- Born
- Died
- Nickname
- The Swamp Fox
- 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.
- IMDb mini biography by: woodyanders
- SpouseHazel Leann White(1964 - October 24, 2018) (his death, 3 children)
- Distinctive "whomper stomper" guitar sound
- Deep, growly voice
- [on his appeal as a performer] If you have to explain it to them, you've lost it.
- When I look back now, I guess it was pretty different to be doing what I was doing and sounding like I was sounding. I haven't changed a whole lot; I'm almost a lone wolf out there. I just play my guitar and don't worry about it. They don't know if I'm black, white, country or rock.
- I never cared to learn much about "show business" -- I'm still kind of green and crisp. I think if you spend too much time learning all that, there's no telling how many good songs you might cancel out.
- [from a 2013 press release] There's not a push nowhere. Maybe I'll stop playing shows and making records when the songs quit coming to me. But they still come to me. You see, I don't work for a song -- but once I get a hold of it I don't let go. I just keep writing, and when I do, I want to go out and play it for somebody. It's the songwriting that keeps me going.
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