CCR, as they came to be known, started out as a trio (three of the four members) in 1959 called Tommy Fogerty & The Blue Velvets, renamed The Golliwogs in 1964, and enjoyed some regional success in the San Francisco Bay area. That's right ... Creedence Clearwater, like Santana, was a San Francisco group! Right on. In December 1967 they released their first LP, Creedence Clearwater Revival, now as a psychedelic band with a raw country/rockabilly edge. Lead guitarist and vocalist John Fogerty took over brother Tom's role as lead vocalist and became the band's producer. The first major hit recording by Fogerty's band was "Suzie Q.", which reached #11 on Billboard, although it was featured prominently on the underground FM radio scene during and long after its chart success. Before turning completely commercial as a pop rock hit machine in the early 1970s, the group produced three fantastic albums: Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bayou Country (which produced the hit song "Proud Mary" in early winter 1969), and the album the two songs featured in my music video appear on, Green River. Of the three, Green River comes closest to complete and total perfection, there is not one track that one might regard as "filler." It is tough, raw, catchy, and a delight to hear from beginning to end. It was the first CCR album I ever purchased (bought in August 1969 when "Bad Moon Rising" and the title track were dominating the airwaves). There would come many songs after the release of Green River that would become major hits, some of those hits even more memorable like "Who'll Stop The Rain?" But the LPs would never be as good as the first three, and none would hold a candle to Green River. The two songs used in this music video are the last two tracks on Side B of the album: "Sinister Purpose" and "The Night Time Is The Right Time." "Sinister Purpose" was done in the style of "I Put A Spell On You" which appeared in the first album, with heavy emphasis on two alternating psychedelic guitars, John playing lead and Tom as supporting lead and rhythm. Like some of the other songs the band enjoyed playing, it was heavy on the Southern "bayou" scene, that is, the swamp, witchcraft (male and female witches), Hoodoo, and other magical and supernatural elements. In this case, the song has an evil aspect. It was also perfect background music for the scenes I edited from a play featured on the NBC Matinee Theater entitled "The Dark Of The Moon" on December 13, 1957. It stars actor Tom Tryon as a warlock in Bayou country named "John" who wants to become a human so he can wed Barbara Allen, a mortal girl played by actress Gloria Talbott. You may recall seeing Gloria Talbott in another music video I did of "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis & The Playboys where she plays the fiancée of a character played by actor Craig Hill. The condition on which this coupling and marriage can be allowed to take place is that Barbara Allen, who is somewhat promiscuous, must remain faithful to John for one full year. His two consort witches, one played by actress Yvette Vickers, and his hag witch mother, try to convince John that becoming a mortal man is a bad idea, and when he does, they concoct a scheme that will cause his new wife to cheat on him, thus immediately turning him back into a witch and causing the death of Barbara Allen at the stroke of midnight. The second song, "The Night Time Is the Right Time," was put together from old blues songs and recorded in 1937 by pianist Roosevelt Sykes and in 1938 by Big Bill Broonzy (who had a hit with "Baby, Please Don't Go"). Twenty years later, the song was sung and recorded in 1957 by Nappy Brown and in 1958 by Ray Charles who took it all the way to #5 on Billboard. In 1969 it became the final track on CCR's Green River album. Like Charles and Brown, Fogerty opted to give the R&B classic gospel-style background vocals by the other band members (singing "ba-do-day"). Again, the song is perfect background for the terrible revenge the superstitious, religious townspeople exact on Barbara Allen, now branded as a witch's consort, which includes one of them, encouraged by the whole community, performing forced sex on the girl. The scheme of the two witch consorts succeeds, Barbara now unfaithful, must also die. I have supplied the details for those curious. There is a lot more to the actual story, but this half hour show has been edited to conform to the two CCR songs which are just perfect for the scenes used. Hard to believe something this steamy was aired one otherwise forgettable afternoon on NBC television in 1957! You may find it hard to believe that TV programming in the 1950s was ever this good! And in the afternoon, no less!