Nine years and a dozen albums after their debut, Ike & Tina Turner released their top-selling album, 1970’s Workin’ Together. The tracklist featured five Ike Turner originals and a half dozen covers, including two Beatles songs.
The standout track — one that would become the duo’s biggest hit and signature song — was a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s ‘Proud Mary.’
Tina starts the track with a spoken-word intro, promising to kick the song off “nice and easy” before finishing rough. And that’s exactly what she does, soulfully delivering the early verses (with nice backing vocals by Ike) before unleashing the funk in the back half. It’s a mesmerizing performance.
The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, not quite as high as the #2 placement of CCR’s version. But songwriter John Fogerty said Ike and Tina’s version would make everybody forget his ever existed.
Y’know, every now and then
I think you might like to hear something from us
Nice and easy
But there’s just one thing
You see we never ever do nothing
Nice and easy
We always do it nice and rough
So we’re going to take the beginning of this song
And do it easy
Then we’re going to do the finish rough
This is the way we do “Proud Mary'”
And we’re rolling, rolling, rolling on the river
Listen to the story
[Verse 1]
Left a good job in the city
Working for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleeping
Worrying ’bout the way that things might have been
[Chorus]
Big wheel keep on turning
Proud Mary keep on burning
And we’re rolling (rolling)
Rolling, yeah (rolling)
Rolling on the river (rolling on the river)
[Verse 2]
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
And I pumped a lot of ‘tane down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
Until I hitched a ride on the riverboat queen
[Chorus]
Ya know the big wheel keep on turning
Proud Mary keep on burning
And we’re rolling (rolling)
Rolling, yeah (rolling)
Rolling on the river (rolling on the river)
Said we’re rolling (rolling)
Rolling, yeah (rolling)
Rolling on the river (rolling on the river)
[Verse 3]
Oh, I left a good job in the city
Working for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleeping
Worrying ’bout the way that things might have been
[Chorus]
Big wheel keep on turning (turning)
Proud Mary keep on burning (burning)
Rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river
Rolling, say we rolling
Rolling on the river
[Post-Chorus: Tina Turner, Tina Turner & The Ikettes]
We’re up, do do do do do do do do do do
Alright!
[Verse 4]
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis, y’all
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 the riverboat queen
[Chorus]
Big wheel keep on turning (turning)
Proud Mary keep on burning (burning)
Rolling, rolling, yeah
Rolling on the river
Rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river
[Post-Chorus]
We’re up, do do do do do do do do do do
Alright!
Yeah
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Ooo
[Verse 5]
If you come down to the river
I bet you gonna find some people who live
And you don’t have to worry if you got no money
The people on the river are happy to give
[Chorus]
Big wheel keep on turning (turning)
Proud Mary keep on burning (burning)
Rolling, say we rolling, yeah
Rolling on the river
Rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river
[Post-Chorus]
We’re up, do do do do do do do do do do
Alright!
Alright
Uh-huh
Wooo
Ohh
[Outro]
Rolling, rolling, yeah
Rolling on the river
Rolling, rolling
Rolling on the river
Rolling, rolling, yeah
Rolling on the river
Meet Me In Montauk 
Truly a classic!
Love it!!