Tony Joe White(1943-2018)

Tony Joe White reigned supreme as one of the true masters of get-down funky bluesy swamp rock music. The singer/songwriter/guitarist was born on July 23, 1943. He was the youngest of seven children who grew up on a cotton farm near Oak Grove, Louisiana. White first began performing music at school dances. Following graduation from high school Tony Joe went on to perform in night clubs in Texas and Louisiana. White went to Nashville in 1968. He had a big hit with his classic hard-stomping song "Polk Salad Annie." Tony Joe had modest country hits with "The Lady in My Life" and "We Belong Together." Brook Benton scored a substantial success with his moving and soulful rendition of White's beautiful "Rainy Night in Georgia." Among the artists who have recorded Tony Joe's songs are Dusty Springfield, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, George Jones, Hank Williams, Jr., Waylon Jennings, Jerry Reed, Jessi Colter, and Elvis Presley (the King of Rock'n'Roll sings "Polk Salad Annie" in the rock concert documentaries "Elvis on Tour" and "Elvis: That's the Way It Is").

In 1989 White wrote four songs for and played both guitar and harmonica on Tina Turner's "Foreign Affair" album. Tony Joe toured with such groups as Steppenwolf, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Sly and the Family Stone. He did jingles for McDonald's and Levi's 501 Blues jeans. White composed the scores for the made-for-TV film "Living Straight" and the musical Shakespearean rock opera "Catch My Soul" (he also played Cassio in this latter picture). A huge cult favorite in Europe, Tony Joe continued to record albums on his own Swamp Records label and performed in concerts all over the world. White died at age 75 on October 24, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.