A new documentary will chronicle the rise of Creedence Clearwater Revival, structured around their triumphant 1970 performance at London’s famed Royal Albert Hall.
Travelin’ Band: Creedence Clearwater Revival at the Royal Albert Hall marks the first time full concert footage of the band’s original lineup has ever been released. But the movie is more than a concert film. According to a press release, Travelin’ Band will take viewers on “a journey from the band’s humble, yet formative years in El Cerrito, CA, to their meteoric rise in 1969, from headlining Woodstock to selling out the Oakland Coliseum before traveling through Europe and taking the stage at the Royal Albert Hall.”
Academy Award winning actor — and noted CCR fan — Jeff Bridges will narrate the documentary, while two-time Grammy winner Bob Smeaton will direct. Rock fans will know Smeaton for his work on The Beatles Anthology and Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies – Live at Fillmore East.
“As a kid growing up in the U.K. during the late sixties, early seventies, Creedence were a band that I was only really aware of through their hit singles,” the director admitted. “Therefore making this film was an education for me, I was able to see and hear why they are worthy of their status as one of the greatest bands of all time. I knew they were good, I never knew they were that good.”
A large array of never-before-seen footage will be featured in the documentary, including what is believed to be the earliest film recording of CCR performing. The original Royal Albert Hall concert footage had been stored in a London vault for 50 years and was fully restored for the project.
A release date for Travelin’ Band has not yet been announced.
Keen CCR fans may recall that the live album The Royal Albert Hall Concert was released by Fantasy Records in 1980. The incorrectly titled LP was actually a recording of the band’s 1970 performance at Oakland Coliseum. It would later be reissued under the title The Concert.