A true icon of swamp rock, Tony Joe White parlayed his songwriting talent and idiosyncratic vocals into a modestly successful country and rock career in Europe as well as America. Born July 23, 1943, in Goodwill, Louisiana, White was born into a part-Cherokee family. He began working clubs in Texas during the mid-'60s and moved to Nashville by 1968. White's 1969 debut album for Monument, Black and White, featured his Top Ten pop hit "Polk Salad Annie" and another charting single, "Roosevelt and Ira Lee (Night of the Moccasin)." That same year, Dusty Springfield reached the charts with White's "Willie and Laura Mae Jones." Brook Benton recorded a version of White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" that hit number four early in 1970; the song has since become a near-standard with more than 100 credits. White's own "Groupie Girl" began his European success with a short stay on the British charts in 1970.
He moved to Warner Bros. in 1971, but success eluded him on his three albums: Tony Joe White, The Train I'm On, and Homemade Ice Cream. Other stars, however, continued to keep his name on the charts during the '70s: Elvis charted with "For Ol' Times Sake" and "I've Got a Thing About You Baby" (Top Five on the country chart), and Hank Williams, Jr. took "Rainy Night in Georgia" to number 13 on the country chart. White also wrote music for and appeared in the 1974 rock musical film Catch My Soul. White himself recorded Eyes for 20th Century Fox in 1976, but then disappeared for four years. He signed to Casablanca for 1980's The Real Thang but moved to Columbia in 1983 for Dangerous, which included the modest country hits "The Lady in My Life" and "We Belong Together."
White was inactive through much of the '80s, but worked with Tina Turner on her 1989 Foreign Affair album, writing four songs and playing guitar and harmonica. He released Closer to the Truth a year later for his own Swamp label and toured with Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker to very receptive French crowds (Closer to the Truth has sold 100,000 copies in that country alone). His 1993 album Path of a Decent Groove was released only in France, though Warner's The Best of Tony Joe White earned an American release the same year. Lake Placid Blues (1995) and One Hot July (1998) were Europe-only efforts until 2000, when Hip-O Records brought out One Hot July in the U.S., giving White his first new major-label domestic release in 17 years. But White was just beginning to roll, or re-roll, as the case may be. The critically acclaimed The Beginning appeared from Swamp Records in 2001, followed by Heroines, featuring several duets with female vocalists, from Sanctuary in 2004, and a live Austin City Limits concert, Live from Austin, TX, from New West Records, appeared in 2006.
In 2007, White released another live recording, Take Home the Swamp, as well as the compilation Introduction to Tony Joe White. In the summer of 2010, Rhino Handmade released a previously unissued live date from 1971 entitled That on the Road Look; later that fall, White's latest studio offering, The Shine, appeared through his Swamp Records imprint. The Shine gained enough attention that he then made the leap to the high-profile roots rock indie Yep Roc, which released Hoodoo in the fall of 2013. In 2015, White's sides for Warner Bros. got a new lease on life with the release of the collection The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings by Real Gone Records. White's second album for Yep Roc, Rain Crow, was released in 2016. Produced by Tony Joe's son Jody White, the album included a guest appearance by musician and actor Billy Bob Thornton.
by John Bush
Disc 1
1. Rainy Night In Georgia - 3:34
2. Roosevelt And Ira Lee (Night Of The Mossacin) - 3:06
3. Soul Francisco - 1:58
4. Polk Salad Annie - 3:43
5. Groupy Girl - 3:02
6. Hard To Handle (Allen Alvoid Jones Jr, Tony Joe White) - 2:53
7. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love) (Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, Vernon Bullock) - 3:39
8. Stockholm Blues - 3:26
9. Boom Boom (Johnny Lee Hooker) - 7:51
10.They Caught The Devil And Put Him In Jail In Eudora Arkansas - 3:50
11.The Daddy - 4:46
12.I Just Walked Away - 4:44
13.I've Got A Thing About You Baby - 2:42
14.Even Trolls Love Rock And Roll - 4:50
15.As The Crow Flies - 3:50
16.Saturday Night In Oak Grove Louisiana - 2:14
17.Ol' Mother Earth - 3:08
18.Backwoods Preacher Man - 2:47
19.Soulful Eyes - 3:43
20.Hold On To Your Hiney - 3:36
21.Swamp Rap - 5:03
All songs by Tony Joe White except where indicated
1. I Get Off On It (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 5:11
2. Tunica Motel - 4:22
3. Ain't Going Down This Time - 5:08
4. Steamy Windows - 3:58
5. (You're Gonna Look) Good In Blues - 5:13
6. Cool Town Woman - 4:19
7. Undercover Agent For The Blues (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 4:45
8. Closer To The Truth (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 6:35
9. On The Return To Muscle Shoals - 3:47
10.I Want To Be With You - 4:53
11.Backside Of Paradise (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 3:36
12.Way Down South - 3:51
13.Tina - 3:56
14.Up In Arkansas (Ricky Ray Rector, Tony Joe White) - 4:16
15.Always The Song - 5:23
16.The Path Of A Decent Groove - 6:17
17.Paris Mood Tonight (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 3:38
All songs by Tony Joe White except where stated
1.Lake Placid Blues - 5:20
2.The Guitar Don't Lie (Joe Dassin, Tony Joe White) - 5:31
3.Menutha (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 4:13
4.Let The Healing Begin - 4:38
5.High Horse (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 3:55
6.Crack The Window Baby - 4:13
7.Cold Fingers - 4:29
8.I Want My Fleetwood Back - 5:04
9.Ol' Black Crow (Chet Hinesley, Tony Joe White) - 5:34
10.Ice Cream Man (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 4:29
11.Can't Go Back Home (feat Shelby Lynne) (Shelby Lynne, Tony Joe White) - 4:23
12.Closing In On The Fire (feat Lucinda Williams) - 4:30
13.Playa Del Carmen Nights (feat Michelle White) (Leann White, Tony Joe White) - 4:36
14.Rich Woman Blues - 4:58
15.Did Somebody Make A Fool Out Of You (feat Eric Clapton) - 4:42
16.Louvelda (feat J.J. Cale) (J.J. Cale, Tony Joe White) - 7:30
All songs by Tony Joe White except where noted
*Tony Joe White - Vocals, Guitars
1970 Tony Joe White - Tony Joe (2013 Japan remaster)
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