John Fogerty was recently a guest on an episode of the Track Star online quiz show, during which he was challenged to identify various tunes by other famous artists who had an impact on his own career. At one point, the legendary Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman was played a snippet of Ike & Tina Turner’s classic, soulful 1970 cover of CCR’s signature tune “Proud Mary.”
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Not surprisingly, Fogerty immediately recognized the song. When Track Star host Jack Coyne then asked John who wrote the tune, he quickly responded, “Why, young man, I wrote that song.”
The 80-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer was asked if he remembered the first time he’d heard Ike & Tina Turner’s rendition.
“It was about this time of year, so it got dark early,” Fogerty recalled. “I was in the car, driving by myself, and that came on the radio. And I knew immediately it was Tina. Number one, it sounded great. I think there was, like, your chest puffed out, bursting, ’cause there’s pride.”
John then noted that the main thing he felt was happy for Tina Turner, because she hadn’t had much commercial success on the pop charts.
“I was a huge fan of Tina,” Fogerty explained. “And she had never really broken through to the top. In fact, as a kid in [my earl band] The Blue Velvets, I would do this song of hers called ‘I Think It’s Gonna Work Out Fine.’ It was just a really bad record. It was really cool. By the time Tina’s version of ‘Proud Mary’ was over, I was really happy and overjoyed for her. I [said,] ‘Oh man, you’ve done it! Here we go.’”
More About “Proud Mary”
“Proud Mary” was originally released in January 1969 as the lead single from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s second album, Bayou Country. The mid-tempo roots rock tune peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ike & Tina Turner recorded their version of “Proud Mary” in 1970 and released it as a single in January 1971. The duo’s rendition completely reworked the tune. It began with a slow, funky groove, as Tina talked about how her and Ike were going to start the song “easy,” but then they were going to “do the finish rough.” After the slow section, the song explodes into a horn-driven, hard-rocking soul/gospel crescendo.
Ike & Tina Turner’s cover of “Proud Mary” the duo’s highest-charting single on the Hot 100, reaching No. 4. Interesting, the couple’s most successful Hot 100 hit before “Proud Mary” was “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine,” which peaked at No. 14 in 1971.
Tina would later score bigger hits as a solo artist during the 1980s. In September 1984, her single “What’s Got to Do with It” topped the Hot 100 for three weeks.
Later in the Track Star episode, Coyne commented about Ike & Tina’s version of “Proud Mary,” saying, “[I]t’s transformed. It’s not the same song, but it’s still there at its core.”
Fogerty responded, “Absolutely. Yeah. Well, I think that’s what made it what it was, that it was different.”
During his 2019 solo tour, John performed a rearranged version of “Proud Mary” featuring horns, a nod to Ike & Tina Turner’s cover.
Fogerty’s 2026 Performance Plans
Fogerty’s most recent show was a November 14 concert in Boston.
Up next for John is the first of two upcoming three-show engagements in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. His residency dates are scheduled for December 31, January 1, and January 2, and March 18, 20, and 21.
Fogerty also will perform at the Festival Vive Latino 2026, taking place March 14-15 in Mexico City.
(Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images; Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferbs)
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