The late Tina Turner is a musical icon. Famed for ubiquitous 1980s hits such as ‘The Best’, years before she climbed to the top of the charts in the MTV era, she first found fame as part of the duo Ike and Tina Turner. One of their biggest hits, which remained a staple of her oeuvre across her lengthy career, was their version of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s anthem ‘Proud Mary’. With Turner putting a powerful and authentic twist on John Fogerty’s original, this cemented her gravity as a vocalist, and also gave her the confidence in her skills, paving the way for a career without the abusive Ike.
It has long been thought that Ike Turner was a fan of The Checkmates, Ltd’s cover of ‘Proud Mary’, which was produced by Phil Spector and came out only months after the original did. However, according to Tina, the Creedence Clearwater Revival original became one of her favourite songs after it was released in January 1969, to the point that she and Ike, who had gained plaudits for their covers of rock classics in the live setting, added it to their repertoire, imbuing the song with renewed funky energy.
It was as the opening act for The Rolling Stones on tour in Europe and the US across 1969 that Tina and Ike were made aware of the profundity of their covers. Their renditions of hits such as The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ sent crowds into raucous frenzies every night they played them. They knew they were onto something.
‘Come Together’ and ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ were two early covers that fans implored Tina to record in the studio, as they celebrated her and Ike’s original reimaginings of them, giving the originals a run for their money. Both then made it onto the pair’s 1970 album Come Together, and then, when they came to work on its follow-up later that year, Workin’ Together, and were searching for material, they decided to record a version of ‘Proud Mary’ as it was another one that had garnered much praise.
Speaking to Rolling Stone in 1971, Tina explained: “So when we cut the album, we were lacking a few tunes, so we said ‘Well, let’s just put in a few things that we’re doing on stage. And that’s how ‘Proud Mary’ came about. I had loved it when it first came out. We auditioned a girl and she had sung ‘Proud Mary.’ This is like eight months later, and Ike said, ‘You know, I forgot all about that tune.’ And I said let’s do it, but let’s change it.”
Continuing: “So in the car Ike plays the guitar, we just sort of jam. And we just sort of broke into the black version of it. It was never planned to say, ‘Well, let’s go to the record shop, and I’d like to record this tune by Aretha Franklin’…it’s just that we get it for stage, because we give the people a little bit of us and a little bit of what they hear on the radio every day.”
Despite recording it out of necessity, Ike and Tina’s version of ‘Proud Mary’ became the biggest hit of their career. It sold more than a million copies, reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and even earned the Grammy for ‘Best R&B Vocal Performance’ in 1972. Yet, in just four years, the duo would split due to Ike’s well-publicised abuse, and Tina would be free, ready to become the household name she is today.
Editors’ Picks
- 1970s Music
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Grammy Awards
- Ike Turner
- John Fogerty
- Proud Mary
- R&B History
- Rock Covers
- Soul Music
- Tina Turner
