Doug "cosmo" clifford

Photo courtesy of Laurie Clifford

Featured Drummer ...

by Billy Jeansonne cover photo by Laurie Clifford

as Doug Clifford is called, is the core of what put the emotion in the music for Creedence Clearwater Revival. CCR was the number one band in the world in the late 60’s, early 70’s with it’s rhythm & bluesy rock’n roll. Cosmo created the energy that is felt every time you listentheir music. Every drumbeat pumps each song with an unending supply of fuel. His drumming inspires a song to be slow and smooth and then can change to raw excitement as he is able to power a song to a climax. Doug’s feel for making music on the drums takes the song to another level. There seems to be a fire burning in Doug’s playing that creates such intense heat that makes the song move you. His liveperformances are just as exciting with his new band. Doug, along with long time band member, Stu Cook, formed Creedence Clearwater Revisited in 1995. There is not enough that can be said about Doug “Cosmo” Clifford’s playing. From his teen days with the Blue Velvets to the current Creedence Clearwater Revisited, let’s take a look at the man who put emotion in rock and roll drumming.
VDM: Whatinspired you to become a drummer? Doug: First of all, I was a record collector. I was hooked when I heard rock and roll music. I was only 9 years old when I bought my first record. It was a 78. I didn’t know that there were 45’s. The record was “Bo Diddley” by Bo Diddley, which has that great drum lick in it. I would listen to it over and over again. I knew that I was going to do something in music.Then I saw a special on TV with Gene Krupa. Gene was playing all these different drums and never missing a beat. I loved the rhythm and swing that Krupa had. That’s when I said, “that’s what I want to do”. But not the big band stuff.... I want to play rock and roll. That’s when I bought my first snare drum. VDM: Who were some of your biggest influences? Doug: All the great drummers that played onthe records that we were listening to...Earl Palmer, Hal Blaine, Al Jackson Jr., Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, all the drummers that were in the groove on the records back then. There were so many great drummers of that era. I looked up to all these guys and borrowed a little of what they offered. VDM: How did you progress from that point? Doug: Once I had found someone to play music with, I savedmy money and bought an old Slingerland set with tacked on bottom heads. I paid $200.00 for them. That was a lot of money in 1958, but the guy knew I wanted the drums. I took Mother of Pearl contact paper and covered the whole set. The next set was also Slingerland, which had been left in the sunlight in a music store. Half of the set was aqua and the other half was faded and had turned a champagnecolor. I set up the drums in my garage and practiced every day. VDM: How old were you when you met John Fogerty and started the Blue Velvets? Doug: I was in the seventh or eighth grade and was about 13 years old when I first met John.
photo courtesy of Laurie Clifford

“Cosmo”

-5-

VDM: Doug, please tell me about the birth of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Doug: I was walking home fromschool and went by the music room and heard some Fats Domino piano playing coming out of the music room, which was taboo at the time. There was this skinny little kid (John Fogerty) playing Stu, John, Tom, and I grew up this stuff and I stood in the doorway and listogether with a dream. We tened. He went into some stayed focused on that dream Little Richard songs. I and stayed away from drugs. hadall the records he Finally when we achieved was playing. I walked up to him and asked him if success, we overcame everyhe wanted to start a band. thing but success. He said “Yes, but actually I play the guitar”. Later, we went over to his house for rehearsal. I had a snare drum on a wrought iron flower pot stand and a bass drum that someone had given to me. It was a marching bass drum. I saved my...