John Fogerty Pays Tribute to Tina Turner with “Proud Mary” in Manchester
Following the passing of Tina Turner, tributes from fellow celebrities and musicians have poured in by way of thoughtfully phrased remembrances and live performances that immortalize the queen of rock-and-roll. Included was a tribute performed by John Fogerty, “Proud Mary,” which was initially written by Creedence Clearwater Revival and later covered by the songstress in 1971, leading to widespread commercial success.
Fogerty, the frontman of Creedence Clearwater Revival, wrote “Proud Mary” in 1967 during a two-day block after being given his discharge papers from the National Guard. The song rose to success in the U.S., garnering the band a No. 2 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1969. Then, two years later, in 1971, Ike and Tina Turner took on the number, reaching No. 4 on the charts and earning a Grammy Award.
Given the history, it made sense that Fogerty would add the tune to his setlist as a tribute to Turner. During the Thursday night performance at Manchester’s AO Arena, the acclaimed 77-year-old musician, alongside his sons, Shane and Tyler Fogerty, delivered the popularized tune during last night’s finale.
Prior to the musical delivery, Fogerty stepped up to the mic and addressed his audience, telling them: “We have lost the queen of rock and roll, Tina Turner. I toured with Tina way back about the year 2000. Of course, Tina recorded my song, ‘Proud Mary,’ way back in 1971, and it was a breakthrough song for her. Also a signature song. Man, I saw her on TV every week in that red dress on and the Ikette girls dancing in the background.”
Fogerty concluded his concert commentary, adding: “She was amazing and I’d like to dedicate doing ‘Proud Mary’… This is the first good song I ever wrote… I’d like to dedicate this to Tina Turner.” Watch a fan-shot video below.