''Black and White'' was the first album released by

Tony Joe White Tony Joe White (July 23, 1943 – October 24, 2018), nicknamed the Swamp Fox, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for his 1969 hit " Polk Salad Annie" and for " Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first ...

. It contained the single "

Polk Salad Annie "Polk Salad Annie" is a 1968 song written and performed by Tony Joe White.
Its lyrics describe t ...

" which was a staple of

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's live sets in the 1970s. It was recorded at RCA Victor Studios, Nashville and produced by Billy Swan. "

Polk Salad Annie "Polk Salad Annie" is a 1968 song written and performed by Tony Joe White.
Its lyrics describe t ...

"'s lyrics describe the lifestyle of a generic poor Southern United States, Southern girl. Traditionally, the term to describe the type of food highlighted in the song is " poke salad." Its 1968 single release peaked at #8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single, released by

Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label in Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958 by Fred Foster, Buddy Deane (a prominent Baltimore disc jockey at WTTG), and business manager Jack Kirby. Buddy Deane soon left ...

, had been out nine months before it finally charted, and had been written off by Monument as a failure. Said White: "They had done given up on it, but we kept getting all these people in Texas coming to the clubs and buying the record. So we would send up to Nashville saying, 'Send us a thousand more this week.' They would send us these 'Do Not Sell' examples, so we would have to sit down and mark out the 'Do Not Sell' and then send them to the record stores. All these stores in South Texas kept calling our house saying, 'We need more.' So we just kept hanging on. And finally a guy in L.A. picked it up and got it across. Otherwise, 'Polk' could have been lost forever." The song vividly recreates the Southern roots of White's childhood and his music reflects this earthy rural background. As a child he listened not only to local bluesmen and countrysingers but also to the

Cajun music Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem ...

of Louisiana, that rare hybrid of traditional musical styles introduced by French settlers at the turn of the century. His roots lie in the swamplands of Oak Grove, Louisiana, where he was born in 1943. Situated just west of the Mississippi River, it's a land of cottonfields, where polk salad grows wild and alligators lurk in moss-covered swamps. "I spent the first 18 years of my life down there," said White "My folks raised cotton and corn. There were lotsa times when there weren't too much to eat, and I ain't ashamed to admit that we've often whipped up a mess of polk salad. Tastes alright too.. a bit like spinach."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Tony Joe White, except where indicated ;Side One # "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" # "Soul Francisco" # "Aspen Colorado" # "Whompt Out On You" # "Don't Steal My Love" ;Side Two # "

Polk Salad Annie "Polk Salad Annie" is a 1968 song written and performed by Tony Joe White.
Its lyrics describe t ...

" # "

Who's Making Love "Who's Making Love" is a song written by Stax Records staffers Homer Banks, Bettye Crutcher, Don Davis and Raymond Jackson and recorded by singer Johnnie Taylor in 1968. Released on the Stax label in the late summer of 1968, it became Taylor' ...

" (

Homer Banks Homer Banks (August 2, 1941 – April 3, 2003) was an African American songwriter, singer and record producer. Although best known by many for his songwriting for Stax Records in the 1960s and 1970s, some of his own releases from the 1960s are co ...

Bettye Crutcher Bettye Jean Crutcher (September 16, 1939 – October 20, 2022) was an American songwriter. She was a staff writer for Stax Records.Peter Barker"Bettye Crutcher, Stax Records contributor and pioneering songwriter, dies at 83" ''Tennessee News'', ...

, Don Davis, Raymond Jackson) # "

Scratch My Back ''Scratch My Back'' is the eighth studio album (and fifteenth album overall) by English musician Peter Gabriel, his first in eight years. It was released in February 2010. The album, recorded at Air Lyndhurst and Real World Studios during 2009, ...

" ( James Moore) # "

Little Green Apples "Little Green Apples" is a song written by Bobby Russell that became a hit for three different artists, with their three separate releases, in 1968. Originally written for and released by American recording artist Roger Miller, "Little Green Ap ...

" (

Bobby Russell Bobby Russell (April 19, 1940 – November 19, 1992) was an American singer and songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, he had five singles on the Hot Country Songs charts, including the crossover pop hit "Saturday Morning Confusion". Russell w ...

) # "

Wichita Lineman "Wichita Lineman" is a song written by the American songwriter Jimmy Webb in 1968. It was first recorded by the American country music artist Glen Campbell with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew and was widely covered by other artists. ...

" (

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...

) # " Look of Love" ( Burt Bacharach,

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

)

Personnel

Musicians *Tony Joe White - vocals, guitar, harmonica * David Briggs - piano, organ *

Jerry Carrigan Jerry Kirby Carrigan (September 13, 1943 – June 22, 2019) was an American drummer and record producer. Early in his career he was a member of the original Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and later worked as a session musician in Nashville for over ...

– drums *

Norbert Putnam Norbert Auvin Putnam (born August 10, 1942) is an American musician, studio owner and record producer who was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2019.Robert McFarland, Jr"Norbert Putnam."'' Delta Business Journal''. November 2004. Acce ...

– bass * Chip Young – guitar * Jimmy Isbell – drums: Side #2 Song 2 * Uncredited - Brass Instruments on "Polk Salad Annie". Arrangers * Bergen White - Side #1: Songs 1&6, Side #2: Songs 1,4,5,6 * Cam Mullins - Side #1: Song 3 Engineer: Al Pachucki Art Direction/Photography: Ken Kim

Reissues

''Black and White'' was re-released on by Movieplay/Intermusic from

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

in 1993 with a different cover and a different title ("Polk Salad Annie"). It was reissued in 1997 by Warner Bros. containing two additional songs - "Ten More Miles To Louisiana" (Tony Joe White) and "Georgia Pines" (by Buddy Buie and John Adkins).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black And White (Tony Joe White Album) 1969 debut albums Tony Joe White albums Monument Records albums Albums produced by Billy Swan Swamp rock albums