By 1987, Creedence Clearwater Revival had been broken up for 15 years. John Fogerty hadn’t played a song from his old band in all of that time. He distanced himself from his previous work after the band broke up due to creative differences, infighting, and disagreements with their record label. However, one opportune night at a Taj Mahal concert with George Harrison and Bob Dylan would lead John Fogerty to perform “Proud Mary” for the first time since 1972.
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Taj Mahal was playing at the Palomino Club in Hollywood when he invited Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and John Fogerty up on stage with him. According to reports, Dylan urged Fogerty to play “Proud Mary,” claiming that everyone would think it was a Tina Turner song if he didn’t. Turner had released her own version of “Proud Mary” in 1971, which rocketed up the charts and became a staple of her live shows.
At this point, Fogerty hadn’t played a Creedence Clearwater Revival song since 1972. The band broke up partially because Fogerty’s brother, Tom, left the band in 1971. The other nails in the coffin were due to creative differences between the remaining band members, as well as a feeling of being exploited by the label, Fantasy Records.
Bob Dylan Urges John Fogerty To Play “Proud Mary” for the First Time in 15 Years
Fogerty, Dylan, and Harrison join Taj Mahal on stage for an impromptu jam session. They play “In the Midnight Hour,” “Honey Don’t,” “Watching the River Flow,” and “Blue Suede Shoes,” before Dylan urges Fogerty to play “Proud Mary.”
Luckily, there’s video of the entire gig. Fans can step back in time to 1987 and watch Mahal, Dylan, Harrison, and Fogerty jam together on stage. There’s a moment after “Watching the River Flow” where the four artists converge, deciding what to play next. “Let’s play ‘Proud Mary’” can be heard on the recording. The audience breaks into a chant for “Proud Mary” while Fogerty still needs some convincing. But finally, he gets in front of the mic.
“Yeah, well okay,” said Fogerty, “we’re gonna do this, because Bob Dylan asked me to do this, holy mackerel.” It’s clear that he’s a little nervous to play the song, which isn’t surprising—it’s been 15 years.
However, once they all launched into “Proud Mary,” it looked like a fun time and less of a chore that Fogerty needed to be convinced to do. Taj Mahal provided backing vocals with Harrison and Dylan on guitar. Meanwhile, Fogerty took center stage and played “Proud Mary” like it had been no time at all.
Featured Image by Clayton Call/Redferns
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