Friday Song: “Proud Mary”

A CCR classic reimagined into a Tina Turner classic — and inspiring musicians still

Friday Song: “Proud Mary”

One of the joys of teaching music at the School of Rock is running a seasonal show. This involves taking a bunch of talented kids from the ages of 8-17 and teaching them music they often don’t know and are just now discovering. Even if they know it, learning it is something else entirely. This season, I’m running the “Classic R&B” show.

It’s so much fun watching these students discover the music, harmonies, grooves, and choreography of classic R&B. The Jackson 5 has new fans!

This week, I shared Tina Turner’s live performance of her classic “Proud Mary” with the band in the student lobby. Everyone was grooving, doing the half-circle fingersnap dances, adding cartwheels, spinning, and generally carrying on, inspired by the energy, and excited to try to make their version work.

It was the best kind of music-inspired pandemonium.

Originally written and recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) in 1969, Ike and Tina Turner changed the key and released their cover of the song in 1971, winning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Group for it in 1972.

Both versions remain popular.

The Ike and Tina Turner version famously starts with a “nice and easy” section, and then drops out almost entirely before exploding into an energized rock party anthem. Tina really brings it in both sections in this performance at Wembley in 2000. She was 60 at the time.

Enjoy!


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