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 Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

" Polk Salad Annie" and for " Rainy Night in Georgia", which he wrote but which was first made popular by Brook Benton in 1970. He also wrote "

Steamy Windows "Steamy Windows" is a song by American-Swiss singer Tina Turner. It was included on Turner's seventh studio album, '' Foreign Affair'' (1989), and released as the album's second single in November 1989. In the United Kingdom, it was instead issue ...

" and "Undercover Agent for the Blues", both hits for

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

in 1989; those two songs came by way of Turner's producer at the time,

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

, who was a friend of White. "Polk Salad Annie" was also recorded by Joe Dassin,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

, and

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

Biography

Tony Joe White was the youngest of seven children who grew up on a cotton farm near Oak Grove, West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, United States. His song "Old Man Willis" takes place in

West Carroll Parish West Carroll Parish (french: link=no, Paroisse de Carroll Ouest) is a parish located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,751. The parish seat is Oak Grove. The parish was ...

. He first began performing music at school dances, and after graduating from high school he performed in night clubs in Texas and Louisiana.

1960s–1970s

In 1967, White signed with Monument Records, which operated from a recording studio in the

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

suburb of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and produced a variety of sounds, including

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm ...

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while t ...

, and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

Billy Swan William Lance Swan (born May 12, 1942) is an American country singer-songwriter, best known for his 1974 single, "I Can Help". Biography Swan was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States. As a child, he learned drums, piano and guita ...

was his producer on his first three albums. Over the next three years, White released four singles with no commercial success in the U.S., although "Soul Francisco" was a hit in France. " Polk Salad Annie" had been released for nine months and written off as a failure by his record label when it finally entered the U.S. charts in July 1969. It climbed to the Top Ten by early August and eventually reached No. 8, becoming White's biggest hit. White's first album, 1969's ''

Black and White Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

'', was recorded with Muscle Shoals/

musicians David Briggs, Norbert Putnam, and Jerry Carrigan, and featured "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" and "Polk Salad Annie", along with

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 ...

's " Wichita Lineman". "Willie and Laura Mae Jones" was covered by

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

and released as a single, later added to reissues of her 1969 album '' Dusty in Memphis''. Tony Joe White 2

Three more singles quickly followed, all minor hits, and White toured with Steppenwolf,

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian singer. Her albums, consisting primarily of pop, country, and adult contemporary music, have sold over 55 million copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray was the fir ...

, Sly & the Family Stone,

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

and other major rock acts of the 1970s, playing in France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden and England. In 1973, White appeared in the film ''

Catch My Soul ''Catch My Soul'' is a 1974 film produced by Jack Good and Richard M. Rosenbloom, and directed by Patrick McGoohan. It was an adaptation of Good's stage musical of the same title, which itself was loosely adapted from William Shakespeare's ''Ot ...

'', a rock-opera adaption of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cyp ...

''. White played and sang four songs and composed seven for the musical. In late September 1973, White was recruited by record producer Huey Meaux to sit in on the Memphis sessions that became

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

's ''Southern Roots'' album. These sessions were a three-day, around-the-clock party, which not only reunited the original MGs (

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

Donald "Duck" Dunn Donald "Duck" Dunn (November 24, 1941 – May 13, 2012) was an American bass guitarist, session musician, record producer, and songwriter. Dunn was notable for his 1960s recordings with Booker T. & the M.G.'s and as a session bassist for Stax ...

and

Al Jackson, Jr. Albert J. Jackson Jr. (November 27, 1935 – October 1, 1975) was an American drummer, producer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of Booker T. & the M.G.'s, a group of session musicians who worked for Stax Records and produced their ...

of Booker T. and the MGs fame) for the first time in three years, but also featured

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere & the Raiders), and Wayne Jackson plus The Memphis Horns.

1980s

From 1976 to 1983, White released three more albums, all on different labels. Trying to combine his own swamp-rock sound with the popular

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

music at the time, the results were not met with success and White gave up his career as a singer and concentrated on writing songs. During this time frame, he collaborated with American expat Joe Dassin on his only English-language album, '' Home Made Ice Cream'', and its French-language counterpart, '' Blue Country''.

1990s comeback

In 1989, White produced one non-single track on

's '' Foreign Affair'' album, the rest of the album being produced by Dan Hartman. Playing a variety of instruments on the album, he also wrote four songs, including the title song and the hit single "

". As a result of this he became managed by

Roger Davies Roger Davies may refer to: * Roger Davies (actor), English actor known for ''Renford Rejects'' and ''The Cloverfield Paradox'' * Roger Davies (manager) (born 1952), Australian-born manager in the music industry * Roger Davies (footballer) (born 19 ...

, who was Turner's manager at the time, and he obtained a new contract with

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United State ...

. The resulting album, 1991's '' Closer to the Truth'', was a commercial success and put White back in the spotlight. He released two more albums for

: ''The Path of a Decent Groove'' and ''Lake Placid Blues'', which was co-produced by Roger Davies. In the 1990s, White toured Germany and France with

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...

, and in 1992 he played the

Montreux Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

. During the late 1990s, White also toured with Waylon Jennings. In 1996, Tina Turner released the song "On Silent Wings" written by White.

2000s

In 2000,

Hip-O Records Hip-O Records is a record label that specializes in reissues and compilations. It is part of Universal Music Group. Established in 1996, the label has distributed releases from 'out of style' genres such as disco and early hip-hop music as we ...

released ''One Hot July'' in the U.S., giving White his first new major-label domestic release in 17 years. The critically acclaimed ''The Beginning'' appeared on Swamp Records in 2001, followed by ''Heroines'', featuring several duets with female vocalists including Jessi Colter, Shelby Lynne,

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, includin ...

Lucinda Williams Lucinda Gayle Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and a solo guitarist. She recorded her first two albums: '' Ramblin' on My Mind'' (1979) and '' Happy Woman Blues'' (1980), in a traditional country and blues style ...

, and Michelle White, on Sanctuary in 2004, and a live

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American live music television program recorded and produced by Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and is the only television show to ...

concert, ''Live from Austin, TX'', on New West Records in 2006. In 2004, White was the featured guest artist in an episode of the Legends Rock TV Show and Concert Series, produced by Megabien Entertainment. In 2007, White released another live recording, ''Take Home the Swamp'', as well as the compilation ''Introduction to Tony Joe White''. Elkie Brooks recorded one of White's songs, "Out of The Rain", on her 2005 '' Electric Lady'' album. On July 14, 2006, in

Magny-Cours Magny-Cours () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. It is the home of the ''Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours'', a famous motor racing circuit (whose name is often abbreviated to 'Magny-Cours'). It formerly hosted the Formula ...

, France, White performed as a warm-up act for

Roger Waters George Roger Waters (born 6 September 1943) is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. In 1965, he co-founded the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Waters initially served as the bassist, but following the departure of singer-s ...

' '' The Dark Side of the Moon'' concert. White's album, entitled ''Uncovered'', was released in September 2006 and featured collaborations with

, Michael McDonald,

, and

J.J. Cale John Weldon "J. J." Cale (December 5, 1938 – July 26, 2013) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and sound engineer. Though he avoided the limelight, his influence as a musical artist has been acknowledged by figures such as Mark Knop ...

. The song "Elements and Things" from the 1969 album '' ...Continued'' features prominently during the horse-racing scenes in the 2012 HBO television series "

Luck Luck is the phenomenon and belief that defines the experience of improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative ones. The naturalistic interpretation is that positive and negative events may happen at any time, both due to rand ...

". In 2013, White signed to Yep Roc Records and released ''Hoodoo''. '' Mother Jones'' called the album "Steamy, Irresistible" and '' No Depression'' noted Tony Joe White is "the real king of the swamp". He also made his '' Live...with Jools Holland'' debut in London, playing songs from ''Hoodoo''. On October 15, 2014, White appeared on ''

The Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

'' alongside the

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) ...

to perform "Polk Salad Annie". Pointing to White, Letterman told his TV audience, "Holy cow! ... If I was this guy, you could all kiss my ass. And I mean that." In May 2016, Tony Joe White released ''Rain Crow'' on Yep Roc Records.from an interview o
Americana Music Show #300
published May 17, 2016 The lead track "Hoochie Woman" was co-written with his wife, Leann. The track "Conjure Child" is a follow up to an earlier song, "Conjure Woman". The album ''Bad Mouthin was released in September 2018 again on Yep Roc Records. The album contains six self-penned songs and five blues standards written by, amongst others, Charley Patton and John Lee Hooker. On the album White also performs a cover of the Elvis Presley song "Heartbreak Hotel". White plays acoustic and electric guitar on the album which was produced by his son Jody White and it has a signature Tony Joe White laidback sound. The posthumous album ''Smoke from the Chimney'' was released May 7, 2021, on Easy Eye Sound. The album features nine vocal and guitar demo recordings of White, fully realized and arranged by producer

Dan Auerbach Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...

. The tracks feature many top Nashville session players, including drummer Gene Chrisman, keyboardist Bobby Wood, bassist Dave Roe, guitarist

Marcus King Marcus King (born March 11, 1996) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman, lead singer and guitarist for The Marcus King Band. His 2020 album ''El Dorado'' received a nomination for Best Ame ...

, and others.

Death

White died of a heart attack on October 24, 2018, at the age of 75. "He wasn't ill at all. He just had a heart attack...there was no pain or suffering", said his son, Jody White. He died at his home in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee.

Discography

* 1969 – ''

'' (Monument Records #18114) * 1969 – '' ...Continued'' (Monument Records #18133) * 1970 – '' Tony Joe'' (Monument Records #18142) * 1971 – ''The Best Of Tony Joe White'' (Monument Records #10000) – compilation of the three Monument albums. (No U.S. release) * 1971 – '' Tony Joe White'' (Warner Bros. Records #1900) * 1972 – '' The Train I'm On'' (Warner Bros. Records #2580) * 1973 – '' Homemade Ice Cream'' (Warner Bros. Records #2708) * 1973 – ''Catch My Soul'' – original soundtrack (Metromedia Records/RCA #BML1-0176) * 1975 – ''The Best Of Tony Joe White'' (Warner Bros. KRecords #56149) – compilation of the three Warner Bros. albums. * 1976 – ''Eyes'' (20th Century Records #T-523) * 1980 – ''The Real Thang'' (Casablanca Records #NB-7233) * 1983 – ''Dangerous'' (Columbia Records #FC-38817) * 1986 – ''Tony Joe White Live!'' (Dixiefrog ranceRecords #DFG-8407) – a live recording from 1971. * 1991 – '' Closer to the Truth'' (Remark Records/Polydor #511 386–2; also on Swamp Records #723-2) * 1993 – ''The Path Of A Decent Groove'' (Remark Records/Polydor #519 938–2) * 1993 – ''The Best Of Tony Joe White Featuring Polk Salad Annie'' (Warner Bros. Records #45305) – CD compilation * 1995 – ''Lake Placid Blues'' (Remark Records/Polydor #527 530–2) * 1997 – ''Collection'' (RDM Festival ustraliaRecords #D-31737) – compilation * 1998 – ''Live In Europe 1971'' (Wise Buy Records #WB-885972; also on Delta Music #MCPS-23114) – a release of earlier live and possibly bootleg concert material. * 1998 – ''Groupie Girl'' (Movieplay/Intermusic #MPG 74023) – another release of earlier live and possibly bootleg concert material. * 1999 – ''One Hot July'' (Remark Records/Polydor #558 894–2; reissued on Hip-O Records/Mercury #562 720–2) * 2000 – ''Greatest Hits And More'' (Polydor etherlandsRecords #541 396–2) – 2CD compilation * 2000 – ''Tony Joe White In Concert'' (Brilliant KRecords #BT-33053) – a live recording from 1969 or 1970. *** NOTE: this material has also been issued as ''Hard To Handle'' on Fruit Tree talyRecords #FT-836; as ''Polk Salad Annie Live'' on Wonderful Music Of etherlandsRecords #90382; and as ''Night Of The Moccasin'' (#250022) and ''Take Home The Swamp'' (#250096) on Music Avenue elgiumRecords. * 2001 – ''The Beginning'' (Swamp Records #82268 55520 21; reissued on Audium Records/Koch #8139) * 2002 – ''Snakey'' (Swamp Records #75887 70724 21; also on Munich etherlandsRecords #MRCD-241) * 2003 – ''Dangerous Eyes'' (Raven ustraliaRecords #RVCD-159) – CD reissue/compilation of 1976's ''Eyes'' and 1983's ''Dangerous''. * 2004 – ''The Heroines'' (Sanctuary Records #06076 86366 20) * 2006 – ''Live From Austin TX'' (New West Records #NW-6092) – a live recording from 1980. * 2006 – ''Uncovered'' (Swamp Records #75887 70724 38; also on Munich etherlandsRecords #MRCD-279) * 2006 – ''Swamp Music: The Complete Monument Recordings'' (Rhino Handmade Records #RHM2 7731) – limited edition 4-CD box set compilation * 2008 – ''Live At The Basement'' (ZYX/Pepper Records #PEC-20392) – a live recording from 2002. * 2008 – ''Deep Cuts'' (Swamp Records #75887 70834 34; also on Munich etherlandsRecords #MRCD-295) * 2010 – ''The Shine'' (Swamp Records #82268 57220 28; also on Munich etherlandsRecords #MRCD-323) * 2010 – ''That On The Road Look 'Live (Rhino Handmade Records #RHM2 542696) – reissue of the Dixiefrog release. * 2010 – ''Live In Amsterdam'' (Munich etherlandsRecords #MRCD-325) – CD + DVD combo * 2011 – ''Tony Joe White Collection'' (Cargo ermanyRecords #87121 770583 10) – 3CD compilation * 2012 – ''Collected'' (Universal olandMusic #6007 533767 06) – 3CD compilation * 2013 – ''Hoodoo'' (Yep Roc Records #2348) * 2015 – ''The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings'' (Real Gone Music #8480 640032 98) – 2CD compilation * 2015 – ''Swamp Fox: The Definitive Collection 1968–1973'' (Union Square KRecords #6984 588225 29) – 2CD compilation * 2016 – ''Rain Crow'' (Yep Roc Records #2450) * 2018 – ''Bad Mouthin'' (Yep Roc Records #2593) *2021 – ''Smoke from the Chimney'' (Easy Eye Sound)

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Tony Joe 1943 births 2018 deaths People from Oak Grove, Louisiana American male singer-songwriters Swamp rock musicians Warner Records artists Monument Records artists Singer-songwriters from Louisiana American harmonica players Guitarists from Louisiana American male guitarists Yep Roc Records artists Polydor Records artists Sanctuary Records artists