The guiding light of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty put his fingerprint on rock with recordings as uniquely American and original as those of his musical idols Hank Williams, Chuck Berry or Little Richard. Fogerty-penned classics like "Fortunate Son," "Proud Mary," "Born on the Bayou," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Long As I Can See the Light" and "Green River" are so seamlessly imbued with a sense of the country as to sound unearthed rather than written.

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But along with the artistic triumphs have come commercial travails. After splitting with his brother, Tom, and the other members of Creedence, Fogerty launched his solo career and entered into a bitter, protracted fight over rights and money with the man who owned Fantasy Records, Saul Zaentz. Incensed, Fogerty vowed not to perform any of his old songs -- a vow which, to the consternation of his fans, he kept for 20 years.

In an unexpected twist, Fantasy was recently purchased by Concord Records, and Fogerty returned for "Revival," his first album for the label since 1973's "The Blue Ridge Rangers." On the eve of a national tour with the "Revival" band, which features drummer Kenny Aronoff, guitarist Hunter Perrin and bassist David Santos, Fogerty talked about returning to Fantasy for this new record and reflected on the strange twists and turns of his career.

MSN Music: Did you ever think you'd be back on Fantasy Records? It was some very bitter doings between you and the company.

John Fogerty: You're right, it was very bitter. This stuff matters to me. I don't know how people in other businesses do it -- you know, someone drives them into bankruptcy one day and they're shaking hands and playing golf with them another.

It wasn't really the company, it was between me and one man. I swore that nothing I do will help Saul Zaentz. Now the company is owned by Norman Lear, who is also on my side of the political fence. I went down to see the new people and the first thing out of their mouth was, "We really like you." And they offered to start paying me for the first time in 30 years. It made me feel their hearts were in the right place. I happened to be a free agent, and I saw it as a way to spiritually reconnect with what I'd done. There's absolutely no carryover or lingering feeling and it's just a name. It was very singular and it was personal and down to one guy I had a problem with.

Those problems were pretty infamous. There was a long time when you wouldn't even perform any of the songs you recorded on your own or with Creedence for Fantasy.

Twenty years. I did play them a few times -- at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in '93 and at a Fourth of July rally for vets in Washington, D.C., in '87. I also found myself onstage one time at the Palomino Club with Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Taj Mahal, and they'd each played one of their songs and then looked at me like, "Well?" And I said I wasn't going to do it. But then Dylan said, "John, everyone is going to think 'Proud Mary' is a Tina Turner song!" He just challenged me and I played it.

So what made you change your mind?

I took several trips into Mississippi looking up grave sites and listening to music. I went to the supposed site of Robert Johnson's grave. And I was standing there thinking, "Robert, who owns your songs? Probably some crooked lawyer in New York with a big cigar." But then I said, "No. It doesn't matter because Robert is the spiritual owner of those songs." And the moment I found that thought the hairs stood up on the back of my neck: "John! That's you! You're the owner of your songs!" You're certainly the owner before you're lying in the ground.

When did you start working on "Revival"?

I didn't start the writing until after New Year's of 2007. It all came pretty quickly and, except for some tweaks, the whole record was finished by June.

Is that fast for you? You're certainly one of rock's great songwriters -- is writing easy?

Oh, my God! No! At least, not in recent years. Way back when, they came to me right and left -- although I really wrote about 10 songs for each one I recorded. But since '72 it's almost been agony to write songs. Even as recently as "Blue Moon Swamp" (in 1997). I started working on those songs 10 years ago and was in the studio for five years -- which was ridiculous.

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