Proud Mary - Creedence Clearwater Revival

> Proud Mary is a-comin'

In the summer of 1968, **John Fogerty**, sweating out his National Guard duty and personal pressures, turned his insomnia into creativity. Despite the initial success of [Suzie Q.](https://youtu.be/7x60p7UNLnQ ""), his band faced uncertainty. Fogertys anxiety fueled the creation of Proud Mary, blending influences from **Bo Diddley**, **Howlin' Wolf**, **Pops Staples**, and **Booker T. & the MGs** with imagined Southern imagery inspired by **Mark Twain**s tales, B-movies about crocodile hunters, and riverboat gamblers.

The iconic guitar riff emerged during a sound check, Fogerty wove together [Born on the Bayou](https://youtu.be/Exu8w2sp2Gg ""), [Proud Mary](https://youtu.be/lfkFDUTJI0A ""), and [Keep On Chooglin'](https://youtu.be/l6o2JZxgJEc ""). Proud Mary combined elements from various songs in his notebook, including one about a washerwoman named Mary.

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**Transpose by -5**
**Tempo: 121 BPM**

[4tip] 4-[I2yp]-2 2-[4tip] 4-[I2yp]-2 2-[4ips] 4-[I2pd]-[1uos]-[Pyi]-^ [Pyi] 4^[5yoa]-[5yoa]--5 5 5 9-5--5 5 5-2 [5yoa]u o o [5o] 5 [5p] [9o] a-[5a]--5 [5y] 5 [2o] p [5yoa] a-P-[5a] [5p] [5o] [9o] o-[5p] a-[5a] 5 5 [yd] 2 [P5yoa]-a P [5a] [5p] 5 [9o]-a 5-a a-[5p] [5y] [5o] [2o] p [P5yoa]-a P [5a] [5p] 5 [9o]-[5p] [wa] 5 [7a]-8-\* [9yp] p-[9o] [6p]--p [6p] 2 a--2 6--[P6]-[3oaf]--p [3o] [7p]-o-[7o] 0 [0o] w [0e] [7ey] 6 7 [6a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [7ro] [tp] 8 [ro] 9 [5yoa]u o o [5o] 5 [5p] [9o] a-[5a]--5 [5y] 5 [2o] p [5yoa] a-P-[5a] [5p] [5o] [9o] o-[5p] a-[5a] 5 5 [yd] 2 [P5yoa]-a P [5a] [5p] 5 [9o]-a 5-a a-[5p] [5y] [5o] [2o] p [P5yoa]-a P [5a] [5p] 5 [9o]-[5p] [wa] 5 [7a]-8-\* [9yp] p-[9o] [6p]--p [6p] 2 a--2 6--[P6]-[3oaf]--p [3o] [7p]-o-[7o] 0 [0o] w [0e] [7ey] 6 7 [6a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [5ro] [tp] w [ro] 5 [4tip] 4-[I2yp]-2 2-[4tip] 4-[I2yp]-2 2-[4ips] 4-[I2pd]-[1uos]-[Pyi]-^ [Pyi] 4^[5yoa]-[5yoa]--5 5 5 9-5--5 5 5-2 [5eyoa] y u [5o] 5 [5o] [9us] [ya] 5 [ya] [us] [5ya] [5yus] [5ya] [2uos] [ypa] [5yuoas] [ya] [us] [5ya] 5 [5ya] [9r] y 5 s-d[5a] [5s] [5a] [yod] [2y] [5eyoa] y u [5o] 5 [5o] [9us] [ya] 5 [ya] [us] [5ya] [5y] [5ya] [2uos] [ypa] [5yoa] [od]-[5od] 5 [5ya] 9 [ya] 5 [wro] 5 [7ro]-o[8w] o [\*w]o[9yp]ye y [9u] 6Ie I [6o] 2Ie I [2u] 6Ie I 6 [3oaf]ur u [I3] 7or o [7p] 0or o [I0] 7o[6r] [7o] [6a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [7ro] [tp] 8 [ro] 9 [4tip] 4-[I2yp]-2 2-[4tip] 4-[I2yp]-2 2-[4ips] 4-[I2pd]-[1uos]-[Pyi]-^ [Pyi] 4^[5yoa]-[5yoa]--5 5 5 9-5--5 5 5-2 [5yoa]u o o [5o] 5 [5p] [9o] a-[5a]--5 [5y] 5 [2o] p [5yoa] a-P-[5a] [5p] [5o] [9o] o-[5p] a-[5a] 5 5 [yd] 2 [P5yoa]-a P [5a] [5p] 5 [9o]-a 5-a a-[5p] [5y] [5o] [2o] p [P5yoa]-a P [5a] [5p] 5 [9o]-[5p] [wa] 5 [7a]-8-\* [9yp] p-[9o] [6p]--p [6p] 2 a--2 6--[P6]-[3oaf]--p [3o] [7p]-o-[7o] 0 [0o] w [0e] [7ey] 6 7 [6a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [7ro] [tp] 8 [ro] [9a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [7ro] [tp] 8 [ro] [9a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [7ro] [tp] 8 [ro] [9a] [5yoa] [wa] 5 5 y [5o] [9a] [5oad]-[wa] 5 [5a] [oh] [5d] [9a] [5yoa]-[wa] [5p] [5o] [yp] [5o] [9oa] [5topad]-[wya] [5tp] [7ro] [tp] 8 [ro] 9 [5yoa]

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Recorded at the legendary RCA Studios in Hollywood, known for sessions by the **Rolling Stones** and **Elvis Presley**, the tracks for _Bayou Country_ were later overdubbed with additional instruments and vocals by Fogerty. The band recognized the significance of Proud Mary immediately. Released before Christmas 1968, the single exploded onto the charts by February 1969, earning acclaim from **Bob Dylan** and inspiring covers by [**Solomon Burke**](https://youtu.be/tSIGwhFoZvE "") and [**Ike & Tina Turner**](https://youtu.be/0lfT9TWAaMY "").

Proud Mary defined **Creedence Clearwater Revival**s swamp rock sound, establishing them as a major force in rock music. Fogertys admiration for [Elvis Presley](https://youtu.be/9RC4QKhSHmM "") is evident, blending rock n' roll spirit with their unique style. Their 1968-1971 work, including Proud Mary, evokes the essence of Elvis' Sun singles, creating timeless classics that continue to resonate.