in every movie and soundtrack. We have kids coming to the shows who know the music because it’s never really left the popular consciousness. We’ve got Grandpa and Daddy and the teenagers and they all know the songs. It’s been great for us to play for all different kinds of people through the years.”
The band has toured extensively, even going to Europe for long runs, he said.
He started playing drums in college — late in the game, he admitted. But he’s always loved this kind of music.
“This stuff is very peppy … it’s also this great Americana, blues, country rock stuff that everybody’s got in their bones around here,” he said. “It’s good stuff and people never get tired of it. I still haven’t after all this time.”
CCR has at least 20 songs that everybody knows, he said, so crafting a set list isn’t hard.
“The trouble when creating a set list is trying to get all the stuff in. Because when you don’t play something, people are like, ‘You didn’t play this.’ So it’s usually just a matter of how long can we play,” he said.
“They never had quite the name recognition of say, The Beatles, but everybody knows those tunes. Everybody knows ‘Suzie Q’ and ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘Travelin’ Band.’ I think they’re the greatest American band there ever was.
“Their music is almost like American music’s greatest hits because it touches every genre of stuff that was coming out before then and morphed it under this swamp-rock umbrella. It’s just good stuff.”
They try to look and sound like the John Fogerty and the rest of Creedence, he said, especially Stevenson.
“He’s got the look, he’s the swagger, he’s got the voice, he’s got it all,” he said. “I’m just so proud I get to play with these guys and be in such a kick-ass band. As a band leader, it’s a dream to be able to put together and keep together a good group of guys. I’ve been really lucky in that way over the years.”
The band uses vintage equipment — right down to the amplifiers — and they come out in costume.
“These guys … their fashion sense really sucked; it was terrible. We do dress like them, exactly. We really try to present the complete picture,” he said. “If you squint, you’ll think you’re at a Creedence concert from back in the day. That’s the whole idea.”
Audience members dig it, too, he said.
“The best comments you hear are kind of the sad ones. You’ll get guys coming up to you who were veterans in Vietnam and they have tears in their eyes. They say, ‘You really took me back.’ It’s very humbling to hear stuff like that. It makes you feel like you’re doing something good.”
The show will “take you down to the bayou,” he said, with the crickets and moonlight. They’ll tell some stories about where the songs came from but mostly, they let the music speak for itself, he said.
“You’re going to hear every genre of American music as seen through the lens of John Fogerty and Creedence,” he said. “It’s going to be a great night. By the end of the night, everybody is up singing and dancing. We have a really, really good time. The whole show from front to back is packed with the hits.”
Fortunate Sons
When: 7:30 p.m. July 23
Where: Hobart Art Theatre, 230 Main St., Hobart
Tickets: $15-$25
Information: 219-942-1670; brickartlive.com
Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
