'Proud Mary' by Creedence Clearwater Revival: The making of John Fogerty's hit that Tina Turner made her own

3 July 2025, 12:25

Rolling... rolling... John Fogerty had a massive hit with 'Proud Mary' for Creedence Clearwater Revival, before Ike and Tina Turner shook it up.

Despite releasing records for just five years together, Creedence Clearwater Revival released hit after hit after hit.

There was the odd cover, like early songs 'Susie Q' and 'I Put A Spell On You', but most of their bangers were self-penned classics.

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'Fortunate Son', 'Bad Moon Rising', 'Travelin' Band', 'Green River'... more than we can begin to mention here.

Rolling, rolling, rolling to the very top of that list was 'Proud Mary'. The song was a major hit on its release, before rising up the charts once more when covered by Tina Turner.

But do you know who wrote the song, what it's about, and what other artists have covered it before and after Tina? Read on to find out!

Who wrote 'Proud Mary'?

As we've said, despite the odd cover, Creedence Clearwater Revival wrote most of their own hits.

We say Creedence wrote them... in truth that meant that the band's resident songwriting genius John Fogerty wrote them.

That includes 'Proud Mary', which lists John Fogerty as its sole writer, and its sole producer, too.

John sings and plays lead guitar on the song, with his brother Tom Fogerty on rhythm guitar, Stu Cook on bass, Doug Clifford on drums. The song was recorded at RCA Studios in Hollywood, California. John added some overdubs later.

Fogerty actually came up with the riffs for 'Proud Mary' and some other songs while playing a gig at the Avalon Ballroom while still in the National Guard, and finishing it off while dizzy with joy after his early discharge in the middle of 1968.

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary (Live At The Royal Albert Hall)

"If it didn't happen within five minutes, certainly within a week and a half I had written 'Proud Mary'," he told Rolling Stone in 1993.

Like quite a few CCR songs, it's a mashup of black and white, with swampy bayou feel rubbing up against gospel vibes.

According to the liner notes for the 40th anniversary of its parent album, Fogerty tried to imitate Steve Cropper of the MGs.

The liner notes also reveal that everyone knew immediately that 'Proud Mary' was something special.

"Later, when you asked any of the other three members when did they know the band had made it, they all said the same thing" 'The first time John played us 'Proud Mary'," said Joel Selvin.

"Fogerty himself has always said he knew he had written his best song almost as soon as he finished writing it."

What are the lyrics of 'Proud Mary' actually about?

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary (Official Lyric Video)

As we've said, 'Proud Mary' was written in a moment of pure joy on Fogerty finally getting out of the army.

"That one event that led to doing the cartwheels," Fogerty told Rolling Stone. "That's where 'Left a good job in the city' comes from. I just felt real good.

"Although I didn't recall it at the time when I was doing 'Rollin' on the river', there is an old Will Rogers movie about these old paddle wheelers, and I believe at one point they actually sing, 'Rolling on the river'.

"I know that buried deep inside me are all these little bits and pieces of Americana. It's deep in my heart, deep in my soul. As I learned in English 101, write about what you know about."

As for who or what Mary is, it's been suggested that she's a nod to the Mary Elizabeth ship based in Memphis, Tennessee. Others have claimed that the song actually grew out of a different song all about a washerwoman by the name of Mary.

Fogerty told American Songwriter that the title came from his ringbinder of notepaper where he started writing down all his ideas for what would become his songbook. The first thing there was just a title: Proud Mary.

"I didn't know what it was," he admitted. "Months and months later, being on the bridge of this thing coming out of me, I went back to my book and looking at the first entry and then realizing, that’s it! It’s about a boat!"

Fogerty later told Rolling Stone: "I wrote the song about a mythical riverboat, cruising on a mythical river, in a mythical time

"Perhaps the setting was 'back in time' on the Mississippi River. It was obviously a metaphor about leaving painful, stressful things behind for a more tranquil and meaningful life."

When did Creedence Clearwater Revival release 'Proud Mary' and where did it get in the charts?

Creedence Clearwater Revival released 'Proud Mary' on January 9, 1969, with 'Born on the Bayou' on the flip.

It was an absolutely massive hit, flying all the way to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, only being kept off the top by 'Dizzy' from Tommy Roe.

In fact, it was the first of five number two singles for the band, who were something of perennial bridesmaids in the US charts, never quite reaching the summit despite raking up platinum sales multiple times.

The single went to number 8 in the UK singles chart.

Both 'Proud Mary' and 'Born on the Bayou' appeared on the Bayou Country album, released just a few days after the single on January 15. That record went to number seven in the US, and was one of THREE albums released in 1969 by the band.

How did Tina Turner end up covering 'Proud Mary' and where did her version get in the charts?

So 'Proud Mary' was hardly some unknown track before it fell in the laps of Ike and Tina Turner, but it's their version that's arguably the best known (and best loved) today.

Ike Turner apparently was no fan of Creedence's original version of 'Proud Mary', but Tina has explained that he was more into a swiftly recorded cover by The Checkmates, Ltd.

That version, featuring Sonny Charles, was produced by Phil Spector and released in September 1969, charging at number 69 in the US and even better in the UK, peaking at number 30.

And in November 1970, Ike and Tina released their Workin' Together album, which together with some Ike originals and other covers (including The Beatles' 'Get Back' and 'Let It Be'), featured their version of 'Proud Mary'.

The total revamp of the song, with rearrangement by Ike and Soko Richardson, was also released as a single on January 14, 1971.

The B-side in the US was 'Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter', while elsewhere in the world the flip featured a take on The Rolling Stones' 'Honky Tonk Women'.

Ike & Tina Turner Revue "Proud Mary" on The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ike and Tina cover was a hit almost as big as Creedence Clearwater Revival's original, getting to number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

It also racked up the acclaim and accolades, including a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972.

The duo played the song at all of their live shows, including TV and movie performances, including Playboy After Dark, The Ed Sullivan Show, It's Your Thing and Soul Train.

Even after Ike and Tina split, she held on to 'Proud Mary'. She played it live regularly, and re-recorded it for the soundtrack of 1993 biopic What's Love Got To Do With It, with this new version ending up on her 2004 hits compilation All The Best.

Who else has covered 'Proud Mary'?

ELVIS PRESLEY - Proud Mary ( Elvis on Tour 1972 ) 4K

We've already mentioned that before Ike and Tina covered 'Proud Mary' that The Checkmates, Ltd. had their turn.

But one of the first covers of 'Proud Mary' actually came from Tommy Roe, whose 'Dizzy' was the one song that stopped Creedence getting that number one.

And he wasn't the only major artist who covered 'Proud Mary' before Ike and Tina Turner.

Solomon Burke, Conway Twitty, Leonard Nimoy (yes, the actual Mr Spock), Amen Corner, Steve Miller, The Tremeloes, Tom Jones, Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee all recorded the song before Ike & Tina released theirs.

Proud Mary

And after Ike and Tina made the song a massive hit once more, the covers kept coming.

James Last and His Orchestra, Frankie Laine, Blue Mink, The Osmonds, Neil Sedaka, Status Quo, Black Lace, the cast of Glee, Bobby Darin, Andy Williams, Alfie Boe and Rod Stewart.

It's also worth mentioning that after several years of leaving his Creedence Clearwater Revival songs in his back pocket, John Fogerty himself has regularly played his old numbers in concert since 1987, with 'Proud Mary' an ever-present in his setlist.