Tina Turner first covered "Proud Mary" in 1970 with her husband at the time, Ike Turner. The Ike & Tina Turner version was released as a single from their Workin' Together album and the song differed greatly from the structure of the original, but is also well known and has become one of Tina's most recognizable signature songs.
The Turners' version was substantially rearranged by Soko Richardson and Ike Turner. The song started off with a slow, sultry tone in which Tina introduced the song and warned them that they were gonna start it off "nice and easy" as "we never do nothing nice and easy" but said they would finish it "nice and rough".
After the lyrics are first sung softly by the Turners, the song is then turned into a funk rock vamp with Turner and assorted background singers delivering soulful vocals. It reached #4 on the pop charts on March 27, 1971, two years to the week after Creedence Clearwater Revival's version was at its peak, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group in 1972.
Proud Mary Lyrics
Left a good job in the city
Working for the man ev'ry night and day
Then I never lost a minute of sleep
When worrying 'bout the way that things might have been
Big wheels keep on turning
Proud Mary keeps on burning
Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of 'tane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
'Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen
Big wheels keep on turning
Proud Mary keeps on burning
Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river
If you come down to the river
Betcha gonna find the people who live
You don't have to worry though you have no money
People on the river are happy to give
Big wheels keep on turning
Proud Mary keeps on burning
Rolling, rolling, rolling on the river
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