Screengrab via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert YouTube – John Fogerty chats with Stephen Colbert on ‘The Late Show’

John Fogerty returned to New York’s Ed Sullivan Theater for a memorable appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, reflecting on his storied career, reclaiming his music catalog, and the joy of performing with family before performing some of his biggest hits from his Creedence Clearwater Revival days.

The conversation began with a nostalgic look back at Fogerty’s 1969 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show with CCR. When Colbert showed footage of the young band performing, Fogerty, now 80, recalled being “kind of scared” at just 23 years old. “Ed was, you know, Ed Sullivan, you know,” he said, describing how the legendary host’s presence made his “head spin.”

Fogerty also shared a cherished memory of meeting George Harrison at the Palomino club in Los Angeles while seeing Taj Mahal perform. Finding Harrison hiding in a small cloak room to escape fans, the two musicians struck up a conversation. Then Harrison delivered words that have stayed with Fogerty for decades: “The band really loved Creedence.” As Fogerty noted, “The band was the Beatles and he was talking about me and Creedence and those words have just stuck with me.”

Colbert highlighted Fogerty’s astonishing output during Creedence’s peak years, when the band released three albums in 1969 alone, followed by hit after hit in 1970. Fogerty described himself as “driven” and “manic” during that period, explaining, “I was up most of the night writing and all that… I refused to be mediocre.”

A major theme of the interview was Fogerty’s 50-year legal battle to reclaim his catalog from his old label, Asylum Records, which inspired his new album, Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years. The impact went beyond business. “I think the first thing you might be surprised to know is my self-esteem really changed,” Fogerty revealed. For years, he had felt like “a sap, a sucker… the guy that had given away the farm.” When fans would praise his songs, he admitted, “I’d kind of feel a little bit like a fool.”

Getting the rights back, thanks to his wife Julie Fogerty‘s efforts, was “just like an instant esteem booster.”

A touching story that didn’t make the on-air broadcast involved Fogerty’s beloved Rickenbacker guitar, nicknamed “Acme,” which he customized with a Gibson Les Paul humbucker pickup in 1969. After Creedence broke up in the early 1970s—a dissolution he chronicled in “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”—Fogerty gave the guitar to a 12-year-old fan, perhaps “thinking that I could just give all my problems away and start over.”

Forty-four years later, Julie tracked down the guitar in Ohio and placed it under the Christmas tree. “That’s how I got it back. It was Christmas morning,” Fogerty said.

Now touring with his sons Shane and Tyler, Fogerty expressed profound contentment. When asked about his legacy, he answered: “I want to be remembered as a good family man… I hope I’m a great dad and husband. That’s very important to me.”

Reflecting on his marriage, he added, “When I met Julie, I realized that I had found actually what I needed in life … I feel like I’m the luckiest man in the entire world.”

The appearance concluded with Fogerty performing a medley of his classics, proving that at 80, the man behind some of rock’s most enduring anthems still has plenty of fire left.

Watch John Fogerty’s full extended interview and performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert below.

Fogerty is gearing up to kick off a Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on New Years Eve, with shows in January and March. He will also headline Mexico’s Festival Vive Latino 2026. Find tickets to his upcoming performances here.

John Fogerty On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert [Interview]

John Fogerty – “Up Around The Bend” / “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” / “Fortunate Son” / “Proud Mary”

John Fogerty – “Green River”